Cubs Minor League Wrap: June 17

by Josh Timmers on Jun 18, 2011 12:07 AM CDT in Minor Leagues

Tyler Colvin hit for the cycle tonight in an Iowa loss.

I continue to do my job despite the trade rumors which swirl around me. Al has said he's not actively trying to deal me, but you know in a miserable season like this, he's got to be listening to offers.

The Boise Hawks started their season tonight. This means the Wrap is going to show up later as they play all of their road games in the Pacific Time Zone. I didn't have a chance to write up a preview of the Hawks with the draft and my traveling, but I'll just say that they appear to have some great pitching and some offensive holes. That will be interesting since the Hawks play in a hitter's league.

Iowa Cubs

The Iowa Cubs were blasted by the Albuquerque Isotopes (Dodgers), 13-10.

Starter Jay Jackson had some troubles in the New Mexico air as he allowed nine runs on nine hits over four innings. Only one of the nine hits went over the wall, though. He walked two and struck out six.

Center fielder Tyler Colvin ~~became the first Iowa Cubs since Robin Jennings in 1997 to hit for the cycle tonight~~. (Later tonight, the scoring on his single was changed to an error.) His home run was a solo home run in the fifth inning. Colvin went 4 for 5 (now 3 for 5) with two RBI and four runs scored.

Catcher Welington Castillo was 2 for 4 with two home runs. Castillo hit a two-run shot in the seventh and a three run home run in the ninth. Castillo was 2 for 4 with a sac fly and six RBI.

Right fielder Brad Snyder was 3 for 5 with two doubles. He had one RBI. First baseman Bryan LaHair went 2 for 5. He scored twice and had one RBI.

Tennessee Smokies

The Smokies fell behind 5-0, but roared back to stun the Chattanooga Lookouts (Dodgers), 7-6.

Starter Chris Rusin only lasted one inning tonight, giving up four runs on four hits, including a home run to lead off the game. Rusin walked one, hit one batter and struck out three, so I guess you can say he struck out the side.

Kevin Rhoderick pitched the final two innings without allowing a run to get the win. Rhoderick gave up two hits and walked no one. He fanned four.

Third baseman Josh Vitters got the Smokies on the board first with a solo home run in the fifth inning. It was his seventh home run this year. Vitters was 2 for 4 tonight.

Right fielder Nelson Perez hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to make it 6-2. It was Perez's third home run for Tennessee and seventh overall. Perez was 2 for 3.

Matt Spencer finished the comeback with a three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Spencer now has 12 home runs and was 1 for 4 on the game.

Center fielder Brett Jackson was 2 for 3 with a walk. He scored one run.

Daytona Cubs

Started the All-Star Break tonight.

Peoria Chiefs

The Peoria Chiefs were held up by the Quad City River Bandits (Cardinals), 4-1.

Hayden Simpson started and took the loss. He lasted 4.2 innings and gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits. He walked three and struck out two.

Third baseman Greg Rohan was 1 for 3 with a solo home run in second inning. Rohan has five home runs this year.

Boise Hawks

The Boise Hawks lost their luster against the Eugene Emeralds (Padres), 5-4.

Ben Wells made his professional debut tonight and was pretty solid. He allowed two runs on five hits over five innings. Wells walked two and struck out four.

Jose Rosario got the loss in relief. Rosario pitched 2.2 innings and allowed three runs on three hits. Only one of the three runs was earned, however. Rosario walked two and struck out two.

The Hawks only had three hits tonight but walked eight times. These guys are Cubs? Oh yeah, they struck out 13 times.

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Comments

Great game from Colvin and Castillo

good games for Jackson, Vitters (although i think he got caught stealing and picked off), Spencer, and Lahair. These late night Boise games are going to kill me, although I am off to Portland and Seattle for 2 weeks on Sunday, maybe they will be playing somewhere near (besides Eugene)

Bob Brenly on Leo Nunez "Dan Uggla just saved Nunez’ life because Koyie would break him into a million pieces"

by Zakh on Jun 18, 2011 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

A couple things

-Good games for Vitters, Jackson, Castillo, and of course Colvin.
-Averages Updates – Vitters up to .288, Jackson up to .270, Lake had a pinch hit single to get him up to .240
-Simpson with an okay start I suppose. I really want him to dominate, but it’s just not gonna happen this season. I’m impatient, so I hope I don’t give up on him.
-Jackson’s only out tonight was in his first AB that was a deep fly ball that would have been a HR except that the fielder robbed him, but still a good game.
-Rusin left with a blister..what’s going on with Tennessee and blisters?
-Very solid first start from Wells, going to be tough to get wins at Boise though..the offense is TERRIBLE. Golden got one of the 3 hits, going 1-3 with a BB and 2 Ks.
-Szczur is in a mini slump. 0-7 last 2 games. Hope he can turn it around these last two games before his bump up.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 12:27 AM CDT reply actions

Ben Wells

According to the radio broadcast, he was working in the low 90s and hit 95, along with a very good splitter.

Boise’s offense seems decidedly meh. 2010 second rounder OF Reggie Golden will probably be the big bopper in the lineup, but apparently he didn’t look all that great in EXST. International bonus baby IF Ping-Chieh Chen could be a quality leadoff man. After that, there’s not much to get excited about.

Boise’s pitching, on the other hand, has the potential to be the best since the days of Willis, Guzman, et al. Ben Wells, Luis Liria, Austin Reed, and Jin-Yeong Kim have quite a lot of promise among them. Wells and Reed were promising HS arms in the 2010 draft who got six figure overslot bonuses. Kim got an $850k signing bonus out of Korea. Liria quietly put up very good numbers in the AZ League last year and raised some eyebrows in EXST. Yao-Ling Wang and Wilengton Cruz are another two guys I like.

Should be a fun season in the NWL!

by Outshined_One on Jun 18, 2011 12:38 AM CDT reply actions

Things could change if they sign some people

Hoilman sounded good at 1B defensively..

I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.

by timh815 on Jun 18, 2011 1:57 AM CDT up reply actions

Oh, definitely

I’m just not enamored with the roster as it’s constructed now. If guys like Baez and Vogelbach join the Hawks, they’d look a whole heck of a lot better on paper.

by Outshined_One on Jun 18, 2011 2:06 AM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

Baez/Vogelbach/Golden would be at least interesting offensive prospects to follow.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 2:08 AM CDT up reply actions

Beeler, Kirk, and Wang starting tomorrow night

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 3:12 AM CDT up reply actions

Boise

I hope the offense isn’t bad they have several high bonus guys Chen(350) Contreras(850) Cabaza(500) and Golden(700) k signings. Plus they have two proven college bats and a killer pitching staff that this team should do well. My question is regarding Castillo, he hit 300 in an albeit short stay last yr(why didn’t he get more at bats) tore up spring training at close to a 700 clip and now has 8 HRS in a little over a hundred ABS. He’s been compared to Molina defensively in the past and he’s had some difficulty learning the language but I love the potential

by joeby231 on Jun 18, 2011 1:16 AM CDT reply actions

Castillo was injured coming out of ST

and put on the DL. The injury to his thumb caused problems even when activated. It appears his health has impoved as his OPS is 1.214 in June.

If a quality pitching start is 3 runs and 6 innings, then a quality hitting day is 1 for 4.

by tharr on Jun 18, 2011 1:51 AM CDT up reply actions

Some were saying his d isn't that strong

earlier this year.

Vitters remains hit. He’s had a good June but I’m too lazy to look up the stats right now.

I’m excited to read about Boise. I really want to see what Wells and Reed can do. Soils debut for Wells.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 2:11 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Vitters is having such a better season this year than last

If he can finish the season around .270-.280 with 35+ doubles 20+ HRs, I’d be estatic. Through 62 games he’s got 16 doubles and 7 HRs and hitting .288

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 3:43 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd be more impressed...

if he was besting a .324 OBP, especially in his second trip around AA. That number just doesn’t play when you’re also not a plus defender at 3B.

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Just North of Wrigley Field

by jameslcrockett on Jun 18, 2011 4:17 AM CDT up reply actions

In this case...

A top draft pick who’s in AA at 21, showing power and batting average skills would be a big deal.

I’d like to see him get his plate discipline together too, but his stock should be up this year if he keeps this up.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 4:28 AM CDT up reply actions

If you're hoping to dupe some dumb GM into trading for him, sure...

Yet another reason to hope Hendry miraculously finds another MLB job. Otherwise, I’m less concerned with a player’s stock than his batting average skills… and that’s saying something.

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Just North of Wrigley Field

by jameslcrockett on Jun 18, 2011 4:52 AM CDT up reply actions

If he had a problem with K's or breaking pitches I'd be more worried.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 5:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Exactly.

Vitters doesn’t strike out nearly enough to worry about his amount of walks.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 6:50 AM CDT up reply actions

He has definitely

Been a lot better at making contact this year. Right now he is sitting at 50 strikeouts/162 games.

I’ll take that number. Do I want to see his OBP up, of course but that low K rate tells me that, while not completely there, the plate discipline is coming together.

They have two liter bottles now? To think I spent all that time demanding a liter!

by Say Ramrod on Jun 18, 2011 7:40 AM CDT up reply actions

"2nd trip around AA"

is a little misleading. He split last season between Daytona an AA. He ended up with 206 AA at-bats last year. He’s got another 212 so far this season… so he’s really only closing in on one full minor league season at AA.

"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."

by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST

by fsuapollo on Jun 18, 2011 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Not even really, he's at about 2/3 of a year of AA ABs.

And if he can pull a .290/.330/.500 line through his second half of AA ABs that’s a pretty big victory. He’s doing it quietly too as he started off a bit slow, which is really nice to see.

by bdlugz on Jun 18, 2011 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions

I've never been jealous of other teams farm systems

until I started checking up on them. The Rangers pitching depth is insane. It seems like they have about 40 TOR filthy Dominicans. Can we have one? I’d love a young foreign pitcher oozing potential with filthy stuff. I don’t care if he’s 5-6 years away.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 2:07 AM CDT reply actions

I'd love a Martin Perez type lefty arm in the system.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 2:13 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Also...

at least a few of those guys have TOR potential in the sense that Robinson Lopez has TOR potential.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 2:15 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

I'm sure, which is why I was excited when we traded for him

but of course now he isn’t even starting.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 2:22 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm not that high on Lopez tbh.

My point was that they’re “TOR potential” guys because they throw hard, really young, and really unknown.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 4:21 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm not either anymore

But when the trade went down, I was hype. The unknown. That’s what makes it so exciting. Like when there are trade rumors and you don’t know the names of the prospects. Love it.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 4:37 AM CDT up reply actions

They've made great trades.

They really haven’t signed or drafted many of them. That Teixiera trade is going to look like one of the greatest salary dumps in the history of baseball, especially if they pull their head out of their ass and put Feliz in the rotation.

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Just North of Wrigley Field

by jameslcrockett on Jun 18, 2011 3:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Leonys Martin

I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.

by timh815 on Jun 18, 2011 5:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Tanner Scheppers

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Just North of Wrigley Field

by jameslcrockett on Jun 18, 2011 5:39 AM CDT up reply actions

Will never be healthy

by RynoRooter on Jun 18, 2011 10:36 AM CDT up reply actions

Martin Perez, David Perez, Victor Payano...

by Outshined_One on Jun 18, 2011 7:37 AM CDT up reply actions

I want one of these

“The only thing I love more than protectable pitchers are projectable pitchers who already have an advanced feel for fastball command. The 18 year-old Dominican stands a lanky 6’5’’, with arms longer than Carlos Martinez’s body and the frame to add strength as he matures. His fastball works in the low 90s, but can touch the mid-to-upper 90s in bursts. His curveball plays very well off the fastball, as his delivery is silky smooth and he has a consistent release point with all of his pitches. The pitch itself (curveball) shows a good, tight spin, and should develop into a plus pitch with more bite as he adds velocity to it. Academically speaking, the changeup has potential based on the repeatable mechanics/release points (how many lanky 18 year-olds have repeatable mechanics?), allowing for deception, the hallmark of a good changeup.

Perez’s overall feel for the mound, present stuff, and crazy projectability give him the characteristics of a future frontline starter. Development can throw some hurdles in his path, but the total package could create a Leader of the Pack (Future) opportunity in the coming years. By the end of the 2011 season, Perez will start to receive more attention, and by the time he leaves his teenage years behind, he could be a top-tier prospect in baseball. I’m a believer. "

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 2:23 AM CDT reply actions

Perez isn't 6'5 IIRC so the scouting report is a little off but...

from the little video I’ve seen playing scout on the internet he’s legit. He’s got it all. Good delivery that he repeats, sound athleticism, can project to pitch in the 90’s, plus offpseed stuff, strong extension, good command…We need pitchers like this…I think we’re slowly stacking up high ceiling arms and eventually we too will have too many to count. I mean there’s Cashner, McNutt, Wells, Reed, and Simpson now at varying levels and years away from the majors…probably more because I like more pitchers than that in the system.

by SenorGato on Jun 18, 2011 4:26 AM CDT up reply actions

Kirk, Beeler, and that's pretty much it.

Struck is interesting but not high upside.

by Ryno G on Jun 18, 2011 4:41 AM CDT up reply actions

Change the caption too.

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Just North of Wrigley Field

by jameslcrockett on Jun 18, 2011 3:49 AM CDT reply actions

Josh, as long as you don't waive your NTC

Al can’t trade you.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on Jun 18, 2011 6:40 AM CDT reply actions

I assure everyone

Josh won’t be traded. No, this is not the “dreaded vote of confidence”. I appreciate everything he does for this site.

Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation

by Al Yellon on Jun 18, 2011 6:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Al

We all love Josh, but lets be realistic. This team is going nowhere if you can trade Josh for
Joe Smith who does minor league write ups for the Rays SB Nation blog and get them to throw in Archer and a web guy who can block all the stupid ads, I think you would have to do it.

"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either

by Doggie Stalker on Jun 18, 2011 7:47 AM CDT up reply actions

The Rays site

doesn’t plan on doing daily minors reports. I asked.

I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.

by timh815 on Jun 18, 2011 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions

Jessica was joking.

I think.

Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation

by Al Yellon on Jun 18, 2011 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Just don't trade me

to the “evil” BCB.

Not really much chance of that though. The Brewers have no prospects at all.

by Josh Timmers on Jun 18, 2011 12:44 PM CDT up reply actions

You're already there

"Prince Fielder is too fat even for the Oakland A’s" - Billy Beane

by ol Pete on Jun 18, 2011 3:53 PM CDT up reply actions

And he has a back loaded contract which will make him very hard to trade without having to eat a whole bunch of BCB points.

by BrewCrew'sPrinceofDarkness on Jun 18, 2011 1:36 PM CDT up reply actions

I went to the Chiefs/Bandits game last night

Was my first time watching Simpson. His first pitched was bounced in front of the plate. He seemed like he was having control issues and didn’t get out of the mid 80’s. Was definitely underwhelmed for the pick that he was. Hopefully he gets his mojo back.

by Danwood on Jun 18, 2011 7:36 AM CDT reply actions