The Cubs spent the off day Thursday in the Bay Area taking in the sights and playing golf, well at least according to the Twitter machine that’s what the players did. The Cubs get back to work Friday night in Oakland at the wonderful park the A’s play their home games. Several Cubs will face their former team for the first time this weekend. Jon Lester was traded to the A’s from Boston in 2014 and that move likely paved the way for him signing with the Cubs as Patrick Mooney reported. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/31/15
Put all that anticipation of September call-ups on hold as the Iowa Cubs are back in playoff contention with a weekend sweep thanks to John Andreoli, Javier Baez, and newcomer Emilio Bonifacio. Tennessee also is on a roll, wining five straight with fine pitching from Andres Santiago and Pierce Johnson. Eugene had a rough weekend but maintained their first place lead on the bat of Ian Rice and pitching of Carson Sands. Myrtle Beach won in walk-off fashion courtesy of Jason Vosler, and Jeffrey … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/24/15
Twenty-five games over .500! That’s the record of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans as they went home run happy over the weekend, with Ben Carhart leading the way. Iowa also caught the home run bug as five members left the yard this weekend, with a game-winner by Adron Chambers. Tennessee had to dodge the raindrops as Jacob Hannemann stayed on a roll, while South Bend salvaged a game with home runs from Charcer Burks and David Bote. With scores from the rookie league and the conclusion of the … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/19/15
Rain and scheduling resulted in a diminished amount of action in the Cubs’ minor league system to start the week. Eugene was able to rally thanks to timely hitting from Alex Bautista, Adonis Paula, and Eloy Jimenez. Meanwhile, South Bend made some noise as Jeffrey Baez, Ian Happ and David Bote led them to victory. Tsuyoshi Wada had a quality start for the Iowa Cubs, while Danny Spingola and Chris Pieters were swinging hot bats for the AZL Cubs. While lacking in volume, today’s Down on … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/14/15
With pennant races for the Cubs organization extending down throughout the minor leagues, the balls are now flying out of the park. Andrew Ely and Ian Rice went downtown for Eugene, while Matt Rose and Ian Happ came up big for South Bend. Jason Vosler continues to surprise with his power output for Myrtle Beach, and Jacob Rogers belted his first for Tennessee. And Arismendy Alcantara and Tommy La Stella each had big flies for Iowa. So bring your mitt and watch out for fly balls while … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/10/15
With the end of the season just weeks away, several of the Cubs’ affiliates are trending in the right direction. Iowa is four games out of first place as Felipe Paulino and Carlos Pimentel pitched back-to-back gems. Tennessee has a new version of the “Bash Brothers”, as Willson Contreras and Jeimer Candelario have slugged the Smokies to victory. As usual, pitching is the story in Myrtle Beach as Jeremy Null, Paul Blackburn, and Brad Markey all had good outings. James Norwood and Jake Stinnett … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/31/15
Heroes came from unlikely sources as Myrtle Beach was spurred to victory by home runs from Trey Martin and Carlos Penalver, meanwhile Adbert Alzolay came out of the pen for Eugene to deliver a no-hit performance. Pitching was also in the forefront as excellent efforts were had by Tommy Thorpe of South Bend, Pierce Johnson and Rob Zastryzny of Tennessee, and Iowa’s Felipe Paulino. All the highlights in today’s Down on the Farm Report. Short Season Class-A – Eugene Emeralds (20-22) It was … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 12/26/14
Position Analysis – Low-A South Bend Pitching Staff The CCO’s off-season look at the Cubs’ minor league system continues today. After viewing the possible pitching staff for Triple-A Iowa, Double-A Tennessee, and High-A Myrtle Beach, we now look at the prospects for Low-A South Bend. Low-A South Bend Starters and Relievers A third wave of pitching prospects is getting set to arrive at another new affiliate, the South Bend Cubs. Heading off the rotation should be the Cubs’ second round … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 10/13/14
Welcome everyone to the CCO’s coverage of off-season baseball. In today’s report, Bijan Rademacher has a big night as the Mesa Solar Sox win their first game in the Arizona Fall League. Meanwhile, down in the Venezuelan Winter League, Cubs pitching prospects are having mixed results. For all the highlights, take a look inside today’s Down on the Farm Report. Editor’s Note: Coverage runs from Sunday to Saturday. Arizona Fall League The Mesa Solar Sox opened league play Tuesday with a … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/31/14
The reshuffling that happens at this time of the season in the minors had an effect throughout the system as several teams struggled. Rehabbing players Josh Conway and Danny Lockhart had excellent performances for Boise. Kane County lost three straight despite good pitching from Duane Underwood, Daury Torrez, and Jen-Ho Tseng. Daytona had a six-game winning streak that included a walk-off homer from Kyle Schwarber and Jacob Hannemann’s first Florida State League home run. Tennessee scuffled a … [Read more...]