While Chris Archer and Brandon Guyer await the Southern League championship series between their Tennessee Smokies and the Jacksonville Suns, BCB congratulates them for being named Cubs Minor League Pitcher and Player of the Year. From the Cubs press release:
Guyer, 24, batted .344 (127-for-369) with 39 doubles, six triples, 13 homers, 58 RBI, 27 walks, 76 runs scored, 30 stolen bases (he was caught stealing just three times) and a .398 on-base percentage in 102 games for Double-A Tennessee. He led the Southern League in slugging percentage (.588), ranked second in batting average, third in doubles, fourth in extra-base hits (58) and fifth in on-base percentage and at-bats per home run (28.38).
A right-handed batter and fielder, Guyer was named Southern League Offensive Player of the Week for July 26-August 1, batting .524 (11-for-21) with eight runs, three doubles, a triple, a homer, eight RBI and two stolen bases during the stretch. Additionally, he recorded a season-high, 18-game hitting streak, July 26-August 18. He batted .471 (33-for-70) with nine doubles, five home runs, 21 runs scored and 24 RBI during the run.
A Southern League postseason All-Star, Guyer helped Tennessee to 86 regular season victories – the most in franchise history – and a post-season berth
In his fifth professional season, Archer combined to go 15-3 with a 2.34 ERA (37 ER/142.1 IP) in 28 games (27 starts) between Single-A Daytona and Tennessee, helping the Smokies to the Southern League North Division title. He struck out 149 batters in 142.1 innings of work compared to just 65 walks, and allowed just six home runs to the 590 batters he faced (one home run allowed every 98 batters faced).
Archer, 21, began the year with Daytona and went 7-1 with a 2.86 ERA (23 ER/72.1 IP) and 82 strikeouts in 15 games (14 starts). He won his final seven decisions (May 8-June 27), going 7-0 with a 1.86 ERA (11 ER/53.1 IP) and 62 strikeouts in 10 starts before his promotion to Double-A.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pounder made his Smokies debut July 2 and went 8-2 with a 1.80 ERA (14 ER/70.0 IP) and 67 strikeouts in 13 starts with Tennessee, limiting the opponent to a .198 batting average (48-for-242). He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for the week of July 19-25, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA (0 ER/11.1 IP) while walking five and fanning 11 in two starts during the period.
Archer tossed 31.1-consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to begin his Smokies’ career, July 2-31. After going 1-1 in his first two starts at the Double-A level, he won seven-consecutive decisions, July 14-August 21, posting a 1.84 ERA (9 ER/44.0 IP) and 42 strikeouts to go along with a 7-0 mark in eight starts.
Congratulations to both players -- we hope to see them at Wrigley Field soon.