The signing deadline has come and gone and only three first round draft picks didn't sign.  The Nationals failed to come to terms with RHP Aaron Crow, the ninth pick in the draft, and the Yankees failed to sign RHP Gerrit Cole, the 28th pick. 

With Crow, the issue was money, and he has signed to play with the independent Fort Worth Cats.  The Nationals will get an additional draft pick next year; the tenth overall pick. 

For the Yankees and Cole, it was simply a matter that Cole decided he wanted to attend UCLA and delay the start of his professional career.  The Yankees' additional pick will be the 30th pick next season.

The Mariners have also not signed RHP Josh Fields, but Fields was a college senior and the August 15 deadline did not apply to him.  The Mariners retain his rights until June of next season.  The Pirates also failed to sign highly-touted (and highly-injured) second round pick Tanner Scheppers.  The Pirates will get an additional second round pick in the next draft.

The Cubs signed 28 of their top 30 picks.  Only tenth round pick RHP William Wilson and 27th round pick Sonny Gray did not sign.  Gray had sent a letter to all major league clubs before the draft telling them he would not sign a professional contract.

Iowa Cubs

On to the real games!  The Iowa Cubs quest for the PCL American North division title just keeps on going, as the I-Cubs beat the New Orleans Zephyrs, 4-2.

Starter Jason Stanford picked up the win with six inning of work.  Stanford allowed only one run on three hits.  He walked four batters and struck out five.

Kevin Hart picked up his second straight save, and third on the season, with a perfect ninth inning.

Luis Figueroa was 2 for 4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. 

Angel Guzman will get the start for Iowa on Sunday.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies beat the Birmingham Barons, 8-4.

Starter Mark Holliman only lasted 3.1 innings.  Holliman allowed three runs on eight hits.  He walked one and struck out three.  He also hit a batter.

Ed Campusano got the win in relief.  Campusano threw 2.2 innings of hitless relief, allowing only one walk and striking out one.

DH Jake Fox was 2 for 4 with his 22nd home run on the year.  It was a three-run shot.  Left fielder Tyler Colvin was 2 for 4 with a double, a triple and a run scored.

Matt Camp was 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.  Third baseman Josh Lansford had a 2 for 4 night with a double and two RBI.

CF Sam Fuld was 1 for 4 with a walk, but had two outfield assists.

Daytona Cubs

Daytona lost to the Jupiter Hammerheads, 5-4, in 13 innings.

James Russell continued to struggle in the second half of the season.  Russell allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over 4.1 innings.  Russell struck out four.

Then the D-Cub bullpen settled down and shut the Hammerheads down.  Jayson Ruhlman tossed 2.2 innings of shutout relief.  Brian Schlitter and Blake Parker each threw two shutout innings.  Schlitter has yet to allow a run in the Cub organization.

Dustin Sasser took the loss.  He allowed two runs over 2.1 innings on three hits and three walks.

Shortstop Darwin Barney was 4 for 6 with a double and an RBI.  He also scored once.  Right fielder Ryan Harvey had a 2 for 6 evening with two RBI.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs got got chopped down by the Clinton Lumber Kings, 9-5.

Starter Kevin Kreier allowed seven runs on eleven hits over five innings.  Only four of the runs were earned.  Kreier didn't walk a batter and struck out three.

Probably because the official scorer pissed him off somehow, Chiefs manager Ryne Sandberg pitched both Jon Mueller and John Muller in this game.  Both allowed a run.  Mueller pitched two innings and Muller one, unless it was the other way around.

Center fielder Brandon Guyer, first baseman Luis Bautista and left fielder Rebel Ridling all went 1 for 4 with a home run tonight.  It was Bautista's twelfth homer, Guyer's thirteenth and for Ridling, it was his sixth jack.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks pounded out twenty hits on the way to a 9-7 victory over the Vancouver Canadians in ten innings.

Starter Ryan Searle continues to be unscored upon in the Northwest League.  Searle allowed two hits.  He walked two and struck out an impressive seven.

Reliever David Cales got his second win by blowing the save and allowing two runs in an inning of relief.

Center fielder Ryan Sontag moved to the mound for the tenth inning.  Sontag walked the first two batters he faced, struck out one batter and then walked the bases loaded with only one out before recording a strike out and a popup to end the game and record a save.

I think it's now a 22-game hit streak for Josh Vitters. Vitters was 2 for 5 with a walk and a run scored.

The other two first-round picks in the lineup did well too.  Shortstop Ryan Flaherty went 2 for 6 with a double and two runs scored. Padres first-rounder Kyler Burke was 2 for 6 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

DH Sean Hoorelbeke had a 3 for 4 night with a double and two runs scored.  First baseman Ryan Keedy was 3 for 6 with a run scored.

Second baseman Marwin Gonzalez went 3 for 6 with a double and three RBI.

Michael Brenly went 2 for 5 with a double, a walk and three RBI.  He also stole a base.  This Brenly kid is hitting .320 right now.  You'd think we'd hear about a catcher hitting .320 in the NWL.  Maybe someone one on the Cubs broadcast team will mention him. 

(Just a note, Bob, on the million-to-one chance that you actually read this:  We kid because we love both you and Michael.)

AZL Cubs

Were shut out by the AZL Giants, 7-0.