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Minor League Wrap--April 11

This really should be a fan post unto itself, but honestly, even I get sick of seeing Mordecai Brown up there in all those fanposts, so I'm just adding it at the top of this one.

We always knew that Doug Glanville was a better human being than he was a ballplayer.  A smarter one too.  So if you want a very insightful and intelligent look at the world of being a ballplayer and how that's getting Roger Clemens into a ton of trouble right now, check out Glanville's column in the New York Times today.  Go ahead.  I'll still be here when you get back.  It's better than anything I'm going to write.

OK, you back?  Good, you didn't miss anything.

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs were supposed to play in Nashville tonight, but were rained out.  They'll play a double header tomorrow.

Tennessee Smokies

If it was raining in Nashville, what do you think the odds were that it was raining  in Knoxville?  Yup.  Rained out.

Daytona Cubs

The D-Cubs took out the Vero Beach Devil Rays tonight, 5-2.

Alex Maestri got his first win ever as a starting pitcher by tossing five shutout innings. He pitched out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second inning by getting a pair of ground balls. The first was a comebacker to the mound that retired the runner at home and the second was a 5-4-3 double play.  Maestri allowed only two hits and three walks, the walks being the big blemish on the evening.  Maestri struck out two.

Ryan Meyers relieved Maestri in the sixth inning and retired no one, allowing two walks and a hit.  But Jody Davis called in Dumas Garcia from the pen and Garcia proceeded to get out of the second bases-loaded, no-out jam of the evening by striking out the next three batters.  Garcia's final line on the night is 2.1 innings pitched, one hit, one run and those three strikeouts.

Casey Lambert gave up one run in 1.2 innings to record his third save of the season.

Several D-Cubs had good nights.  Second baseman Tony Thomas continued his hitting, going 2 for 5 with a run scored.  His double-play partner, shortstop Darwin Barney had two doubles in three at bats.  He knocked two runs in and drew a walk as well.  First baseman Steve Clevenger went 3 for 4 with a double.  Right fielder Jim Adduci went 2 for 4 with a triple, a run scored and 2 RBI.  Catcher Mark Reed went 2 for 3 with a walk and a stolen base.

Peoria Chiefs

A seven-run fourth inning, marked by two Chief errors, doomed our Midwest League heroes as they lost to the Kane County Cougars, 10-3.

Starter Alberto Cabrera got knocked around in his 3.2 innings of work.  The six hits and two walks he allowed led to eight runs,  four of which were earned. Cabrera struck out three.

Reliever Hung-Wen Chen gave up his first run of the year, after allowing three hits and a walk in 2.1 innings of work.  Blake Parker threw two scoreless innings and Marcos Mateo gave up a run in the only inning he worked.

The game-winning home run that catcher Josh Donaldson hit last night seems to have broken him out of his slump.  Donaldson went 3 for 4 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI.  Right fielder Cliff Andersen went 2 for 4 and also hit two doubles.  Center fielder Drew Rundle went 1 for 4 with a double and a stolen base.

The two errors the Chiefs committed in the seven-run fourth (by Jovan Rosa and Nate Sampson) were the only two by the Chiefs in the game.  I guess that's progress.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of SB Nation or Al Yellon, managing editor (unless it's a FanPost posted by Al). FanPost opinions are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans.

6 recs  |  Comment 8 comments

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Well, Bon Jovi, it's great to hear...

...that Maestri pitched well. Incidentally, I wouldn't know Maestri from Manicotti if not for your Wrigley Season Ticket article. I'm definitely rooting for him.

Nanika Ga Okoru!

by dat cubfan daver on Apr 12, 2008 12:35 PM CDT reply actions   0 recs

Except

if he succeeds as a starter, I'll look silly predicting him as a major league set-up man.

I can live with that.

I am a little concerned about his control. He doesn't seem to have that same control as a starter that he had in relief.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on Apr 12, 2008 1:02 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Which is why...

... he'll probably wind up as a reliever eventually.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Apr 12, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Probably

A good chunk of minor league starters end up as relievers in the majors.

But he is young, and the issue with him is that he just didn't get the kind of instruction back in Italy that kids in this hemisphere or Japan and Korea get. He's already added about 4-5 mph onto his fastball since coming here with just better mechanics.

I hope this came across in Wrigley Season Ticket, but we just really don't know what Maestri is capable of with the proper instruction, and the Cubs are trying to find out. I'm convinced that if his parents had moved to Florida when he was three, he'd be a top pitching prospect right now. Or maybe he'd be playing football, who knows. :-)

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on Apr 12, 2008 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Maestri is young...

... sort of. He'll be 23 in June, and if he doesn't progress past Daytona this year, he'll then be sort of old for AA in 2009. I'd like to see him make AA this year, AAA in 2009 with a September callup, and then the Cubs bullpen in 2010.

"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx

by Al on Apr 12, 2008 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

Maestri's age

I'd argue that he's young in baseball years and his arm is young. He's actually, as you point out, right about average in terms of age versus level (22/23 in High-A). But he's actually much more inexperienced than his teammates in Daytona.

I've also been a firm believer that age versus level is not nearly as important for pitchers as it is for hitters. Hitters really do peak in their mid to late 20s. Pitchers peak all over the board. Some peak in their early 20s, some peak in their late 20s and some even peak in their early to mid thirties. Jamie Moyer's best period was 36 to 40. (OK, he's a freak.)

Rich Hill is a great recent example. If you saw a 26 year old hitter tearing up AAA, you'd say he's nothing more than a utility player. But a pitcher who is 26 in AAA still has a chance to become a good major league starter.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on Apr 12, 2008 2:07 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

It also depends on what kind of a pitcher a guy is.

It takes a long time to learn how to locate certain kinds of breaking balls, which is why pitchers who rely on breaking balls tend to develop later.

by cwyers on Apr 12, 2008 9:54 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

That's true

but the other issue is pitchers with injuries in their early-to-mid twenties. They get behind the curve and then catch up later.

Pitching is simply less dependent on athleticism than being a position player is. Therefore, aging will have a different effect on them. I do admit power pitchers tend to peak early, but there is a lot of variation.

From the studies I've seen, pitchers have the same average peak (26 or so) that position players do. But there's wider variation. More pitchers flame out early and last longer, whereas performance on position players is a more regular bell curve.

It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.

by Josh77 on Apr 12, 2008 11:33 PM CDT up reply actions   0 recs

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