As we paused this past Thursday to give thanks, the winter leagues saw many comings and goings. However, to answer some concerns of the Cubs Faithful, several pitchers stepped up their games. Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Marco Carrillo, and Jay Jackson were perfect in their starts, while Blake Parker and Oswaldo Martinez continue to mow them down in relief. Meanwhile, infielder Junior Lake had a memorable season debut in the Dominican Republic. To see where some of the prospects are now turning up, … [Read more...]
The Cubs First Interview Is In the Books … and Other News and Notes
Team Epstein completed their first formal interview on Friday for the Cubs managerial position ... current Phillies' bench coach, Pete Mackanin. Mackanin said he enjoyed the interview and described it as "thorough and a little exhausting." According to multiple reports, Mackanin said the interview was comprehensive and Team Epstein did not let him up for air ... they just kept pounding questions at him. Mackanin added that the interview process was similar to the one he went through in Boston … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 10/04/11
The CCO's Minor League analysis will focus on the pitchers in the Cubs' system over the next three reports. For those that missed last week's reports, the CCO took a look at the Cubs infield and catching prospects and then the outfielders down on the farm. First up, the pitching staffs of the Iowa Cubs and Tennessee Smokies. Pitching Analysis … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 09/08/11
The Cubs Minor League Fourth Quarter Report As the minor league regular season has drawn to a close, players from Triple-A Iowa and Class-A Peoria are looking toward their off-season, with many looking to attend the Arizona Fall League or Winter Baseball. Double-A Tennessee, High Class-A Daytona, and Short Season-A Boise have furthered their seasons by making the playoffs. Rookie League AZL Cubs narrowly missed their chance at the post-season, and the Dominican Summer League Cubs bowed out in … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 09/06/11
The end of the regular season is here, and the organization got a pleasant surprise as Boise rode the power bats of Ryan Cuneo, Reggie Golden, Paul Hoilman, and Rafael Lopez to qualify for the post-season in their last game. Boise joins Daytona and Tennessee as playoff teams, with the D-Cubs still struggling in all phases of the game. Tennessee got leadership down the stretch from Josh Vitters, while youngsters Junior Lake and Jae-Hoon Ha are finally coming of age. While Peoria and Iowa are out … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 09/01/11
Playing out the string is not what they have in mind in Boise, as Paul Hoilman looks for a home run crown while Reggie Golden is heating up. Peoria's Richard Jones continues his pursuit of 100 RBI, as All-Stars Evan Crawford, Justin Bour, and Frank Batista of Daytona prepare for the playoffs. With five games left in the season, Josh Vitters and the Tennessee Smokies remain tied for the second half championship and a first round bye. Meanwhile, Bryan LaHair is making history in Iowa. Along with … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/29/11
As the regular season enters its final week, Daytona struggles to find consistency before the playoffs as Logan Watkins continues to lead the way. Tennessee is only a game out of the second half championship thanks to the hot hitting of Jae-Hoon Ha. While Boise, Peoria, and Iowa are playing out the string, there continues to be excellent performances for each club. Ryan Cuneo and Wes Darvill were red hot for Boise, while Taiwan Easterling and Ben Klafczynski have been demonstrating good … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/22/11
It's a brand new day for the Cubs' Farm System. Here's hoping for sunny skies ahead. The system's teams responded by going a collective 12-7 over the past weekend, buoyed by Tennessee's five-game winning streak. Iowa has also won four out of its past five games, while Peoria and Boise each posted a 2-2 record. Brett Jackson continues to be on fire in Iowa, while Matt Spencer, Rebel Ridling and Justin Bour delivered key home runs. Chris Rusin and Ryan Searle also had top-notch pitching … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/15/11
Tennessee and Daytona each guaranteed a winning season, as both teams collected their 70th win as part of a system sweep on Friday. The minor league organization was a collective 11-7 to end the week. Great pitching performances from Eric Jokisch, Frank Del Valle, Matt Loosen, Casey Harman, Dae-Eun Rhee, Ryan Searle, and Casey Coleman were the highlights, as well as Josh Vitters emerging as a clutch performer. All of that, and more, in this edition of the CCO's Down on the Farm Report. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/11/11
Who are those guys in the blue pinstripes? They certainly don't look the Iowa team we know, as they ripped off three wins and obliterated league-leading Sacramento. Peoria went on their own winning streak, while Tennessee has gone back to their winning style of playing baseball. However, Boise was still having problems with their nemesis Tri-City, while Daytona split a pair with Clearwater. Along with News and Notes, and a weekly recap of action in the Dominican Summer League and the Arizona … [Read more...]