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 – 08/19/13
The Cubs’ affiliates had a decent end of the week. Boise pulled to within a game of first place with help from Carlos Penalver. Kane County posted a couple of wins, while Iowa received an excellent spot start from Casey Coleman. Tennessee kept its grip on first place thanks to Javier Baez and two game winning home runs. Both Kris Bryant and Dan Vogelbach have settled in well and are contributing to Daytona’s playoff push. To see how it all went down, check out today’s Down on the Farm Report. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/15/13
It was moving day for many of the Cubs’ prospects, as Kris Bryant and Dan Vogelbach now call Daytona home. Reliever Armando Rivero is now in Tennessee, while nomadic lefty Jeffry Antigua has returned to Iowa. Cael Brockmeyer is back in Boise and Trevor Gretzky has made his way to Kane County. Meanwhile, Javier Baez just keeps on hitting and working counts in Tennessee. Baez is 18-for-43 with six doubles, one home run, 13 RBI, three walks and nine strikeouts in last 10 games … [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...]
Minor Matters and Other Cubs News and Notes
The Cubs minor league system had another good week. Several of the top prospects in the organization continue to improve and the front office has started promoting players with a month of games left to be played. Kyle Hendricks earned a promotion to Triple-A Iowa and was replaced on the Smokies’ roster by Dayan Diaz. Albert Almora keeps hitting and received a day off on Saturday … and Kris Bryant extended his hitting streak to nine games on Saturday night. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/01/13
The Cubs’ system had mixed results this week. Kane County has started winning ballgames and the Smokies moved back into first place with Wednesday’s night victory. Iowa dropped their sixth game in a row on Wednesday despite a decent start from Justin Grimm. And Daytona rode an excellent outing from Ivan Pineyro to a win on Wednesday. Javier Baez went deep for the 11th time in a Smokies’ uniform on Wednesday night and has hit safely in seven of his last nine games while reaching base in all … [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 – 07/22/13
“That’s Baseball” is usually the response when something out of the ordinary happens in the game we love, but even the most diehard fans couldn’t expect to see the declared tie Daytona experienced on Saturday. A slew of recently drafted pitchers have helped Boise to a seven game winning streak, while weather played havoc with both Daytona and Kane County. Tennessee and Iowa came back from All-Star break with mixed results. To see what else strange and unusual has happened, check out today’s … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/15/13
As the season moves into the second half, some stories remain the same. Kane County continues to struggle winning games while Tennessee and Daytona keep rolling along. Iowa is still hovering around .500, as are the AZL Cubs, but Boise found trouble winning north of the border. Pierce Johnson, Zach Cates and Matt Loosen led the D-Cubs’ pitching staff with three excellent outings while Ivan Pineyro made his debut with five scoreless innings. Chang-Yong Lim also made his D-Cubs’ debut and … [Read more...]