Random Cubs Recap: May 30, 1992

Wow. I love these retro recaps just to see the different names that pop up…

I had my son in 1992, only 11 short months after my daughter. I don’t remember seeing even one game that year.

What kind of lineup is this? Why isn’t Sosa leading off and playing CF like he usually does?

Are you telling me we can’t get a better hitting catcher than him? Don’t tell me about his defense or game-calling. If he wants to run a game, let him retire and be a manager or something. This is a 78-win team, at best!

it would take to get that Karros kid into a Cubs uniform?

Iowa Cubs:

After spending the first month struggling in Chicago, third baseman Gary Scott is trying to right himself in Iowa. So far, he’s hitting OK, but he’s just not progressing much. He had so much promise in 1990, but after winning the starting job at third base after spring training in 1991, it’s either been all downhill or just running in place for Scott. The good news is that he’s still young (23) and has time to turn it around. But he may end up just being a bench player rather than the next Bill Madlock.

The bad news is that the Cubs top prospect, Lance Dickson, still isn’t back after a stress fracture in his foot and arm surgery from last year. He’s got the talent to win 20 games in the majors, but he’s got to stay healthy.

Iowa’s other pitching prospect is right-handed kook Turk Wendell, who came over to the Cubs from Atlanta in the Bielecki trade. Wendell can pitch, but Atlanta grew tired of his on-the-field antics. Wendell chews a half-dozen pieces of black licorice while pitching and brushes his teeth in the dugout each inning. He leaps over the foul line and insists that when the home plate umpire puts a new ball in play, he rolls the ball to the mound. He’s going to have to cut that out if he wants to pitch in the majors: Harry Wendelstedt would toss the ball into his ear if he tried that in the major leagues.

Charlotte Knights:

Catcher Matt Walbeck is the top guy here, hitting over .300 for the Knights. He can draw a walk and is showing a little power for the first time in his career, although he’ll never be a slugger.

It’s a similar story for 3B/1B Matt Franco, who can hit for average and draw a walk but doesn’t have the kind of power that you want out of a corner infielder.

Last season’s breakout star, Venezuelan Pedro Castellanos, is struggling in his first season in Double-A. Castellanos has a bit of a Jimmy Wynn vibe to him, as the slugger is only 5’7", but he can hit for average and with authority. Right now though, he’s struggling to stay above the Mendoza line

There is a strong 1-2 punch in the rotation in Charlotte with Steve Trachsel and Dave Stevens. Neither one of them misses a lot of bats, but they keep the ball down. Of the two Trachsel is the better prospect because he doesn’t walk anyone, but Stevens could be a back of the rotation starter too or a set up man in the bullpen. Trachsel is probably a #3 starter at best, but could end up in the pen too.

Winston-Salem Spirits

Like most teams, the Cubs have two A ballclubs and they tend to put the better prospects together in Winson-Salem (but not always). The big name here is last year’s #1 draft pick, Doug Glanville. Glanville is a burner, but he’s struggling to keep his average up. He should hit eventually though. He’s got no power, but his defense is good and should be the Cubs center fielder and leadoff hitter by 1994 or 1995.

Corey Kapano is a guy we recently got from California in a minor deal. I haven’t heard much about the right-handed outfielder as he wasn’t very heralded in the Angels organization, but he’s tearing up the Carolina League: hitting over .300 with power and speed. New GM Larry Himes must have seen something in this kid: he’s still only 22.

Peoria Chiefs

The Cubs other A franchise in the Midwest League, and the big story is that it may finally be time to write off Earl Cunningham as a bust like Ty Griffin. He’s a big guy with impressive power, but he really can’t hit anything but a mistake fastball. He’s striking out at Dave Kingman levels and hitting for Kingman’s average too, except in A ball rather than in the majors.

The one guy to watch in Peoria is starter Terry Adams. Taken in the fourth round last year, Adams throws hard but has trouble finding the strike zone. He could be a #4-5 starter or a set up man in the majors.

(Jeez Al, 1992? It’d have to wait two weeks for an issue of Baseball America to get delivered in the mail to get the stats and then hope that it was the National League’s turn to have their stats published.)

Just some random thoughts here:
Lots of past or future Cubs with the Dodgers – Webster, Karros, Lenny Harris, Steve Wilson (wasn’t he also a Cubs scout in Japan or Korea for a while?), Dave Hansen, and Kal Daniels.

And of course Cubs manager Jim Lefebvre was part of the Dodgers all-switch – hitting infield of the late sixties (Parker, Lefebvre, Wills, and Junior Gilliam).

And Josh, love your comment about wating for BA and hoping the NL minor league stats are published. I surely remember those days.

It’s like the aftermath of one’s mother prescribing alphabet soup to deal with the flu.

Will we be seeing any from the 60’s or even older?