Cubs Minor League Wrap: July 27
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 12:28 AM CDT
in Minor Leagues
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PrintReally short night tonight. But everyone who played, won. Tennessee, Peoria and Boise had the night off.
Iowa Cubs
The Iowa Cubs atomized the Albuquerque Isotopes, 14-12.
Starter Jay Jackson picked up the win tonight. That was the good news. The bad news was that he gave up seven runs on eight hits, including two home runs, over five innings. Jackson walked three and struck out one.
The good news for Jackson was that he was 2 for 3 with a double and two runs scored at the plate. The other good new is that it's Albuquerque, or "Coors Field on Steroids" as I like to call it.
Carlos Zambrano also had troubles in New Mexico tonight. The Big Z pitched one inning and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. Zambrano had one strike out.
Jeff Stevens got his first save of the season by pitching the ninth inning and only allowing one run on two hits. That's good tonight.
Catcher Welington Castillo hit a grand slam tonight as part of a six-run fifth inning. It was Castillo's 11th home run this season. Castillo was 1 for 4.
First baseman Micah Hoffpauir hit a solo home run in the eighth inning. Hoffpauir was 2 for 4 with a double and three RBI. He now has 16 homers this year.
Shortstop Darwin Barney went 2 for 4 with a triple and a walk. Barney had one RBI and scored three times. Right fielder Brad Snyder had two doubles in a 2 for 4 game. Snyder had four RBI and scored once.
Someone will kill me if I don't mention that center fielder Sam Fuld was 2 for 3 with two walks and two stolen bases. Fuld scored four times. He now has 13 steals this year.
Daytona Cubs
The Daytona Cubs beat the Palm Beach Cardinals, 7-5.
Brooks Raley evened his record at 6-6 by tossing 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on seven hits. Raley walked one and struck out two.
Mike Perconte got his sixth save, although he did give up two runs on three hits over 2.1 innings. Perconte didn't walk anyone and he struck out three.
Third baseman Junior Lake stayed hot, going 2 for 3 with a double. He also walked once. Lake had one RBI and scored once.
Shortstop DJ LeMahieu went 2 for 5 with a stolen base. He scored once and knocked one in. Second baseman Ryan Flaherty was 2 for 4 with a walk. He also scored once.
First baseman Rebel Ridling rounds out the infield's big night by going 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI.
AZL Cubs
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Someone will kill me if I don’t mention that center fielder Sam Fuld was 2 for 3 with two walks and two stolen bases. Fuld scored four times. He now has 13 steals this year.
Which as a “non-prospect” makes him just about an ideal 5th OF.
Shut up Joe Morgan.
And if he's still with the organization (and if Fukudome isn't)...
I’d expect that to happen.
If the starting OF is Soriano, Byrd, and Colvin, and Fukudome is gone, then there’s absolutely a spot for Fuld as a defensive backup in the OF.
Wow.
If you steal in Albuquerque you better be safe.
’Cause the guy behind you is likely hitting a HR.
Good night for Fuld.
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
Albuquerque
I’ve been saying he needs to work on some things before getting the call up to the majors. The biggest thing is keeping the ball down and not giving up so many home runs. Albuquerque is the worst possible place to pitch if that’s your problem. We should actually be happy he only gave up two bombs. He also gave up two triples and two doubles. It’s just not a nice place to pitch.
One of the homers was hit by Jay Gibbons, believe it or not.
I wouldn’t say there’s anything wrong with him, other than he’s not ready.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 1:21 AM CDT up reply actions
Sorry
Only one of the two doubles was hit off of Jackson. Still, five of the seven hits he allowed were for extra bases. Some of that is Albuquerque.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 1:23 AM CDT up reply actions
Interesting
I know how you like to bring up the Albuquerque effect, however with all the rain we have had over the last few days and the increased humidity I would think some of that would be negated. I was at the game last night and felt that Jackson after the 3 runs allowed in the first, settled in and did fairly well until the 5th inning. Honestly, I thought he might have been getting fatigued but then its just a guess. As for Z, I don’t know if I have ever seen him work so fast – he was rifling the ball with little control – which ended up screwing him over. I also found it ammusing that he sat alone in the dugout (while the rest of the I-Cubs were up on the rail) after his miserable bottom of 7th. He promptly hit the showers in the middle of the 8th. Of other interesting notes, all of the I-Cubs wore high socks, including Z, I wonder if that was a choice or a mandate.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
So the petulence hasn't gone away with Z, huh?
"Manny Trillo is coming in to pinch run. You know, for a lot of teams, you would pinch run for Manny Trillo." - Harry Caray
You know
In his defense, it was a rough outing. He did participate in high fives in the dugout, etc. But certainly looked a little lost and dare I say ALONE. For a bit Bobby Scales sat next to him, and then joined the rest of his teammates on the rail. There is a fine line between being humiliated and demoralized. There was a good group of Cubs fans that were cheering him on though.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
The high socks
are mandatory for Cubs minor leaguers, but major leaguers on rehab assignments can wear them however they want. So Zambrano wearing them high was probably him deciding he wanted to be a part of the team. What role Ryne Sandberg played in that I can only guess.
Obviously I"m only guessing as to what Jackson’s problem was last night, so whatever you saw in person, we want to know about. If he’s getting tired early, that’s good to know. My theory on Jackson is that he still leaves too many pitches up in the zone. In Des Moines, sometimes you can get away with that kind of a mistake. In ABQ, you’re going to get punished.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 9:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh cool
Good to know about the socks, but as you can imagine it was weird to see Zambrano (who is a big fan of the pajama bottoms) to be wearing high socks.
My friend who was sitting behind home plate txted me that Jackson was hitting 92-93 mph on the gun, the meter at Isotopes park had him around 88 mph (which always seems to be off like alot of parks). But my friend was behind a scout with a radar gun, and judging from the snap of the glove he seemed to me to be in the low 90s. It seemed that his velocity dropped off after the 5th inning, which is mainly where I concluded that he could have been laboring.
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
hasnt been the same as a starter
since that weird bullpen move
follow me on twitter for fantasy sports analysis @http://twitter.com/DrewDinkmeyer or get the full analysis at www.fantistics.com
by DartmouthCubsFan on Jul 28, 2010 8:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Jackson has slowly been decreasing..
not a good sign. Hopefully he turns it around soon.
I’m still saddened about Vitters. He was starting to turn it around.
If Lake keeps it up, he is definitely back in our top 15 prospects, correct? BTW, do you think we could do another poll at the end of the season? Including prospects we are likely to acquire. I’d say the order and some players would be quite different.
And can we please see Barney starting every day instead of Theriot?
Lake
I’m still wary of him. But he has gotten the K totals way down in this hot streak. He certainly would be Top 15 if he keeps this up the rest of the way. Probably top ten. But I want to see him do this for more than a month.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 1:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Outside the box thought
Ok, this is as unlikely to happen as an appearance of Halley’s Comet next spring, but here’s an idea: it’s unlikely the Cubs go out and obtain via trade or free agency a legit offensive powerhouse at 1B. Why not try a platoon of Chirinos and LaHair at 1B, drop Hill, and use Chirinos as the backup catcher. This would add roster flexibility. Of course, it’s probable that one or both of Chirinos/LaHair won’t hit, but they sure rake against opposite arms at this point of their careers. It also leaves Colvin it the outfield and saves money that might be blown on a stop-gap mediocrity at 1B until a longer term option is found.
by Riggs_Stephenson on Jul 28, 2010 1:27 AM CDT reply actions
Way too outside the box.
LaHair is a Quad-A player, Micah Hoffpauir-lite.
Chirinos has no major league at-bats. He might become a useful backup catcher, though.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Agree
There are always Adam LaRoche types available if Hendry resists giving them 3 year deals. That is much, much better option than LaHair.
Yup, the only key is whether Hendry can stick to a 1-year deal type...
rather than throw a 3-year deal at the same player for no reason. Hopefully he’s figured out that not every free agent is worth a multi-year deal.
But yes, there are always guys floating around that can be had for cheap and would give us more production than a LaHair/Chirinos platoon.
Well he learned with Nady
so maybe he has decided that every free agent doesn’t need a multi-year deal. I’ll never understand giving Miles and Grabow multiple years. Those are the guys that should play year to year with maybe a club or mutual option.
Yeah, the Nady deal is a promising sign...
I just hope that his failure to work out (and Byrd’s success) doesn’t send Hendry running back to the 3-year deal approach.
Though honestly, a 2-year deal type of player might not be the worst thing ever either. Given Vitters’ situation (his injury and the fact that he hasn’t had great success above Peoria), we may very well have a hole at 1B for another 2 years or so. But again, only if it’s the right 2-year deal type.
I've been preparing a long fanpost on this very topic
free agent options for 1B and 2B at year-end
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Is there any story to any of the AZL Cubs?
Some of those guys like Bienemy have some pretty gaudy stats.
[...]when Giants coach Steve Owen, a certified defensive genius, was asked how he planned to stop Nagurski, he said: "With a shotgun, as he’s leaving the dressing room."
I can't imagine who would "kill you" for not mentioning Fuld?
Poor Sam. I guess he gets a Sept. call up, but otherwise a lost season. I still say the Cubs would have been MUCH better off with him on the bench over Nady out of Spring Training even if it was just for a few weeks to wait till Nady could actually throw.
One interesting thing in the Iowa box is that Snyder & LaHair both had outfield assists. Sounds like one bad ass throwing OF.
"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry
I have been saying all season that..
Brad Synder should be up with the Cubs as a 4th/5th outfielder based on his power numbers/RBI abilities, plus the fact that he has a terrific arm and can play a good RF.
He is not a AAAA player.
Trade Nady and give him a chance with the parent club.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on Jul 28, 2010 8:12 AM CDT up reply actions
Brad Snyder will never play for the major league Cubs.
Trust me on this one.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Why do you say that?
I think he’s a solid player, and a better option that Fuld, or even Kosuke off the bench.
by Mulhollandmania on Jul 28, 2010 11:54 AM CDT up reply actions
Doesn't make sense
He has a terrific arm, plays good defense, has power and knocks in quite a few runs.
Better option than Fukudome or Nady, right now.
Needs to be a September call-up at the least.
If you think you've seen it all...just wait!
by CubFanSince1970 on Jul 28, 2010 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions
He's not on the 40 man
And minor league veterans are rarely given Sept. callups for that reason. Bobby Scales is a rare exception.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions
I was thinking more
that he is given a real shot next spring training, or one of the guys added to the 40 man after the season
by Mulhollandmania on Jul 28, 2010 2:34 PM CDT up reply actions
I don't think the Fuld/Nady decision would have had any real impact on the results...
Seriously. Quibbling over the 5th OF is silly. Maybe you’d have been much happier to see your boy on the roster, but the results would have not changed much (if at all).
It would not have saved the season
but it might have won a few games . It would have given more flexibility and options off the bench but ironically the biggest upside would have been addition by subtraction: more starts earlier for Colvin and less chances for Nady to lose a game.
I admit Fuld is not the kind of player Lou really knows how to use in that he represents “small ball” of speed, defense, VERY patient at the plate and hitting for contact but almost no power. It is unfortunate that the Cubs could not just have released or traded him to an organization that could have used him on the bench.
"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry
by Doggie Stalker on Jul 28, 2010 9:03 AM CDT up reply actions
Your statement of MUCH better implied more than a couple of games...
and a couple of games doesn’t make any difference. And I’d argue that anything more than a couple of games’ difference (i.e., 1-2 max) is wildly overstating the impact of the 5th OF on the roster. In fact, even 1-2 games’ impact might be overstating it.
one never knows
As I said the biggest impact would likely have been more starts earlier for Colvin and less chances for Nady to blow a game. However having someone on the bench who can reliably bunt, pinch run, hit for contact etc would likely have a much higher value if Lou were not the manager. It is not always just a difference of couple of games but it effects the overall psychology of a team when they repeadely fail to do the small things and lost a ton of one run games .
"Lou Piniella's been a great manager for a long time and I stand by him completely"
Jim Hendry
by Doggie Stalker on Jul 28, 2010 9:18 AM CDT up reply actions
Have to disagree, regarding impact.
Now I’m not disagreeing that FULD on THIS YEAR’S Cubs would have automatically made that kind of difference… but the correct use of bench players ABSOLUTELY can have a multiple-game impact.
Just look at the way TLR uses his bench and pen. Under his care, Aaron Miles is a useful spare part. Anywhere else……………
Since Lou can’t even use LBR instead of Riot against some RHP, there’s really no reason to believe he would’ve spotted Fuld correctly to maximize his strengths and minimize his weaknesses.
Shut up Joe Morgan.
And, for the record...
I’m not saying Aaron Miles in particular is worth 1-2 games… only that smartly using your spare parts can win you extra games.
Shut up Joe Morgan.
Hehe
Does the flap of Sam Fulds arms in Des Moines set off a tornado in Chicago?
"Ask Dad. He'll know. And on the off chance he doesn't, he'll make something up"
Fuld
Do you think he has the misfortune of coming around in the wrong era? I know that offense is down this year in MLB, but it’s still higher than it was in the 1970’s and 1980’s. I’m thinking that a Fuld-type of player was more valued 25-40 years ago than he is now. Most players need a little pop in the bat these days to stay in the big leagues.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
Probably
But I’d say the bigger issue is 12 man pitching staffs rather than not valuing speed guys. If teams carried 15 hitters like they used to, a guy like Fuld would be on the team for his value as a defensive replacement and as a pinch runner.
When teams added more arms to the bullpen, the jobs for people like Henry Cotto and Jim Wohlford disappeared.
by Josh Timmers on Jul 28, 2010 2:56 PM CDT up reply actions
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