As the regular season in the Caribbean and Mexico begin to wind down, and the holidays approach, this week saw minimal participation of players from the organization. That's not to say things haven't been interesting. Carlos Zambrano and his Caribes de Anzoategui teammates flirted with greatness on Wednesday, while reliever Kyle Smit was on top of his game in his debut for Indios de Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican League. Marco Carrillo and Austin Bibens-Dirkx continued to baffle hitters, while … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 08/18/11
All the teams in the system suffered their ups-and-downs to begin the week. The Iowa offense let down a couple of their young pitchers, but came through for Jay Jackson. Tennessee still has some struggles on offense as well, but Brooks Raley was the beneficiary of an outburst. Daytona battled weather problems; bullpen collapses plagued Peoria; while Boise actually split with archenemy Tri-City. Along with News and Notes, and a weekly recap of action in the Dominican Summer League and the … [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 – 05/16/11
Welcome to the Minor League Shuffle! Injuries throughout the organization launched a flurry of activity, but games continue to go on. As bad weather and the early season grind take their toll, the organization suffered its first "O-Fer" on Saturday. However, Nelson Perez seems to be enjoying his new surroundings, as is Jeffrey Beliveau. D.J. LeMahieu is on fire, with a 16-game hitting streak. And another affiliate reaches twenty wins. All of this, and more, in this week's Down on the Farm … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 05/12/11
The Cubs Minor League System Quarterly Report Time has passed quickly, and this week most minor league teams will be completing the first quarter of the season. Here's how the affiliates in the Chicago Cubs' organization have performed. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 05/09/11
It's been an exciting week in "The Bushes". There were excellent pitching performances by Cameron Greathouse, Brett Wallach, Ramon Ortiz, Doug Davis, Nick Struck, Robert Coello and Su-Min Jung. Nelson Perez, Junior Lake and Jae-Hoon Ha are getting their taters in Daytona. Daytona became the first club in the organization to reach 20 wins, and at 22-8 are sporting the best record in professional baseball. Tennessee had a dramatic ninth inning rally, and Peoria turned a rare trick. Plus, the Cubs … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 05/02/11
The D-Cubs continue winning games down in the Florida State League and the Sluggin' Smokies did what they do best ... hit the baseball. But this week it was Ryan Flaherty and Rebel Ridling that stole the headlines from Brett Jackson. At Iowa, Jay Jackson made another start. Doug Davis and Todd Wellemeyer will make their 2011 debuts this week ... Davis for one of the A-ball affiliates Thursday and Wellemeyer in Triple-A. All of that and more in this week's Down on the Farm Report. … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 04/18/11
A Daytona pitcher almost tosses a no-no, the Tennessee hitters keep on saying yes-yes, while Iowa fans say Oh, No! And the Cubs top prospect ran his hitting streak to ten games. All in this week's Down on the Farm Report. … [Read more...]
Cubs Farm Teams Release Opening Day Rosters
Opening Day down on the farm is Thursday for the top four teams in the Cubs system. The Daytona Cubs were the first of the Cubs farm teams to release their Opening Day roster and the other three teams followed suit Monday. The I-Cubs Opening Day roster features nine players currently on the Cubs 40-man roster. Chris Carpenter will begin the year in Iowa's pen. The Smokies Opening Day roster features several of the top prospects in the Cubs' system. Brett Jackson will begin his 2011 campaign in … [Read more...]
Cubs Down on the Farm Report – 04/04/11
As the Big League club begins a new season, the future Cubs are hard at work in Spring Training. The minor league season begins Thursday, April 7 for the top four teams in the Cubs system. The I-Cubs open against the Round Rock Express while the Tennessee Smokies will face the Chattanooga Lookouts in their first game of the year. Daytona faces the Brevard County Manatees and the Peoria Chiefs will host the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Here is a preview of the Cubs' top four teams. The Daytona Cubs … [Read more...]