If the timeframe reported on Monday night was correct, the Cubs’ front office should find out at some point on Wednesday if Boston will grant them permission to interview Torey Lovullo for their managerial opening. The decision made by the Red Sox ownership to deny Lovullo a shot at a big league skipper’s job raised a lot of questions about Boston’s organization. And while the Sox are sticking to the agreement reached by both teams more than two years ago, the overall public perception of the … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 10/03/13
Position Analysis The CCO’s off-season series of articles to summarize and project how the minor league system looks on a position by position basis continues today. Earlier this week, the focus was on second base and last week we took a look at third base and shortstop. Next up is a position that continues to be a strength of the system and may be the best example of the front office’s idea of position redundancy: First Base. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 09/02/13
Happy Labor Day to everyone from the CCO! As the minor league season entered its final weekend, both the Iowa Cubs and the AZL Cubs were eliminated in their desperate attempts to make the playoffs. Meanwhile in Tennessee and Daytona, both teams are preparing for post-season as the bats of Javier Baez and Dustin Geiger have stayed hot. Boise put themselves in a must-win situation for their final two games after being no-hit on Saturday. As for Kane County, the Cougars wrap up their season on … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/26/13
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/26/13 The intensity has ramped up as we move into the final week of the minor league regular season. Tennessee moved closer to clinching a playoff spot as Javier Baez continued to wreak havoc in the Southern League. Daytona looked like an unstoppable force once the weather let up and Kris Bryant was unleashed. Kevin Encarnacion and Justin Marra have helped move Boise into a first place tie, while Kane County and Iowa also experienced some successes. For … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/22/13
The minor league season is coming down to the wire as Tennessee had a winning streak snapped but reduced their magic number in the Southern League. Daytona continues to maintain a five game lead in the Florida State League with fourteen games left to play. Boise and the AZL Cubs are fighting for their playoff lives, as they are two and three games out of first place respectively. The DSL Cubs are clinging to a two game lead with four games on the schedule, while Iowa can only play out the … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/12/13
The Cubs’ farm system went streaking at the end of the week. Kris Bryant ran his hitting streak to 15 games while the Boise Hawks won three games in a row. Iowa posted five consecutive victories and enjoyed a 13 game hit streak from Jae-Hoon Ha. Daytona broke their streak of being rained out as they got enough of a break in the weather to win two in a row. Kane County notched a couple of wins while Tennessee also won two out of three games. And Kyle Hendricks did not disappoint in his … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/08/13
It has been another good week down on the farm. Eric Jokisch notched a no-hitter on Tuesday. Javier Baez stayed hot at the plate and Mike Olt went yard for the first time in an I-Cubs’ uniform. Kris Bryant ran his hitting streak to 10 games before Boise took a break for the All-Star game. And after a slow start, Bryant is hitting .292/.352/.583/.935 with five doubles and three home runs in 13 games. LHP Rob Zastryzny received a promotion and recently drafted Cael Brockmeyer was sent all the … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/05/13
As we enter August, the final push of the minor league season begins. Iowa will need to straighten things out after a nine-game losing streak pushed them back in the division. Tennessee clings to a half game lead in the Southern League as they ride the bats of Justin Bour and Javier Baez. The team approach, and a very good starting rotation, has worked for Daytona as they have opened up a four and a half game lead in the Florida State League. Unfortunately, Kane County remains in last place … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/29/13
All eyes were on the Cubs’ system this week after two trades added more inventory and talent to the organization. Mike Olt, Justin Grimm and C.J. Edwards were acquired in the Matt Garza deal with Texas and each player made their organizational debuts. Justin Grimm struggled in his first start while Mike Olt is 2-for-19 in his first five games. C.J. Edwards made his D-Cubs debut on Sunday and made a very good first impression. Edwards tossed five innings of shutout ball, allowed one infield … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/25/13
The Cubs moved into a new era in their minor leagues as first round pick Kris Bryant joined many of his 2013 draftees in Boise. The Cubs also added pitchers Justin Grimm and C.J. Edwards, along with infielder Mike Olt in the trade for Matt Garza … and more players should be added to the Cubs’ system over the next six days. Iowa, Tennessee, and Daytona battled to keep their playoff hopes alive while Kane County looked for any kind of positives this week. Along with updates from the … [Read more...]