“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 – 03/18/13
Minor League Preview: Low-A Kane County and High-A Daytona Good Morning to everyone at the CCO! Today is the second of a three part installment previewing the 2013 minor league season. We will be discussing each level’s strengths, weaknesses, and things to look for this season. 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 … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 09/04/12
Hurricane Isaac, which played havoc with the Daytona Cubs' schedule last week, moved inland and forced the cancellation of Peoria's final home game and Iowa's last series of the season in New Orleans. The Cubs' system claimed two champions, with Boise's Stephen Bruno winning the Northwest League batting title while Daytona's John Andreoli led the Florida State League in stolen bases. Tennessee used the power pitching of Chris Rusin and Nick Struck to put them in position to join the AZL Cubs … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/23/12
Playoffs??!! Are you kidding ME??!! Apparently, no, as both Boise and the AZL Cubs have the post season in their sights. Boise has the post-season on their minds for their second consecutive season as they ride the Northwest League's leading hitter Stephen Bruno, along with Gioskar Amaya, Dan Vogelbach, Albert Almora, and Jeimer Candelario providing the pop to the Hawks' attack. The A-Cubs have gotten contributions from Shawon Dunston Jr., Trevor Gretzky, and some very solid pitching. Peoria … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/09/12
Progress continues to inch along in the Cubs' system, with the lower minor league teams showing the most improvement. Boise has moved into first place in the second half as leading hitters Gioskar Amaya, Stephen Bruno, and Dan Vogelbach have stabilized the offense. Shortstop Tim Saunders has tightened up the defense in Peoria, to the delight of Michael Jensen and Starling Peralta. New faces Christian Villanueva and Javier Baez have been in the middle of things in Daytona, while Tennessee's … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/30/12
The team results were not what the managers wanted to see but several prospects in the Cubs' system had a good end of the week and for some the solid play carried over into the weekend. The Smokies had a rough end to their nine-game road trip. Jae-Hoon Ha was injured during Thursday's game in Jacksonville and will be out for 7-14 days with a concussion. On the positive side, Matt Szczur replaced Ha on the Smokies roster, made his Double-A debut Friday and notched his first Double-A single on … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/26/12
Movement was once again the focus of the early part of the week, although there were none of significance above the Single-A level. This past week saw the debuts of outfielders Jorge Soler and Albert Almora in the rookie league, while Dan Vogelbach said hello to the fans of Boise. Yao-Lin Wang was also on the move in Peoria, as he went back into a starting role after leading the team in saves. And it was "thank you for the two scoreless innings" from Iowa to Ty'Relle Harris, "but now, go back … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 07/03/12
Mid-Season Report Time has passed quickly, as we are now halfway through the minor league season. The system has endured a rash of injuries, as 16 players who were at Single-A or higher last season were either inactive or on the disabled list to start the year. Among the positions most depleted were catcher and third base. The injury bug plagued mostly the offense, as players such as Matt Cerda, Evan Crawford, Dustin Geiger, Anthony Giansanti, Micah Gibbs, Reggie Golden, and most notably, … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 06/21/12
The games to start this week were sparse, as All-Star breaks occurred in the Southern, Florida State, and Midwest Leagues. Boise managed their first win, with Jeimer Candelario and Dong-Yub Kim leading the way. Iowa remains inconsistent, but Josh Vitters is still hot. Along with summaries of the All-Star Games, and a recap of action in the Dominican Summer League, here is today's Down on the Farm Report. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 06/14/12
As the minor leagues hit the halfway point this week, improvement can be seen across the board for the organization. Peoria flirted with the .500 mark as their bullpen of Austin Reed, Felix Pena, Yao-Lin Wang, Sheldon McDonald, Luis Liria, and Hunter Cervenka did most of the heavy lifting. Ronald Torreyes' improvement has been a nice addition to the offense provided by Nelson Perez and Greg Rohan, as Daytona is 8-4 in June. Tennessee's Eric Jokisch may be on his way to becoming the best … [Read more...]