Fifteen players in the Cubs’ system have been granted free agency. Josh Vitters headlines the Cubs list of minor leaguers that have been granted free agency and are able to sign with another organization. The Cubs outrighted Josh Vitters off the 40-man roster on Oct. 31 and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs selected Vitters with the third overall pick in the 2007 draft and passed on Matt Wieters to take who was considered to have the best high school bat in the draft. Injuries and … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 05/05/14
Chicagoland has a new baseball power, and its name is the Kane County Cougars. The Cougars completed a weekend sweep and raised their record to a Midwest League best 21-9! It has been a total team effort for the Cougars with Jacob Hannemann, Jordan Hankins, and Will Remillard providing the highlights on offense and the pitching of Zack Godley. Daytona played for the first time in three days on Sunday and won in walk-off style thanks to Jeimer Candelario. Tennessee had a six game winning … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 05/01/14
The inclement weather that is effecting the entire country took its toll on the Cubs minor league teams this week, as Iowa lost two games due to the weather while Kane County had one of theirs postponed. In the games that were played, both Iowa and Kane County maintained their first place leads due to the hot hitting of Jacob Hannemann and Lars Anderson. Daytona struggled to find consistency in three losses, while Tennessee beat a Cy Young winner thanks to Dustin Geiger and John … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 04/17/14
Welcome to The CCO’s Thursday addition of Down on the Farm. In today’s article, Arismendy Alcantara comes close to hitting for the cycle, Carlos Penalver keeps on hitting, and Dustin Geiger leads all Cubs minor leaguers with four home runs. There were excellent pitching performances from Paul Blackburn, Jen-Ho Tseng, Jake Arrieta, and Kyle Hendricks. The Kane County Cougars have posted seven straight victories, while the Iowa Cubs have won five out of seven. So sit back, grab your favorite … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 03/24/14
Minor League Preview – Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa Good Morning to everyone at the CCO! Today is the last of a three part installment previewing the 2014 minor league season. We will be discussing each level’s strengths, weaknesses, and things to look for. Please note that the previews are based on current roster assignments and anticipated Spring Training success. All assignments, both as to position and level, are subject to change pending the completion of Spring Training. … [Read more...]
Cubs Expected to Step-Up Process of Hiring a Manager
Weekend Update The Cubs relieved Dale Sveum of his managerial duties nearly two weeks ago and the front office found out that Joe Girardi and his family preferred to stay in New York over accepting the challenge of managing the Cubs on Wednesday. So while the Cubs have reportedly talked to A.J. Hinch and Manny Acta about their managerial opening, the front office is expected to accelerate the process of hiring a manager in the coming week. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer spent a majority of last … [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...]