Cubs Minor League Wrap: September 6
by Josh Timmers on Sep 6, 2010 11:29 PM CDT
in Minor Leagues
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Iowa Cubs
In case you didn't hear, the Iowa Cubs lost a heartbreaker to the the Memphis Redbirds, 7-6.
Jay Jackson started the game and got into trouble early, but settled down late. Overall, Jackson went 6 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. He walked four and struck out two.
Hung-Wen Chen pitched two innings and allowed only one hit. Unfortunately, that one hit was a solo home run that broke the tie in the top of the ninth. Chen did not have a walk or a strikeout.
Left fielder Jason Dubois almost singlehandedly kept the I-Cubs in this game with two solo home runs. Dubois was 2 for 3 with a walk. Dubois finished the season with 20 home runs and 88 in his Iowa career, two shy of the franchise record. If this was his last game with the I-Cubs, he went out in style.
Catcher Robinson Chirinos went 3 for 4 with two doubles, including a lead-off double in the bottom of the ninth. A bunt got him over to third base with one out, but pinch hitter Ty Wright struck out and third baseman Marquez Smith grounded out to end the game. (Sam Fuld walked in between those two batters.)
The Iowa Cubs finish the season at 82-62, tied for the best record in the Pacific Coast League. Unfortunately, they tied with Memphis for the best record, and Memphis gets the playoff spot based on the second tiebreaker, which is divisional record.
Tennessee Smokies
The Tennesse Smokies set a franchise record for best overall record with a 3-2 win over the Carolina Mudcats.
Craig Muschko started and allowed only one run (on a solo home run) over five innings. Muschko surrendered five hits as he picked up his ninth win. Muschko didn't walk anyone and struck out three.
Esmailin Caridad pitched the ninth and got the save. (Yes, he's still down there on rehab.) He gave up one hit. He did not walk anyone and struck out one.
Center fielder Brandon Guyer finished his amazing second half by going 2 for 4 with his 13th home run of the season. It was a solo home run in the fifth inning. Guyer had two total RBI.
In the 46 games Guyer played since the All-Star break, he hit .424 with 7 home runs and 38 RBI. He scored 45 runs. His OBP was .459 and his SLG was .724.
Not to be completely forgotten, left fielder Brett Jackson was 2 for 5 with a double and a run scored. He's had a good season too.
The Smokies finish the year with an overall record of 86-53, which is the best overall record in franchise history, which was founded in 1972 as the Knoxville Sox. They won both haves of the season.
Peoria Chiefs
The Peoria Chiefs finished their season on a high note with a 9-4 thumping of the Quad City River Bandits.
The Chiefs went with a College of Pitchers strategy today. Robinson Lopez started and pitched three innings without allowing a hit. He walked two and struck out two.
Because Lopez didn't go five, Yohan Gonzalez was awarded the win with his two innings of perfect relief. He struck out three.
Every Chief batter had at least one hit today and no one had more than two. Center fielder Anthony Giansanti went 2 for 3 with a double and a walk. He scored twice and had one RBI. Third baseman George Matheus went 2 for 4 with two runs scored and one RBI.
The Chiefs finished the season with an overall record of 71-66, meaning all four full-season minor league teams finished the year with winning records.
And with that, we have our final Minor League Wrap of the season. It's been fun and it's been a great year for the Cubs minor league system. There are no games Tuesday or Wednesday, but I'll be back Thursday with "Tennessee Smokies Wrap" as they take on the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx in the first round of the Southern League Playoffs.
In a Southern League note, the Diamond Jaxx announced they will change their name to the Jackson Generals after the season. Hopefully, they only have three games left as the Diamond Jaxx.
See you all on Thursday. GO SMOKIES!
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Ah River Bandits
What you used to be ;)
"You’re playing a baseball game. You’re not playing Tiddlywinks. There is competition, for God’s sake."— Lou Piniella
Now its time for some of these Iowa players to come up
Hopefully they can watch and learn from the older players that will surely play ahead of them!
What Iowa players are left who aren't already in Chicago?
You won’t see more than 3 or 4 callups. There isn’t enough playing time, the Cubs aren’t going to pay for a 35 man traveling team and the 40-man roster is full.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Um...3-4=some
I would expect Fuld, Samardzija, and maybe Mitch Atkins. They need to send Diamond to the Arizona complex to work on his “new” cutter and they can just send Mateo home as far as I’m concerned.
The Cubs could also put Grabow on the 60-day DL to open a spot on the 40-man.
Unfortunately, the guys I’d really enjoy watching for a just a few games, Marquez Smith and Robinson Chirinos, will not be added (for good reason).
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Really, what's the point of recalling Atkins?
He won’t be on next year’s team. Neither will Brian Schlitter. I’d guess Justin Berg has a shot, so maybe he’ll return, and maybe Jeff Stevens.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
speaking of Berg
Granted we weren’t paying total attention to the game, but I thought he did pitch an inning.
''"I always thought I was the most competitive person out there. I never thought I'd find anybody more competitive until I met him.'' Ryan Dempster talking about Ted Lilly
by Madison Cub Fan on Sep 7, 2010 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, he did
I went with my normal rules—mention the starting pitcher, the pitcher who gets the decision and the one who gets the save. Since Berg did none of that, I didn’t mention him.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 10:40 AM CDT up reply actions
Atkins is in case of another 15-run blowout
He probably has about the trade value of a Kevin Hart. Since he’s been up already, promoting him signals other teams that you value him somewhat. Plus, he gets a chance to work with Rothschild.
I have no idea why you’d think Berg or Stevens might return, and not Atkins. Nobody mentioned Schlitter.
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Berg & Stevens might have a shot at next year's bullpen.
Atkins won’t. Neither will Schlitter.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
There's no point to LaHair, either.
He won’t be on the team next year. He’s Triple-A roster filler.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
I don't know why Berg and Stevens have a shot at anything
They have sucked big time and can only relieve.
Atkins is a starter, and the kind of guy who could be a fifth starter for somebody for a couple of years. Not the Cubs, surely, but somebody.
But, to each his own. Except, why do you keep bringing up Schlitter?
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Yes, Ryno certainly knows what it's like to be a Cub.
Lesson one: Win just one game and you move forward but lose two heartbreakers instead. I’m kidding, of course. Kind of.
I guess Ryno now has completed paying his 'dues'.
He will fit right in.
Thanks again, Josh for all the work this season
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
by cubzfan on Sep 7, 2010 7:00 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
rec'd
''"I always thought I was the most competitive person out there. I never thought I'd find anybody more competitive until I met him.'' Ryan Dempster talking about Ted Lilly
I'm officially in love with Brandon Guyer
and i hope he somehow makes it on the team next season. Stranger things have happened.
In a couple years
you could have Jackson, Colvin, and Guyer in the outfield, all as 20-20 guys with good D.
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Re: In a couple years
Granted he is young and experiencing a learning curve, but it is hard not to be a little disappointed with Colvin’s play of late. I’m beginning to wonder if he’ll ever tame his OBP problems. Hope I’m wrong.
by Mmurton on Sep 7, 2010 9:36 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I don't know what to think
about Guyer. He was a solid prospect after ’08 and then he had a poor ’09 in AA, although he was OK in High-A after being demoted. (Good OBP, no power.) So he falls off the prospect lists. He has a solid first half in AA, but considering he was now a little old for the level, nothing to get too excited about.
Then he reels off about 50 games where he’s the best player in the minor leagues. What do you think of that? It’s almost as if you write it off as a fluke because no one is that good. But you can’t do that.
He’s one to watch now. When we did our mid-season prospect voting, he wasn’t even put up for a vote in the top 21. You’ve now got to consider him a top ten prospect.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Didn't he have a bad thumb early in 2009?
or am I making stuff up?
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
He's always hurt
He’s a guy like Aaron Rowand or Eric Bynes who doesn’t have a gear below 11. Fans love that stuff, but it leads to injuries.
I really don’t remember what his health was last year. But I’d consider a bad thumb “normal” for Guyer.
Thanks Josh
In a year that the big Club took the year off, at the top 3 minor league teams all had winning records and there are at some players that hopefully will replace the dead weight in Chicago.
Guyer is interesting. You have to take serious what he has done the last 46 games. It is not like he had a hot two week period, this was two months.
Actually, it was most of the year
He wasn’t hitting poorly early on, but then had an injury and was out for the month of May. After a short period of getting back into game shape, he tore up the ball the rest of the season.
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Best record in PCL, over 500,000 in home attendance,
and nothing to show for it. Remember the I-Cubs got off to a very poor start and rebounded to lead their division for about 2 months. The poor start hurt them in the tie breaker which was best record within the division.
Josh, thanks for keeping track of our minor leagues. Very well done!
This is only the beginning....Lou Pinella end of '07 season and Chicago Transit Authority (the band when they were really good).
Chirinos
What is the outlook for this kid? Don’t tell me that he is another late-blooming offensive stud-ala Soto. I’m guessing-could be wrong- that the numbers are somewhat misleading but that would open up a lot of possibilities if he were a legit, everyday catching prospect.
by Mmurton on Sep 7, 2010 8:39 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
The misleading numbers may be for Welington Castillo
His BABIP was .286 this year, which seems low to me, even for a slow catcher.
Chirinos just keeps hitting. I think, given a chance in Spring Training, he would win the backup catcher job.
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
Just like Soto
so does Chirinos appeal to me. His OPS this year was .999 and last year it was .915. The last 3 years he’s has as many walks as K and this is his 3rd year catching. Surprisingly he starter playing ball at age 17 so he’s been in the minors for 9 years.
Personally I’d love to see him tried at 1B also. It would give the Cubs much more flexibility. If he isn’t given assurances of a fair long look next year, I can see him going elsewhere.
If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.
Thanks from me to you, Josh, for all your great work on the minor leagues all season.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
by Al Yellon on Sep 7, 2010 9:00 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
What's with all this tiebreaker crap? Man, if only Bud were in charge...
Who won the AAA All-Star Game this year? “This time it counts!”
Lou Brown: "My kinda team, Charlie, my kinda team..."
Smokies' regular
Expect to see Robinson Chirinos, now a free agent, get a nice offer from Tigers -who want him on ML roster next season. Sending Vitters and Flaherty to AFL shows how much disarray and “cover-thy-tail” – mode Cubs’ administration finds itself. These two were upper echelon draft picks who have major flaws. Guyer may have played his way into picture but should have been sent to AFL to see if he’s for real. Jackson has a high ceiling. The Spencer kid faded a bit in last 10 games, but is an intimidating hitter with real LH power. A’s probably regret trading him. There have been some excellent arms on this pitching staff – several finished at AAA. Cubs’ long suit in minor league is pitching but they can’t seem to figure out who their position players are. Best Smokies team here in decades (Knoxville and Sevierville).
Isn't Chirinos only a FA if the Cubs don't add him to the 40-man roster?
I think they will.
Somebody take Aramis' bat off the restricted list, please.
hey Josh-who does hold the Iowa record for homers with 90?
presumably a career minor leaguer like Crash Dubois
Joe Hicks
And you’re right, he never played in the majors. His stats are here.
At least Dubois got 86 games in the major leagues.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions
A player with the name "Joe Hicks"...
… played in either the minor or major leagues in 33 of the 62 years from 1948-2009.
Joe Hicks, minor league pitcher 1948-49
Joe Hicks, minor leaguer from 1953-66, played in 212 major league games from 1959-63
Joe Hicks, minor league 1B/outfielder from 1978-87 (this is the guy who holds the Iowa team HR record)
Joe Hicks, minor league outfielder from 2002-2006 in the Pirates organization and 2008-2009 in independent ball (Continental League)
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Looking at Joe Hicks stat line
the guy had no luck. He put up good numbers in the minors while still young and had to be considered a good prospect . (This is pre-Baseball America, so when I say that, there’s really no way of checking it.) He was a low average, good power guy. Most teams didn’t appreciate walks back then (certainly the Cubs didn’t), but he drew enough to have a solid OBP. He got up to Iowa at 23 and had a low average, but decent power and OBP. The low batting average had to hurt him in the eyes of the Cubs (just coming off of the Dave Kingman hangover) but the bigger issue was that it was 1981 and the majors were on strike most of the summer, so most teams left their players in the minors.
He had good years in 1982 and 1983, but apparently couldn’t stay healthy, playing in only 66 and 78 games. Then he had a monster season in AAA at 26, but it was 1984 and the Cubs had no need of him that season. He then missed all of 1985 and by the time he got back in 1986, he was too old for anyone to take seriously.
It’s like Bill James used to say: Every stat line tells a story.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Just to add to the story
He must have been a good prospect because the Cubs drafted him #1 in the January draft. I couldn’t find him on the draft lists because I forgot there was more than one annual draft back then.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions
Probably more to it than that...
… remember, the team was sold at the end of 1981, and baseball management was all new. The Dallas Green regime may not have liked him and moved him down the depth chart in ’82.
We may never know.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
thanks. actually I had guessed it was a player of many years ago
but perhaps this record is limited to the Iowa Cubs. Also, I see that Micah Hoffpaur has 81 HRs for the I-Cubs. http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=hoffpa001jam
Maybe Hoff or Dubois will return next year and go for the record. (I presume hoff will be dropped from the 40 man roster and go elsewhere)
by holy mackeral on Sep 7, 2010 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions
It would be fascinating...
to hear from Joe Hicks about his take on his career. Maybe a BleedCubbieBlue fan will track him down for an interview and post it. I would also love to hear from Karl Pagal about why he only got a handful of at bats in the majors after putting up great numbers in the minors.
As of about three years ago...
…. Pagel was driving a UPS truck in the Phoenix area.
"You can observe a lot just by watching." ~ Yogi Berra
Congrats to the Smokies.
Keep rolling.
"I don't know what the big deal about Crackerjack is"
by theGraceyslumpbuster on Sep 7, 2010 11:39 AM CDT reply actions
Unfortunately Lou is gone
If Ryno gets called up to coach, he will miss out on Lou’s tutelage. You just can’t gain the major league experience in the minors to handle the media and be able to say “Look, what do you want me to do?”. Invaluable!
"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas
Ryno played for Lee Elia
He knows how to respond to the media from Lee.
by Josh Timmers on Sep 7, 2010 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Excellent!
I’ll get my tape recorder out.
"They come to see me strike out, hit a home run, or run into a fence. I try to accommodate them at least one way every game." - Gorman Thomas
by RiskyBusiness on Sep 7, 2010 1:54 PM CDT up reply actions
OT: Years That End in "0" for Memphis Teams and Jaxx Changing Name
1980: Memphis Chicks (Southern League West Champions – lost to Charlotte in Finals)
Affiliated with the Expos
1990: Memphis Chicks (Southern League Champions – beat Orlando in Finals)
Affiliated with the Royals
2000: Memphis Redbirds (PCL Champions – Lost to Indianapolis in AAA World Series)
2010: Memphis Redbirds (PCL American North Champions)
Affiliated with the Cardinals
The AA Memphis Blues, affiliated with the Mets, didn’t make the playoffs in the Texas League in 1970. The “old, old” Memphis Chicks, affiliated with the Cardinals, in the Southern Association literally got burned out of their home, RussWOOD Park, in 1960.
Also, the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx will be changing their name to the Jackson Generals in 2011. Generals was the name of one of the teams Jackson, TN, had in the old Kitty League. Generals was also the nickname of the AA affiliate of the Astros in the Southern League in Jackson, MS, in the Texas League, from 1991-1999, that moved to Round Rock, TX. I hate that so few people now know the current West Tenn Diamond Jaxx franchise moved there from Memphis in 1998. It’s not as if 1998 is ancient history or that they moved from another part of the country.
What the hell with the years ending in “0” stuff? The Diamond Jaxx won the Southern League in 2000 as a Cubs farm club and are in the playoffs in 2010 as a Mariners farm team.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
Nashville Sounds 77-67 Record
The Sounds finished dead last, fourth, in the PCL American North Division. However, that 77-67 record would have been good enough to win the PCL American South Division and the PCL Pacific North Division. In fact, the only team in the PCL outside of the American North Division to have a better record than the Sounds was the Sacramento River Cats.
"The big possums walk late." - Harry Caray
It was a rough division
Don’t know why it worked out that way this season. Just chance, I guess. But it had the farm clubs of the Cubs, Cardinals, Brewers and Royals.
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