Minor League Wrap--September 1

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 12:06 AM CDT

It's the end of the regular season today for everyone except Boise, who is just playing out the string in Spokane this week. Of course, the I-Cubs and D-Cubs made their leagues' post-season tournaments.

Oh, and guess which member of the Cubs broadcast team is going to be insufferably proud tomorrow? Hint: It's not Len Kasper.

Iowa Cubs

The I-Cubs got blasted by the Omaha Royals, 13-8.

Starter Jason Stanford got battered for eight runs over 5.1 innings. He gave up 12 hits, walked two and struck out three. Two of the eight runs allowed by Stanford were unearned.

Right fielder Josh Kroeger went 2 for 5 with two doubles. Kroeger scored once and knocked two in.

Jason Dubois hit his 25th home run for Iowa in only 238 at-bats. It was a three-run home run in the first inning. Dubois was 1 for 5 total on the day, with four RBI and two runs scored.

Wellington Castillo got promoted to replace Koyie Hill and was 1 for 5 with an RBI.

The I-Cubs finished the regular season with a record of 83-59, which was the best record in the Pacific Coast League.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies season ended on a sour note with a 7-4 loss to the Carolina Mudcats.

Starter Mark Holliman allowed three runs on eight hits over six innings. Holliman walked four Mudcats and struck out eight.

Dumas Garcia took the loss. He got knocked around for three runs over 1.1 innings of work.

Shortstop Matt Camp finished the season on a hot streak, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and his 23rd stolen base of the season. Camp hit .342 in his final ten games. Third baseman Kyle Reynolds was 2 for 4 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.

The Smokies finished the season at 62-77. They were an atrocious 27-43 in the first half and a respectable 35-34 in the second half.

Daytona Cubs

Host Palm Beach tomorrow in the first game of the FSL Playoffs.

Peoria Chiefs

The Chiefs disappointing season ended with an embarrassing loss to the Kane County Cougars, 13-4.

Starter Kevin Kreier got batted around for eight runs on ten hits over only four plus innings. He faced the first five batters of the fifth inning without recording an out. Two of the runs Kreier allowed were unearned. Kreier struck out two and didn't walk anyone.

Zack Ashwood was even worse in relief. He was assaulted for five runs on seven hits over 2.1 innings of relief.

First baseman Rebel Ridling hit his tenth home run for Peoria in only 165 at bats. Unfortunately, his 1 for 3 effort with a walk today only raised his batting average to .200. Ridling scored twice today.

Center fielder Jonathan Wyatt hit his sixth home run in a 1 for 4 afternoon. The home run was a three-run blast in the second inning.

Second baseman Josh Harrison was 2 for 4 with a stolen base.

The Chiefs finished the season at 60-78 overall. Peoria was 30-38 in the first half and 30-40 in the second half. At least they were consistent.

Boise Hawks

The Hawks gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the Cub system's winless day, losing to the Spokane Indians, 3-2.

Second-round pick Aaron Shafer was impressive in his final start of the season. Shafer pitched five shutout innings and allowed only four hits, all singles. Shafer didn't walk a batter and struck out five. He did hit a batter, though.

Tommy Meija got the loss in relief. He allowed two runs, one of which was unearned, in two-thirds of an inning. He gave up one hit and walked two.

Josh Vitters hit three doubles in a 3 for 4 night. He had one RBI.

Guess who got his first professional home run? That's right, it's our buddy Michael Brenly! Brenly's home run was solo home run in the fifth inning. Brenly was 1 for 2 with a walk tonight.

AZL Cubs

Went home, man. The season's over.

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

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Woa

I don’t remember hearing Bob mentions Michael’s HR once during the broadcast!

Then again, I was studying for my chemistry quiz tomorrow (on the first day of school nonetheless) and might have missed it.

"Well, let's put it this way. We didn't need instant replay on that." -Len Kasper after Aramis Ramirez's 389 foot go-ahead grand slam against the Phillies in the first MLB game where instant replay was available.

by rea5661 on Sep 2, 2008 1:39 AM CDT 0 recs

I'll bet he mentions it tonight.

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

by Al on Sep 2, 2008 3:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

Boise's game

didn’t take place until long after the Cubs game was over. (Started at 6:30 Pacific) Len will probably bring it up and allow Bob to glow for a while.

But seriously, Michael Brenly has played a lot better than a 36th round pick with a nepotism angle has any right to play. Not a lot of power, but a batting average of .320 and an OBP of .396 so far. He actually looks like a prospect. Maybe not a great one, but still a prospect.

Just as a comparison, Kenny Williams Jr. hit .114 in the Pioneer League, which is considered a step below the Northwest League. And the White Sox spent a sixth round pick on him. That was really dumb, because from what I’m hearing, no other team would have taken him in the first 35 rounds. But hey, if Kenny Williams takes his kid in the sixth round, he gets to give him a sixth round bonus. Nice graduation gift for the kid. If I were Jerry Reinsdorf, I’d be asking questions about that one.

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 4:49 AM CDT up 0 recs

If Michael Brenly can play defense at catcher...

… with those offensive skills, he should at least become a major league backup.

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

by Al on Sep 2, 2008 7:13 AM CDT up 0 recs

That's what I'm thinking

We have to wait until he plays somewhere other than Boise and sees the air taken out of his stats. (In the Cub system, Mesa, Boise and Iowa are good hitters environments. Peoria, Daytona and Tennessee are not. By that I mean the whole environment—Iowa is a pretty neutral park, for example, but it’s in a hitter’s league.)

If he can keep his average next season in Peoria at .280 or above, that will be a good sign.

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 10:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

he'll be on a

player to be named later list

though we’ll probably never know

by tim815 on Sep 3, 2008 4:10 PM CDT up 0 recs

Could be worse

Ron Schueler drafted his daughter in the 43rd round in 1994. Now that I would have questions about.

I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg

by Trey2317 on Sep 2, 2008 8:58 AM CDT up 0 recs

But did he sign her?

n/t

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 10:32 AM CDT up 0 recs

would he have been allowed to?

I know it was a publicity stunt, but would the commissioner’s office really go for a signing? Though using sixth-round pick on your son and signing him, knowing that you’re vastly overvaluing him (in terms of the draft) should be looked into as well.

I love to play baseball. I'm a baseball player. I've always been a baseball player. I'm still a baseball player. That's who I am. - Ryne Sandberg

by Trey2317 on Sep 2, 2008 12:49 PM CDT up 0 recs

My point was

that if you throw a 46th round pick on your daughter when the other option is to just pass, I don’t think any harm has been done. It’s a cute little thing and it’s not like anyone’s gotten passed up. Even if they get drafted, 46th round picks usually aren’t signed these days. There’s no bonus and the kids usually just go back to school. I might be wrong and I don’t feel like looking it up, but I don’t think the Cubs signed any of their draft picks above #40 this year. (They signed almost all of them below 40 though. That’s part of the reason they didn’t sign any above 40.) And if a guy does sign after being drafted in the 46th round, his (or her in this case) bonus is about $1000.

Kenny Williams’ kid was a college baseball player eligible for the draft. He may not be good enough to play professionally, but that’s a judgement call. There’s absolutely no reason for the Commissioner to look into it. After round ten or so, lots of guys get drafted that no other team even had on their draft board. Some of them turn out to be pretty good.

The issue is with the White Sox, though. (And this isn’t WS bashing. If Theo Epstein had drafted Theo Epstein Jr., the issue is the same.) The White Sox took a guy in the sixth round and gave him a bonus of $150,000, which is pretty standard for a sixth round pick. But the guy they gave the money to just happened to be the son of the general manager, who ultimately decides who gets drafted and what bonus they get, even if he delegates to other people. On top of that, he’s a player that no other team thought was even worth a $5000 bonus.

It’s not the commissioner’s office’s problem if the White Sox want to waste a draft pick and pay a huge chunk of money to the GM’s kid, especially since the White Sox didn’t go over the commissioner’s “slot” guidelines for bonuses. The person who should be upset is Jerry Reinsdorf, because it looks like Kenny Williams just gave his kid $150k of Reinsdorf’s money as a present. Now if Reinsdorf is fine with that, then there’s no issue. If he wants to let Williams steal his money, it’s his money to let be stolen. But I’d sure as hell never hire Kenny Williams for any job that involved hiring, firing or salaries after that. Because it sure as hell doesn’t look honest.

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 1:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

Another example

When Haywood Sullivan was GM of the Red Sox, he picked his son, Marc Sullivan in the second round. Again, no other team had Marc on their draft board, at least not anywhere near the second round. He also aggressively promoted Marc, despite a mediocre playing record and eventually made him the backup catcher for the Red Sox. (You can see how terrible he was for yourself.) Now Sullivan was a part-owner of the team so he didn’t get fired, but he was loudly criticized for this nepotism and almost lost control of the team in shareholder revolt. (Marc’s playing time wasn’t the only, or even the biggest, issue in Haywood Sullivan’s incompetence, though.)

Eventually, Sullivan was forced out of his GM role although while he continued to act as team president and minority owner. Eventually, when Jean Yawkey died, he got forced out as an owner. He never worked in baseball again.

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 1:28 PM CDT up 0 recs

Huh

Where’d you hear top 35 rounds? Most indications were that KW Jr. would’ve gone in the top 10-15 rounds. Did they reach? Sure. A case can be made, though, that if you take a gamble, you gamble on tools. We’ve done that under Stockstill and Hendry as well. And while I’d take it with a grain of salt, by most indications, KW let’s his staff run the draft, so the pick of KW Jr. has as much to do with his staff as it does with him. Of course, someone on the staff might’ve wanted to do something nice for KW, so again, grain of salt.

As for Brenly, he’s definitely shaped up better than expected. I like him better than Luis Flores, much better (at the time and now). That said, it is NWL, so grain of salt.

In terms of our system, I’d go (catcher VALUE) Castillo at the top, Clevenger at 2 (ahead of Cerda because a couple levels higher), Cerda at 3, Perez 4, and Brenly 5, with Sosa and a couple others in that next tier. There’s a guy in DSL that’s supposedly worth watching, name’s slipping me and I’m too lazy to check right now.

by toonsterwu on Sep 2, 2008 5:05 PM CDT up 0 recs

Keith Law for one

Where are you getting 10-15 Rounds? Law said most teams didn’t even have him on their draft boards.

Ken Williams was a senior, wasn’t even a starter at Witchita State and had been ruled academically ineligible for the 2007 season.

Sure, someone else might have been nuts and taken him in the fifteenth round. But no way was he going to go that high.

And just a question: Why do you think he would have gone 10-15? Where are you getting that?

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 5:20 PM CDT up 0 recs

This years draft has pretty good promise!

This draft brings some pitching depth from the right side, along with good stories later in the draft. The system seems to be acquiring some depth overall. Now if we can get some high profile prospects in the next few years, we may have one of the deepest systems in baseball.

by Slamdog on Sep 2, 2008 7:49 AM CDT 0 recs

So. League North Affiliations

The Smokies have signed with the Cubs through 2012. The other 4 teams in the division, Carolina (Florida), Chattanooga (Cincinnati), West Tenn (Seattle), and Huntsville (Milwaukee), have yet to sign PDC’s for next season. We won’t know anything officially on any of those teams’ affiliations before September 16. We may not find out until October 1.

Chattanooga’s been a Reds affiliate for over 20 years. Could the Lookouts and Cincinnati break up? I’d love to see West Tenn hook up with a NL Central team like the Reds or Brewers, but I don’t know if either team would want West Tenn with the poor attendance the Diamond Jaxx have had since 2000. Are the Jaxx stuck with Seattle?

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Sep 2, 2008 2:14 PM CDT 0 recs

I don't know

but I know the Cubs were glad to get out of West Tenn, and it’s considered the ugly red-headed stepchild of the Southern League. They were last in attendance by a wide margin last season and I assume it’s the same this year. I’m actually surprised the owners down there weren’t looking to move to Richmond, although maybe they did and the Eastern League is just a better fit for the Richmond market. (Nothing’s been announced there, but the rumors I hear is that an Eastern League team is moving to Richmond. I think it was Erie.)

The factors that go into minor league affiliation make me try to not guess who gets what too often. Who would have thought the Red Sox would get stuck in Lancaster, CA a few years ago? Not them, so they went out and bought a team in the Carolina league so it wouldn’t happen again.

By the way, two teams from the Sally League have announced they are going to move to the Midwest League in 2010, making it 16 teams in the MWL and 14 in the Sally. The teams moving are Lake County, which is in suburban Cleveland and has no business being in the Sally League but when they moved there from Columbus, GA no other team was willing to go to the MWL, and Columbus, which just isn’t going to support minor league baseball and is moving to Bowling Green, KY next season.

It’s widely rumored that two California League teams, likely Bakersfield and High Desert, will be moving to the Carolina League in 2010, but no official announcement has been made on that.

Borowy . . .Sutcliffe . . .Harden?

by Josh77 on Sep 2, 2008 3:05 PM CDT up 0 recs

I thought West Tenn was going to move out of Jackson.

Why hasn’t that happened? That town is way too small for the Southern League.

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

by Al on Sep 3, 2008 4:44 AM CDT up 0 recs

Strange Story About West TN Baseball

It’s such a strange story about how the Diamond Jaxx ended up in Jackson. In 1997, David Hersh, the owner of the AA Memphis Chicks, was upset with the city of Memphis and Shelby County for not building a new stadium in east Memphis. Tim McCarver Stadium was a dump for the Chicks.

The mayor, “King” Willie Herenton (still in office today), would only support a new stadium, if it was built downtown. Hersh threatened to move the team to Jackson because that “city” was building a new stadium. Few people in Memphis took Hersh seriously because they figured there was no way the Southern League would approve the move. After all, Jackson only had one-tenth the population Memphis did. The SL did not want to lose the Memphis market.

While this was going on, Dean Jernigan was seeking a AAA expansion franchise for the Bluff City because Tampa Bay and Arizona were coming into the majors in 1998. Well, Memphis and Durham got the two expansion AAA franchises. Jernigan wanted a downtown stadium to make the mayor happy. AutoZone Park was built. In addition to that, Louisville’s contract with the Cardinals was running out. Memphis worked out a deal to be the AAA affiliate of St. Louis. The AAA Redbirds played two seasons at Timmy Mac before moving to AutoZone.

The poor Southern League was caught off guard by Memphis getting the AAA franchise. With the Memphis market gone, the SL approved the move of the Chicks to Jackson with much gnashing of teeth. The Jaxx drew well their first three seasons in Jackson. Since then, they have had trouble attracting crickets.

I was thrilled that the Jaxx were affiliated with the Cubs for nine seasons. I still try to see them play five games a year as a Mariners affiliate. The franchise is the old Memphis Chicks. I would be sad to see them move. Jackson, TN, trying to support a AA team is about as ridiculous an idea as Memphis trying to support a MLB team.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Sep 3, 2008 7:53 AM CDT up 0 recs

Bowling Green

I can add that to my list of minor league teams closer to me than St. Louis. That makes 8 affiliated teams. Memphis, West Tenn, Nashville, Bowling Green, Huntsville, Birmingham, Mississippi, and Arkansas are on the list. Depending on how the schedules go next season, I could catch a game in Bowling Green on my way to or way back from Cincinnati. I still haven’t seen a class A game in person.

"The big possum walks late." - Harry Caray

by memphiscub on Sep 3, 2008 8:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Pie yesterday...

…dogged two groundouts, threw a ball that looked awful from left center and looked generally speaking, overmatched by the Omaha pitcher.

I hope they don’t bring him up… then again, this season has been one for eating crow on many occasions.

Proud recipient of a hot dog shot from the Iowa Cubs hot dog gun.

by IowaCubs- on Sep 2, 2008 4:53 PM CDT 0 recs

If he does good down the stretch

I think Pie gets an “effort” call up. But yes, I do think they are keeping him down there to send a signal, particularly after those midseason rumors.

by toonsterwu on Sep 2, 2008 5:06 PM CDT up 0 recs