JOT: Cubs Minor League Recap 8-3-13

In Commentary And Analysis, Minor Leagues by myles23 Comments

Iowa Cubs 0 @ Tacoma Rainiers 5

Another day, another Iowa snoozefest. Luis Flores was 2-3. Darnell McDonald was 1-4 with a double. Mike Olt was 0-4 and made his 16th error on the year, but no Ks at least. Dave Sappelt got a hit. Something something Edwin Mayonnaise.

Brooks Raley got the start and was forgettable. 4 runs (2 earned) on 8 hits and 3 Ks in 5 IP. Meh. Yoanner Negrin and Marcus Hatley each worked an inning and got a strikeout. Negrin allowed a hit and Hatley didn't. Marcos Mateo worked the eighth and allowed a run on two hits and a K. That was exciting, wasn't it?

Tennessee Smokies 3 @ Jacksonville Suns 4

Javier Baez had an encouraging day, going 2-4 with a double and a walk and NO STRIKEOUTS HOLY SHIT. I typed that up and said to myself, "He had to have made an error, then." And of course he did, a throwing error, his seventh in 26 games at Tennessee. Ah well. He has walked at least once in 6 of his last 10 games, for what it's worth. Christian Villanueva was 1-4 with a double, as was Rubi Silva, who added a SB. Matt Szczur and Arismendy Alcantara were both 1-4 with a walk. John Andreoli went 1-4. The Killing (Who Killed Brett Jackson?) went 0-1 in a pinch hit PA.

Bradenton Marauders @ Daytona Cubs

Postponed due to rain.

Dae-Eun Rhee had a forgettable day, taking the loss thanks to 5.1 innings of 4 hit, 3 walk, 3 K, 4 ER ball. Yeiper Castillo got the last two outs of the sixth, walking three in the process. Zach Rosscup continues to be nails out of the Tennessee pen, allowing just 11 runs in 43 innings so far this season, striking out 65. He allowed a hit against 3 Ks in the 7th yesterday. Kevin Rhoderick didn't sucks yesterday, which is a big deal for him.

Kane County Cougars 6 @ Clinton LumberKings 1

An efficient day from the Cougars offense, scoring 6 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. The bats you'd prefer to see loud were quiet though, as most of the damage came from the bottom of the order. Marco Hernandez and Willson Contreras were both 1-4 with a homer. Giuseppe Papaccio was 1-3 with a homer and a walk. Oliver Zapata was 1-4 with a double. Gioskar Amaya was 1-4. Dan Vogelbach and Jeimer Candelario were both 0-3.

On the pitching side, Starling Peralta took the bump and worked 5 innings of 5 hit, 2 walk, 4 K scoreless ball. Sheldon McDonald gave up the shutout, allowing a run in 2 innings on three hits and 2 Ks. Michael Hamann closed it out with 2 innings of scoreless, 1 hit ball, punching out 2.

Boise Hawks 4 @ Everett AquaSox 0 (Game 1 of DH)

Kris Bryant seems to be shaking the rust off, thankfully, and was good in both ends of the doubleheader. In the first game he was 1-2 with a walk and has his Boise line up to .250. Woo. Kevin Encarnacion was 1-3 with a walk. David Bote was 1-4. Rony Rodriguez was 1-3.

Dillon Maples got the start and allowed 2 hits in 5 innings, walking one, punching out one, and giving up no runs. He seems to be getting his act together since his demotion. Corbin Hoffner worked the last 2 scorelessly, allowing a hit, a walk, and striking out 2.

Boise Hawks 1 @ Everett AquaSox 3 (Game 2 of DH)

Bryant hit his third professional homer in this one, a solo shot in the fourth that was the Hawks' only offense. He was 1-3 and finished the day 2-5 with a walk. Other than that, not much going on here. Kevin Encarnacion was 1-2 with a walk. David Bote was 1-3. Seriously, where the hell has Shawon Dunston disappeared to?

Michael Wagner got the start in this one, allowing 3 runs (1 earned) on 4 hits and a walk in 2.2 innings, fanning three. Juan Paniagua worked the next 2.1 and gave up a hit and a walk, but kept it scoreless and struck out 2. Scott Frazier worked a clean ninth, fanning two.

Los Angeles Dodgers 3 @ Chicago Cubs 0

A .500 record and an unprotected draft pick suddenly doesn't look so close of late, does it? Every starter had a hit except Anthony Rizzo, who was 0-3 with a walk. Cole Gillespie was 2-4 in this one. Welington Castillo was 1-3 with a double for the Cubs' only XBH. Starlin Castro was 1-4, and apparently hits a wall every time his batting average gets a little too close to .250. The Junior Lake Show was 1-4.

Jeff Samardzija had another quality start, going 6 innings and allowing three runs. He doled out 5 free passes, which hurts, but not much you can do when the offense puts up a zero. He totalled 6 innings, 7 hits, and 9 Ks on the day. Hector Rondon worked the seventh and allowed a hit but nothing else. Matt Guerrier continues to be pretty good as a cub, working a perfect eighth and striking out 1. And Kevin Gregg was Kevin Greggy, allowing 2 hits and a walk in the ninth but getting out of it without damage.

DSL Cubs 16 @ DSL Brewers 4

Notable in this one was that the Cubs scored 16 runs on zero home runs and only two doubles. Death by a thousand paper cuts.

VSL Cubs 3 @ VSL Phillies 11

Nothing really noteworthy here.

 

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  1. Recalcitrant Blogger Nate

    @ dmick89:
    I’m not sure its a benching so much as they wanted to get the guys they just called up into the lineup. That kinda seems to happen alot.

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  2. shawndgoldman

    SSS warning, but Baez’s line over the last 10 has looked pretty good:
    AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS OBP SLG OPS
    .233 43 9 10 1 0 5 10 7 15 2 1 .340 .605 .945

    That higher BB rate looks particularly nice. If he starts walking more that should help cut down the K numbers. Probably the power numbers, too, but there’s lots of room to spare there.

    I remember there were concerns about his ability to stick in the infield… but I always thought those were along the lines of “as his frame grows he may not have the range to play SS anymore.” But are the errors a broader concern? Are they the type that would be limited to SS, or would it also affect his ability to play 2B/3B? Does he have the speed/range to play CF?

    That power can play anywhere on the diamond, but it’s most impressive coming from SS or another premium defensive position.

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  3. shawndgoldman

    61 errors in 177 career minor league games is a LOT. Prorated to 162 games that’s about 56 errors, which would be the most errors in a single MLB season since the 1940’s.

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  4. Rizzo the Rat

    @ dmick89:
    Yes. Then again, I wasn’t a big fan of either the House of Cards remake or the new AD season (I never saw Hemlock Grove and don’t think I want to.)

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  5. Rizzo the Rat

    @ dmick89:
    I admit, I have a bias against remakes of foreign TV shows–a trend that seems to be getting out of hand to me. Then again, All in the Family is one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. Still, the original series moved faster (4 episodes), and Ian Richardson was so perfect in the original HoC, even a man of Spacey’s talents can’t compare.

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  6. J

    I hope Ramirez got hurt badly. He was acting like a complete ass earlier in the game. If anyone deserved an injury, it’s him.

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  7. dmick89

    @ Rizzo the Rat:
    I wasn’t a fan of The Killing and haven’t seen the original HOC. I do agree that the Netflix one moved a bit slow at times and would have been better if it was condensed into 8 or 9 episodes. I’m really liking The Bridge, though.

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  8. Rizzo the Rat

    @ dmick89:
    I watched the first 3 episodes of the Bridge, and I’m not sure if I want to continue. I might just watch Bron/Broen instead, since someone uploaded that to Dailymotion. (I also love how Europe has less censorship than U.S. cable stations).

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  9. J

    H. Ramirez took umbrage at a pitch that was not even that high and inside. He made a hand gesture that no one could make much sense of. Then after taking the walk, instead of tossing the bat towards the dugout, he placed on the ground between Navarro’s legs. It was a dick move that Navarro did not appreciate.

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  10. dmick89

    The Cubs grabbed Bryant with the second overall selection in this June’s draft, inking the former Torero for $6.7 million. Bryant has been eased into pro ball, with two complex-league games before a promotion to the short-season Northwest League. Through his first 15 professional contests, Bryant is already showing the advanced power that wowed evaluators this spring, as 60 percent of his hits have gone for extras. It’s too early to start digging into the production, but the numbers to watch for Bryant will be his strikeout rate and walk rate as he progresses up the chain. There is no doubt the young slugger has the raw power to stand out in the middle of any major-league lineup, but his ability to make contact will be paramount in making sure that raw power is reachable in game. Bryant draws mixed reviews for his projected hit tool, so his on-base ability will be an important component of his overall offensive value. Thus far the defense has shown adequate, and evaluators generally give Bryant a fair shot to stick at the hot corner. Right field remains an enticing back-up option, and Bryant’s athleticism and arm strength would play. –Nick J. Faleris

    http://baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=21439

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  11. dmick89

    Albert Almora, OF, Cubs (Low-A Kane County)
    Almora just continues to perform for Low-A Kane County. Through 270 plate appearances the standout center fielder is hitting .332/.379/.470, showcasing an aggressive approach at the plate backed by an advanced feel for the barrel. As Almora progresses through the Cubs’ system, he will likely need to tone down the aggressiveness some. Midwest League arms, however, have proven incapable of getting the ball by the Cubs’ top prospect, with Almora striking out in just 11 percent of his plate appearances.

    Perhaps most importantly, in his first year of full-season baseball Almora appears to be getting stronger through the season, rather than tiring, and is already showing an emphasis on putting together more patient at-bats. Over his past 10 games he’s hitting .368/.429/.447, and in the month of July he saw his on-base percentage jump 60 points from June, in spite of a slight downtick in batting average. Almora won’t turn 20 until April, and he continues to show a feel for game well beyond his years. He is an elite prospect who could move quickly should the Cubs decide to let him loose. –Nick J. Faleris

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