Caribbean World Series Preview Three and a half months of baseball in the sunny climes of the Caribbean have reduced the number of teams still playing from 28 to just four. The double round-robin begins on Friday, with the best record winning the series. Here is a preview of the Caribbean World Series. … [Read more...]
Weekend Update … Cubs Off-Season Is Not Over
Jed Hoyer said Thursday that the Cubs off-season is not over yet and while the Cubs’ GM did not drop any hints as to what they are working on, it could be a very interesting couple of weeks leading up to the Cubs Convention. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have to make at least one roster move in the near future in order to officially add Carlos Villanueva ... the Cubs’ roster currently stands at 40 players. They are believed to be looking for an outfielder, a utility infielder and could still add a … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/31/12
¡Feliz Año Nuevo! to all the readers at the CCO! As the regular season entered its final days in Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, the playoffs began in the Dominican Republic. Starting pitching seemed to be the highlight of the past week, marked by excellent performances from Alberto Cabrera, Ty’Relle Harris, Jay Jackson, and another surprise from Ryan Searle. In the field, Luis Valbuena got back into the swing of things while a rest seemed to help Alfredo Amezaga. And in Venezuela, another … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/24/12
Happy Holidays from everyone at the CCO! Today we visit warmer climes as the regular seasons are winding down in the winter leagues. The Dominican Winter League finished their season on Friday, with Junior Lake, Nelson Perez, Rafael Dolis and Luis Liria all heading into post-season action as Estrellas de Oriente secured one of the two playoff spots. As a late addition, reliever Frank Batista will also be a part of the post-season with the league leading Aguilas Cibaenas. In other news, … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/17/12
It was All-Star week in the winter leagues and the CCO would like to congratulate Junior Lake and Edwin Maysonet as representatives in the Dominican Winter League and Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League respectively. This past week also saw more players added to winter rosters as first baseman Justin Bour and pitchers Ty’Relle Harris, Luis Liria and Sandy Rosario all joined the fun in the sun. In the field, Dave Sappelt continued his assault on Venezuelan League pitching, while … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/10/12
This past week saw a baseball version of musical chairs for Cubs prospects as many experimented with other positions around the diamond. Arismendy Alcantara, Erick Castillo, and Edwin Maysonet lined up in two separate positions while Junior Lake appeared in three different places. Also trying out new roles were Ryan Searle and Christian Villanueva. Staying in one spot was fortunate for Margarita in the Venezuelan League as Dave Sappelt batted a robust .565 with seven runs scored in six games … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/03/12
As we head into the final month of the regular season for the winter leagues, there were plenty of thrill, chills and spills this past week. Dave Sappelt nearly hit for the cycle in Venezuela, while Tony Campana saved the day with a diving catch. Meanwhile, arbitration bound Luis Valbuena kept on slugging and new outfielder Johermyn Chavez went deep in back-to-back games. Elsewhere, Junior Lake remained on fire in the Dominican Republic, while Arismendy Alcantara began his first starting … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 11/26/12
The list of Cubs' prospects and players participating in the winter leagues grew last week. Counting the recently completed Arizona Fall League, the Cubs now have 43 players participating in winter ball. Pitchers Rafael Dolis and Ryan Searle, catcher Neftali Rosario and recently signed Johermyn Chavez and Alberto Gonzalez were added to rosters over the last seven days. Infielder Luis Valbuena and right-handed pitcher Esmailin Caridad had a good week as both players picked up their game in the … [Read more...]
A Look at the Infield in the Cubs System
The infield outlook appears muddy down on the farm. With the conclusion of the Arizona Fall League and the Hot Stove League kicking into high gear, the Cubs appear to have more questions than answers concerning the infield throughout the system. While management grapples with the question of 'Who's on Third?' for the parent club, a series of conflicting statements on a number of prospects has somewhat clouded the picture in the minor league system. Then add in the two-cents from the prospect … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 11/19/12
As the winter leagues kicked into high gear this week, a pair of players with aspirations for the big league club in Luis Valbuena and Dave Sappelt had huge showings in Venezuela. Starting pitching had some encouraging signs with fine efforts by Michael Bowden, Eduardo Figueroa, Jay Jackson and Yoanner Negrin. It was the final week for the Arizona Fall League, as the Mesa Solar Sox ended things up dismally despite the efforts of Logan Watkins and Rubi Silva. For more, take a look inside this … [Read more...]