Angel Guzman's Story

Posted by Lionel on July 8, 2009.

Name the only top prospect (according to BA) in the last 7 years to be in a Cubs uniform today.
Yes, it's an easy answer since Angel Guzman's name and photo are above, but it's also a pretty remarkable story and one I think often gets overlooked.
Guzman originally signed with the Kansas City Royals in 1999 before having his contract voided and later signing with the Cubs. Guzman made his professional debut with the Cubs Rookie club in Venezuela as an 18 year old, making 7 appearances with a 1.93 ERA. Guzman made his stateside debut as a 19 year old with Boise in 2001. He went 9-1 in 14 starts with a 2.23 ERA, leading the league in victories and being named an All Star. In '02, he played in his first full season of professional baseball. He pitched 156 innings between A and Advanced A ball, going 11-4 with a 2.19 ERA.
It's notable that he pitched 150+ innings as a 20 year old because of the way things would go after that. After being a major league spring training invitee, he opened '03 at AA, where he went 3-3 with a 2.81 ERA in 15 starts (89 2/3 innings). He was selected to the Futures Game. But, he felt shoulder discomfort after a start in late June and Dr. James Andrews performed labrum surgery on him on July 8. Despite the surgery, the Cubs added Guzman to the 40 man roster at the year's end.
Guzman got started late in 2004 following surgery, making his first appearance mid-May. The Cubs started him in Advanced A ball while he rehabbed his shoulder. After a 3-1, 4.70 ERA performance, he was promoted to AA. After 4 starts in which he went 0-3 with a 5+ ERA, he went to the D.L. with shoulder tendonitis. He would remain on the D.L. for the rest of the year.
In 2005, Guzman went to EST (extended spring training) and remained there until August 10, when he returned to the mound in a rookie league game. He would only pitch in 6 contests that year between Rookie ball and Class A. He would get some additional work in in the Arizona Fall League.
Despite having missed the better part of the last two seasons, Guzman broke camp with Dusty Baker's Cubs in 2006. After 4 starts, he'd head to Iowa for the first time with a MLB ERA of 7.00. He'd bounce between Chicago and Iowa for the rest of the season, ending up with a 0-6 record and 7.39 ERA in the Bigs and a 4-4 record with a 4.04 ERA at Iowa.
In '07, he broke camp with the big club again as a reliever. But with Wade Miller struggling, the Cubs sent Guzman down to get in some more innings and prep him to start. He was back as a starter in May, until cramping issues sent him to the 'pen. At that time, Ryan Dempster was supposed to prepare Guzman to be the team's closer of the future. But two weeks after going to the 'pen, Guzman headed to the D.L. with a strained elbow. It was supposed to be a mild sprain, but after throwing a couple of relief appearances in rookie ball in July, Guzman was shut down again and underwent reconstructive elbow surgery late in the year.
His '08 campaign began in August after rehabbing from surgery. It also began in Daytona. He would climb up the rehab ladder to AA and AAA before being called up in September last year.
This year, on April 19, he earned his first career victory in his 21st major league appearance. He went to the D.L. in late June with a triceps strain and recently returned after rehabbing in Peoria (A Ball) and Iowa (AAA).
Since joining the Cubs in 2000, Guzman has undergone 2 major surgeries and has only had 2 full seasons of injury-free baseball. He has spent at least a portion of every season in the minors, albeit sometimes in rehab roles. After skipping Iowa on his way to the Bigs, he was sent there after his first MLB stint and has been there every year since (4 years in total). He threw more innings in his first three years stateside (2000-02) then in the 6+ years since.
Even with all that adversity, he's now the team leader in ERA (among those with more than 10 innings pitched).

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Who gets the Boot?


Posted by Lionel on July 6, 2009.
UPDATED 4:23 CT-The Cubs avoided making three moves by placing David Patton on the D.L., but I was 2 for 3 anyways. Sam Fuld and Kevin Hart are headed back to Iowa.

With ReJo, ARam, and Guzman slated to return to Wrigley tonight, who is most likely headed out of Chicago? Let's take a look:

Jeff Baker-That anyone even mentioned his name is ridiculous. Baker is out of options, so the only way the Cubs would get to keep him is if they sent him through waivers. Why would JH trade for a guy, only to put him on waivers 3 days later? The Cubs added Baker for versatility, not for 3 days of bench warming.

Sam Fuld-Look, the kid's got spunk. There's no doubt about that. And yes, he's leading the team in hitting, at .364. And he's played a more than solid OF. But...he's basically taking ReJo's spot. The Cubs haven't played with 5 true OF's since they traded Joey Gathright, and Lou never used Gathright when he had him (14 AB's in 20 games played over 6 weeks).

Andres Blanco-Andre White is the kind of guy you'd have on your team as the late-inning defensive replacement in the 80's. But it isn't the 80's. Blanco's hitting .225 and has the 2nd lowest OPS among all position players still on the 40 man roster. He could stay or go; he's out of options, so again, the Cubs would need to get him through waivers. Then again, you'd have to wonder if teams are desparately seeking defensive replacements. He could also stay until Aaron Miles returns.

Micah Hoffpauir and Jake Fox-It's just easier to discuss these two at the same time. Both have options, but it's highly unlikely both would be sent down. Hoffpauir has the advantage in being left-handed, but Fox has the advantage of being able to play third. Hoffpauir has been mired in a terrible slump (8 for 47 since the calendar hit June 1), but the Cubs may see the need to get Fox consistent PT at the 3-sack to make him more a reliable backup.

Mike Fontenot-Remember when the Cubs traded DeRo and JH said they did so in part to get lil Mikey more AB's? Well, he's had those AB's and has shown that that wasn't the right move. Fontenot is hitting .236 and has lost PT to Fox and Blanco. Because Fontenot was with the Big Boys all of last year, he actually still has options left. He has made his case to stay by amassing 7 hits in his last 4 games.

Kevin Hart-Hart was just called up 2 weeks ago. He has an impressive 1.59 ERA, with the one earnie coming off a solo HR, but Lou can't like the 5 walks in 5 and 2/3 innings pitched. Hart struggled at the beginning of the season, which may have been the reason we hadn't seen him earlier, but given the fact he has options, he would be the easiest to move.

Jeff ND-Samardzija was called up even more recently than Hart, but is making his second tour with the Cubs this season. He pitched a scoreless inning against the Pirates, but gave up 2 on the 4th of July to the Brew-Crew. Like Hart, he was starting in Iowa and the Cubs have been reluctant to call him up so he can work on second and third pitches, because they still project him long term as a starter. His contract may dictate whether he stays or goes, given that he makes $2M/year.

David Patton-There has been talk that it's time to end the David Patton experiment. He has a 5.63 ERA and a 1.67 WHIP on the year and he pitches roughly once per week. But despite the high overall ERA, Patton has a respectable 3.52 ERA after the first month of the season. The bigger question is whether the Cubs are going to continue to hold on to him through the rest of the year or whether it's time to cut bait and go with the young arms they have in the system.

My Predictions

I think Sam Fuld is the most likely to get sent down out of all these options. Sure, he was great for those two days. But the Cubs brass needs to be honest with itself. Fuld isn't going to supplant any of the starters and the Cubs have a more successful (long-term) option in Reed Johnson. The Cubs have 5th outfielder options in Baker, Fox, and Hoffpauir.

As for the other spot, it's really up in the air. Most experts think that Fox's bat and ability to play the 3 sack will keep him in the Bigs. While Fontenot has struggled, his back came around of late, and I think Lou likes him enough to keep him. Plus, of the group, lil Mikey's ego would take the biggest hit if sent down, and while the Cubs aren't in the ego business, they could lose him forever if he gets demoted. I think the Cubs are leaning towards Hoffpauir, because they have a thunder stick off the bench and because Blanco can keep the bench warm until Miles returns. With ARam back, the need for sticks shouldn't be as great as a gloveman.

I think it's really a toss up with the relievers. Hart's 5 walks in 5+ IP would make him the leading candidate. But if the Cubs see Jeff ND as a long term starter who needs to work on certain pitches, he isn't getting that experience in the Bigs as a reliever. And I wouldn't think they have plans to keep Patton and be a contender, but they've held on to him this long and the Cubs 'pen hasn't been overworked. So, I'll have to guess and say Hart.

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A Trip Around the Minors


Posted by Lionel on July 3, 2009.

The I-Cubs ATAtM list shrinks again, a couple of the Cubs best find new homes, A pre-Independence Day edition...

Iowa

Steve Clevenger-Clevenger's hitting streak ended at 10 games, and things haven't been so hot for him since. Clevenger's amassed just 4 hits during the week, hitting .182. Still, Clevenger's hitting .304 on the year between the two clubs with a .774 OPS.

Jeff ND-now with the Big Boys

Bonus-No need to do a deluxe edition of the I-Cubs All Star roster, as it's only one player, Chris Robinson. Robinson will be the PCL's starting catcher (yes, the Cub's organizational catcher logjam continues). Robinson is hitting .314 and has successfully stolen 7 of 9 bases this season.

Tennessee

Welington Castillo-4 starts for Castillo this week. A 2 for 4 performance was sandwiched in between three 0'fers. Castillo is hitting .154 for a combination of the months of June and July. Castillo only has 18 RBI's in 50 games.

Tyler Colvin-Colvin has a hit in his last 4 games and 7 of his last 8. He has a .901 OPS since being promoted back to Tennessee. But Colvin has also struck out at least once in 8 of his last 9 games. In 203 AB's this season, Colvin has K'd 45 times.

Jay Jackson-Jackson had his worst outing since April last Saturday, giving up 3 earned runs in 4 and 2/3 innings pitched. After not walking a batter in his previous 2 starts, Jackson yielded 4. Jackson bounced back last night, but didn't go deep into the game. He went 4 innings, giving up 1 earnie on 4 hits and 2 walks.

Andrew Cashner-The Cubs third best prospect according to BA has been promoted to play for Ryne Sandberg. Since Cashner hasn't officially toed the rubber for the Smokies, we'll take a quick look at his Daytona numbers. No record, a 1.50 ERA over 12 starts, a 1.10 WHIP and 1 HR allowed over 42 innings pitched. You have to wonder if this move puts him in line for a September callup.

Bonus-Jayson Ruhlman followed the unfortunate path that a few of his Smokie teammates did...he was demoted from Iowa after a slow start. Ruhlman has bounced back, posting a 3.00
ERA with a WHIP of 1.00. Both righties and lefties are hitting under .200 against him.

Daytona

Josh Vitters-With the #3 prospect moving up, who could the Cubs promote to keep the excitement level high in Daytona? Josh Vitters. While Vitters didn't have a hit in his first game, he did walk, something he did only 7 times in 70 games for the Chiefs. Vitters has 3 hits in his last 2 games, giving him a .273 BA in 3 games as a D-Cub.

Starlin Castro-The D-Cub fans may be spoiled, as they may be getting a peek at the future left side of the Cubs infield playing together. Case in point? Last Friday. Castro went 2 for 4 with a double, a triple, and a walk. He grabbed 5 RBI's, but also was caught stealing twice. He followed that up with a 3 for 5 night on Saturday.

Bonus-Daytona also added the Cubs 3rd round pick from 2008 in Chris Carpenter this week. Carpenter was 4-3 with the Chiefs, but posted an impressive 2.44 ERA in 15 starts. He had a 1.19 WHIP at Peoria and lefties were hitting .185 against him.

Peoria

Ryan Flaherty-Hopefully, Flaherty is getting things going. He's hit safely in 4 of his last 5 games, but also struck out 6 times. Beyond Flaherty's .238 BA, he's hit 10 HR's and has stolen 6 of 9 bases. He has a .740 OPS.

Bonus-A 20th round pick from the '07 draft, Jose Made was recently added to the Chiefs roster. After an '08 campaign in which he hit totalled 4 hits between 3 stops in 60 AB's (a .067 BA), Made has already amassed 6 hits in just 12 AB's for Peoria.

Boise

Hak Ju Lee-Lee is off to a hot start at Boise, hitting .340 with 12 runs in 12 games. He's hit in 11 of the 12 games this season, and already has 7 stolen bases in 9 attempts. The 18 year old is leading the league in stolen bases and tied for the lead in runs scored.
Bonus-An 18 year old out of South Korea, Jae Hoon Ha has shown a couple of good signs in his professional debut. First, he has 9 RBI's in 11 games, leading the team in that department. He's hitting .289 (thanks to 3 straight games of 2 for 4). But the most impressive stat is that he has struck out only once in 38 official AB's.


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No DeRo...No Problem. Cubs Make a Trade


Posted by Lionel on July 2, 2009.
UPDATED at 1:56 PM CT

While a lot of Cubs fans envisioned the return of Mark DeRosa to supply the Cubs with a utility-man, JH had other ideas. JH's return fire to the Card's DeRo trade?

Jeff Baker. The Cubs announced today that they have traded Alberto Albuquerque for Colorado's Jeff Baker, and in a corresponding move, they designated Ryan Freel for assignment. More on Albuquerque and Freel in a moment. Jeff Baker was hitting .130 for the Rockies...3 hits in 23 AB's, before a wrist injury sidelined him in late April. He has been on the D.L. since then, but is near the end of his rehab.

So why did the Cubs trade for him? I don't know. I guess they felt his utility-ness was more favorable than Ryan Freel's. Baker's natural position is third base, but he's played both other sacks (1 and 2) as well as the outfield. The confusing part for me is that the Cubs continue to stockpile utility players, yet none of them can play SS. Andre White is the only player who can realistically play SS other than The Riot. I guess Aaron Miles can play there in a pinch, but I just can't fathom bringing in guy after guy who is a good 2-sack and/or 3-sack and ignoring the fact that Lou is always saying how he'd like to get The Riot some rest.

Maybe JH feels Baker can produce like he did in '08, where he hit 12 HR's and drove in 48 in 333 AB's. I doubt anyone will be surprised to hear 8 of those HR's and 30 of the RBI's were at Coor's Field. In fact, his career .257 BA is really .295 at home, .205 on the road.

Not surprisingly, the Rockies were more than willing to get rid of him, given that they still have a plethora of infielders as well. Plus, Baker was moved to the 60 day D.L. because the team was at it's 40 man maximum, so they would've had to let someone when he returned.

So what did the Cubs surrender to get a career .205 hitter away from Coor's? Alberto Albuquerque (AA from now on...it's dizzying to write to type Albuquerque) was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 24 games of relief for the D-Cubs and righties were hitting a mere .174 off him. AA wasn't really considered a Cubs prospect because he didn't pitch at all last season (I assume it was based on an injury, but googling it did no good). So, the Cubs didn't give up much in this deal, at least on the surface.
Freel's tenure with the Cubs was brief in actual active duty. When he was acquired (from the Orioles for Joey Gathright), he was on the D.L. (yes, JH seems to like making trades for players currently hurt). He played in 10 games in May before heading back to the D.L. He played in 4 games since his second return from the D.L. He hit .143 for the Cubs with 1 run and 1 RBI.



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Let's Just Switch Iowa and Chicago


Posted by Lionel on July 1, 2009.

With a team like the Cubs, you can't expect the minor leaguers to have a huge impact. But amazingly, it seems like the Cubs are getting more production from them than some of the regulars. So I decided to rank the AAA players based on their performance in the Bigs to how a minor leaguer being called up should perform.

Below Average

Chad Fox-It's hard to remember that Fox even played for the Cubs and it's something I'm sure he'd like to forget. His callup lasted 1 outing shorter than last year, at 2, before another arm injury that will probably mean the end of his career. Fox's performance wasn't helping...5 earned runs in 1/3 of an inning.

Jeff ND-Samardzija was the first player called up from AAA this season. His first stint wasn't so good, lasting only 2 weeks, as he compiled a 8.10 ERA. But he was sent downt to work on a second pitch, and Lou said after his first return outing on Tuesday that he thought he looked a lot better. While the Cubs don't want to waste Jeff ND in the minors, he needs to prove something or he'll be sent back in favor of Ascanio or Hart.

Jason Waddell-When the Cubs added Waddell, I thought they finally had a 2nd leftie in the 'pen. Not that his 5.40 ERA at Iowa and the fact that lefties were batting .346 off him were making him attractive, but at least there were options. Well, 3 games in, and Waddell was gone. He is on the D.L. for a undisclosed, non-baseball-related injury reason, so when/if he'll return is up in the air. He left with a matching 5.40 ERA in the Bigs.

At Par

Kevin Hart-A limited sample size, but Hart has pitched relatively well in his 3 appearances since being recalled a week and a half ago. While he has a 2.45 ERA, he has walked 4 in less than 4 innings of work. Hart is probably a quick fill in until Angel Guzman comes back from the D.L., especially with Jeff ND up.

Above Average

Jose Ascanio-Ascanio was called up when Chad Fox went down, and was returned to Iowa when Jeff ND returned to the majors this week. Ascanio has been one of the cogs that has solidified the bullpen, giving up 6 earned runs over 15 and 1/3 innings. And while the Cubs have too much invested in Jeff ND to keep him at Iowa, Ascanio had struggled as of late, prompting the demotion.

Andres Blanco-Andre White was another headscratcher when he was called up, because he hadn't played in the Bigs since '06. And while Blanco has only hit .231, he's done the little things you'd expect out of a bench player. He plays solid defense (getting the #1 web gem last night, which you can see here) and has good AB's. He has more walks than K's and is tied for the team lead in sacrifices.

Sam Fuld-It only took one game for Fuld to play above average. A 2 for 4 performance, including a double last night, a diving catch, and throwing out a runner at home with a great throw from left will do that. Fuld is likely only here until ReJo comes back next week, but with last night's performance, we may see him log some PT.

Bobby Scales-When I heard that the first position player the Cubs were calling up from AAA was a 31 year old who'd never sniffed the Bigs, I thought the Cubs farm system was in bigger trouble than I'd expected. But Scales performed admirably in a 25 games before his return to Iowa. He hit 3 HR's and had a .466 slugging percentage, which ranks higher than everyone but D.Lee, ARam, Sam Fuld (in his 1 game), and Jake Fox.

Excellent

Jake Fox-Fox was leading the minors in the triple crown categories (BA, HR's, RBI's) when he was called up. There were a lot of questions as to whether he would actually get to play, because he was considered a defensive liability basically everywhere. So, Fox took matters into his own hands and hit his way onto the field. His .316 BA and .509 slugging percentage are 3rd to Fuld and ARam. He has given Lou a solid option at 3rd until ARam comes back, and you have to wonder where the Cubs would be if Fox had been playing the 3-sack instead of the Fontenot experiment.

Randy Wells-Called up as a replacement for Zambrano, Wells has been nothing short of amazing. His 2.43 ERA is almost a full point better than any other starter on the staff and he has a 3 to 1 K/W ratio. Wells has also saved Lou's 'pen, going at least 6 and 2/3 in 7 of his last 8 starts. Unless he falls apart or they trade him, expect him to be in the rotation for the remainder of the year. All this from a guy considered to be about the Cubs 50th best prospect in their system.

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All Star Update-Southern League

Posted by Lionel on June 29, 2009.

I previously announced the Class A minor league All Stars via the weekly ATAtM, but I decided to profile the numerous Tennessee Smokies who made the Southern League All Star team separately. Here are the six:

Jay Jackson-This was an obvious selection. While his 4-3, 3.15 ERA overall doesn't jump out, his 4-0 record and 1.55 ERA in the last 9 starts tells the story. Jackson was a 9th round pick by the Cubs in the '08 draft (yes, only a little over 1 calendar year ago) and is a top ten prospect in the Cubs system.

Casey Coleman-Coleman's 2.79 ERA is the fifth lowest among pitchers in the Southern League. Combine that with an 8-3 record and only 4 HR's yielded in 87 innings pitched (his 87 IP is 4th in the league) and you've got yourself an All Star. Jackson has gotten most of the notoriety as being a lower drafted player having success, but Coleman was a 15th round pick in that same 2008 draft, 461st overall.

Brian Schlitter-Schlitter made the All Star team on the strength of his closing numbers: 12 saves, 3rd best in the Southern League. He has better than a 2 to 1 K/W ratio, but nothing else jumps out. He's 0-4 with a 4.64 ERA and 7 HR's allowed. Schlitter was acquired from the Phillies in exchange for Scott Erye late last year.

Darwin Barney-Barney is 4th in the league in batting average (.317) and is one of only three infielder's hitting above .300. He's mostly a singles hitter (his slugging % is just over .400) and he still has some work to do defensively (16 errors), but that average is hard to ignore. Barney was a 4th round pick in the '07 draft and is the Cubs 19th best prospect according to BA.

Blake Lalli-Lalli is one of the other two infielders hitting above .300 in the league, as he enters play tonight at .302. Much like Barney, Lalli is mostly a singles hitter. One of the more impressive things about the 1-sack is that he was actually an NDFA (non-drafted free agent) who the Cubs signed out of college.

Jim Adduci-Adduci joins Lalli and Barney in the .300 club, although he is one of the 9 OF's in the Southern League (which means that the Smokies have 25% of the .300 hitters in the league). But Adduci adds a little more...he is tied for 5th in the league in stolen bases, with 17. The Cubs acquired Adduci from the Marlins. How? Well, he was supposedly given to the Cubs by the Marlins as compensation for Zach McCormack, who failed his physical after the trade. McCormack was part of the deal that sent Todd Wellemeyer to the Marlins, so you'll often see that he was "traded" for McCormack.

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A Trip Around the Minors

Posted by Lionel on June 25, 2009. Futures game roster announced, an All Star MVP, and the first stats from Boise.


Iowa


Steve Clevenger-The I-Cubs catcher is starting to hit like he did at Tennessee. Entering tonight's game, Clevenger has a 9 game hitting streak. During the streak, he's hitting .382 (13 for 34) with 4 doubles. In his last 5 games, he has 6 RBI's. He also stole his first base this week.


Kevin Hart-now with the Big Boys


Jeff ND-Samardzija must make scouts want to bang their head against a wall, because his good game, bad game streak continues. This week was his good game. 8 innings of shutout baseball, dropping his ERA by over half a point. It was also his longest outing of the year and his 7th consecutive start with a decision. Samardzija also went 1 for 3 at the plate.


Bonus-Maybe something to starting to click with Mitch Atkins. When he toed the rubber on June 6th, he had a 2-7 record with an ERA approaching 9. But in his last four, he is 3-0 with an ERA of 2.73 and a WHIP of 0.91. Last night, Atkins had a no hitter going into the 8th inning before the wheels came off (a little); he gave up 2 singles and a double, along with a sacrifice, before being lifted.


Tennessee


Welington Castillo-Last year's representative in the Future's Game for the Cubs won't be making a return trip this year. Castillo has played in 5 games this week, going 2 for 15. On Father's Day, he hit his 6th HR of the year in a 3 RBI, 2 run performance. But he followed that up on Monday with an 0 for 4, 3 K performance.


Tyler Colvin-Colvin's hitting streak ended at 8, but has hit safely in 11 of his last 12. He added another HR last Friday (giving him 4 in 3 days) and went yard on Wednesday night in a 3 for 4 performance. He's now hitting .319 with 6 HR's (in 69 AB's) at Tennessee. Maybe he's concerned he'll lose his status as the most athletic player in the Cubs organization (with the signing of 1st round pick Brett Jackson) or his status as College World Series star (to 2nd round pick D.J. LeMahieu).


Jay Jackson-I get the impression that people keep waiting on Jackson to fail. Well, they'll have to keep waiting. Another strong performance for Jackson this week. A really strong performance. 5 innings, 1 hit. No walks, no runs. He also struck out 5. Since May 19th, he has an ERA of 1.01. There's not much more to say about how great he's pitching.


Bonus-Marco Carrillo made one appearance in Daytona before being called up to Tennessee at the end of May. In his 2nd appearance at Daytona, he gave up a solo HR over 2 and 1/3 innings. That is the sum total of the runs he's given up this season. 1 run over 16 and 2/3 innings in total. The only concerning aspect for Carillo is that he has walked 7.


Daytona


Starlin Castr0-The Cubs shocked some "experts" when they put the younger, more inexperienced Castro at Daytona while keeping the polished Ryan Flaherty at Peoria. How has Castro handled it? Well, along with the FSL All Star selection, Castro has been named this week to the Future's Game World squad. Speaking of that All Star game...Castro was named MVP, thanks to a 4 for 4 performance which included an inside the park HR.


Andrew Cashner-Tuesday's start was a typical Cashner start...meaning it was short and sweet. 4 innings pitched, 1 hit. No walks, no earned runs. In his last 5 starts, he's allowed a total of 2 earnies. I still find it interesting that the Cubs say they project Cashner as a starter, yet he hasn't thrown more than 4 innings twice this year. A lot of guys who project as relievers still start to get more work in, but you'd expect Cashner to be stretched out by now.


Bonus-Unfortunately, Ryan Searle didn't enjoy the same success in the All Star game as Castro. The Australian came in in relief, yielding 4 earnies. According to former Daytona head coach and Cub Jody Davis, it was the first time Searle had ever pitched in the rain.


Peoria


Josh Vitters-Vitters will join Castro in the Future's Game, but will actually oppose him on the U.S. squad. Vitters started the MWL All Star game, going 0 for 3 with a strikeout. He closed the first half of the season at .308 with 13 HR's and 42 RBI's in 250 AB's (that would be 31 HR's and 101 RBI's over a 600 AB season).

Ryan Flaherty-Flaherty was probably happy to get a few days off for the All Star break after a disappointing .236 BA in the first half. But despite a low BA, Flaherty managed 22 extra base hits and 36 RBI (good for 4th on the team). Flaherty has been seeing some time at the 2-sack recently with Junior Lake (the Cubs #14 prospect according to BA) playing SS.

Bonus-Why not give a little love to Michael Brenly? Brenly has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games, driving his BA from .235 to .278. During that stretch, Brenly has three 3 hit games and 4 doubles. He has driven in 6, or more than a quarter of his total runs batted in for the year (to date). He's also drawn 3 walks (he only had walked 5 times previous to this streak).

Boise

Hak Ju Lee-While his arm may still be recovering from off-season Tommy John surgery, his bat was ready for Northwest League pitching. He's opened the season on a 6 game hitting streak, giving him a .400 BA. He has 7 runs in the 6 games and has already stolen 2 bags (I guess his wheels are OK too).

Bonus-Obviously, a small sample size to choose from, but 8th round pick Robert Whitenack got his professional career started in the right direction. The 20 year old righthander pitched two innings of perfect relief, facing 3 righties and 3 lefties. He struck out one.

The Rest

No news on Dae Eun Rhee.





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A Few Draft Notes

Posted by Lionel on June 23, 2009.

A few news and notes regarding the players selected in last week's draft...


  • 1st Round pick Brett Jackson has signed with the Cubs, according to various reports. Obviously, it's good to hear the Cubs won't be sweating it out on the final days to sign him. He is expected to report to Boise.

  • Speaking of Boise, the Cubs 8th round pick, pitcher Robert Whitenack, is already with the team after signing.

  • The Cubs 2nd round pick probably isn't thinking too much of his contract negotiations with the Cubs right now, as he is playing the College World Series Finals. D.J. LeMahieu was a huge part of LSU's game one victory. LeMahieu hit a solo homer to cut the lead to one in the seventh and had a 2 RBI double in the ninth that tied the game. Then in the 11th, he walked, stole second, went to third on a bad throw from the catcher (he probably would've been thrown out at second except for the errant throw), and scored the go-ahead (and winning) run.

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