Andrew Cashner, Five Other Cubs Named To Arizona Fall League Rosters
by Al Yellon on Aug 30, 2011 3:43 PM CDT
in Chicago Cubs News
Email
Print
Andrew Cashner, currently on rehab assignment in the minors, will make an appearance or two for Triple-A Iowa before their season ends next Monday and then will join the Cubs bullpen for the rest of the major league season. Many of us are hoping that Cashner will rejoin the Cubs rotation in 2012, but at the very least, hope he's healthy enough to contribute in September.
After that, Cashner will head to the Arizona Fall League, along with five other Cubs: Chris Carpenter, Trey McNutt, Brett Jackson, Junior Lake and DJ LeMahieu. It doesn't seem likely that Jackson is going to be recalled for September, so if you want to see him play, the AFL is the place.
Players in the AFL often make impacts in the major leagues the following year, so you can see that guys like Carpenter, McNutt, Jackson and LeMahieu might be key parts of the 2012 Cubs. Junior Lake is a bit farther away, but I know Josh and a number of the rest of you who follow the minor leagues closely like him a lot.
Lefthander Jeff Beliveau will be on the taxi squad (eligible to play only on Wednesdays and Saturdays). Cubs in the AFL play for the Mesa Solar Sox, whose home games are at the Cubs' spring training park, Ho Ho Kam Park. The league will begin on Tuesday, Oct. 4; other stadiums will be Phoenix Muni, Peoria Sports Complex, Surprise Stadium, Scottsdale Stadium, and Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.
The Rising Stars Game, kind of an All-Star Game for the AFL, will be on Saturday, Nov. 5 at Surprise Stadium, and the league championship game will be on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Scottsdale Stadium.
50 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Beliveau is a LHP
Lake is a good call. If he does poorly, we leave him off the 40 man. If he does well, we include him.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
You're right.
The info I got had him listed as a RHP. I’ll fix it.
Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation
If I recall correctly
the Rising Stars game and the Championship game are televised on the MLB Network.
Changes may be made too if players get interested or the Solar Sox find themselves short of a player.
You do recall correctly.
I’ll make sure to post about those two games on those days.
Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation
Its a shame that Jackson probably isnt coming up.....
I guess its more important to watch Byrd swing at the first pitch all of September.
I cant wait until we have a decent new GM….And a manager that knows what is going on.
And the Colletti staue prep will be
inevitably soon.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
It's really not a stupid decision. We all want to see him play...
But burning a spot on the 40 man and eating into service time for this team? Hardly seems worth it right now.
I’d rather protect who we need to and call him up next year when he wont be super 2 anymore and get as much control on him as we can. If we play it right he’d be cost controlled through 2014 and under team control through 2017. That flexibility may be important when we’re rebuilding.
by bdlugz on Aug 30, 2011 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions 4 recs
Exactly.
Sure, we’d like to see him play. But I’d rather he got a fresh start with a new manager next April.
Join us for complete MLB coverage at SB Nation's Baseball Nation
by Al Yellon on Aug 30, 2011 4:16 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Then play Campana....Its hard to watch Byrd play anymore
by TJ11 on Aug 30, 2011 4:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Wait.... you're still watching?
"You win because of the quarterback. We have to get that position stabilized. We're fixated on that." -- Jerry Angelo (12.30.2008)
Jerry Angelo trades for Jay Cutler! (4.2.2009)
What's your problem with Byrd?
He was a 4+ WAR player last year, and he’d be right there again this year if he hadn’t missed 2 months this year. He’s a fine CF.
Pat Riley is the devil.
Byrd is a fine defender and clubhouse guy...
But his plate approach leaves much to be desired. If we didn’t have Soriano in left, I’d keep him though.
'Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up.'
by Unique on Aug 30, 2011 6:33 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
he has the plate approach of a 4 year old hopped up on halloween candy
I'm a happy panda.
by jesus christos on Aug 30, 2011 6:48 PM CDT up reply actions
He's also 8th among NL CFs in wOBA.
And tied for 23rd among all NL OFs.
A .333 wOBA isn’t all that much to crow about. It is .006 above Soriano.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
Your point?
I’m not saying Byrd’s a star. He is what he is, which is a solidly above-average player.
Pat Riley is the devil.
by Poloplaya14 on Aug 31, 2011 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions
My point?
To show that you can make players look good or bad using different numbers.
Byrd is not the “problem” for the Cubs. He also isn’t part of the solution.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
Your numbers don't exactly make him look bad
There are 16 teams in the NL. Being the 8th-best offensive CF makes him average. Ditto for 23rd-best OF.
Pat Riley is the devil.
No he'd be right there again if he wasn't batting .202 with runners in scoring...
…position. He’s been pathetic.
Guys, hitting is not about muscle. It's simple physics. Calculate the velocity, v, in relation to the trajectory, t, in which g, gravity, of course remains a constant.... It's not complicated. - George Costanza
Sample size
He’s been fine with RISP throughout his career (specfically, he’s hit .275, not great, but not awful). His dismal performance this year has probably just been a fluke.
Pat Riley is the devil.
Plus
Bretty is a silly nickname. #SorryHadTo
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
Jacksy?
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
BJaxy.
BJax not folksy enough.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
Brettsie
seems to roll off the tongue better than brettie. I think if my name was Brett and someone called me brettsie the conversation might end up outside!
Marilyn Monroe "yogi your a pretty cool guy"
Berra " Marilyn you ain't so hot yourself"!
My name IS Brett
And I would jack some one upside the head if they called me Brettsie
by El Borto on Aug 30, 2011 6:10 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Good thing you don't play for the cubs
Marilyn Monroe "yogi your a pretty cool guy"
Berra " Marilyn you ain't so hot yourself"!
To avoid super 2 status
he would have to stay down in the minors until, what, June??
Hard to support that plan… unless he proves in ST he’s not yet ready.
As for the 40 man spot… I would consider it… ahem… debatable that they couldn’t make room for Jackson.
Further… and while you don’t want to base your entire assessment on September… IMO it is more important to bring Jackson up to gauge whether he is ready to take the job next year. If he is, you actively shop Byrd this offseason.
Under this “save the roster spot” plan, the Cubs will have basically no choice but to keep Byrd. Because if you trade Byrd and Jackson isn’t ready, you’re looking at, what, Soriano Campana Colvin across the OF?
"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 Aug 30, 2011 4:35 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Neither side likes "Super 2' very much.
If he isn’t up until the spring, he may avoid it entirely.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
Why is that not a bad plan?
He’s only spent a month and a half at the AAA level. I think it would be a good idea to give him a couple more months of seasoning there. We could keep Byrd around until then, trading him at midseason next year.
Pat Riley is the devil.
If our future GM has any understanding of offensive metrics
byrd will be out the door.
Marilyn Monroe "yogi your a pretty cool guy"
Berra " Marilyn you ain't so hot yourself"!
And has dominated AAA in that time.
Top prospects don’t spend much time at AAA, their biggest challenge is AA. Some guys, like Castro, get called up straight from AA. Jackson can’t show he’s ready anymore than what he’s doing now. Not to mention Byrd will have far less value at the trade deadline next year as a rent-a-player. And I would say there’s a good chance Jackson is already as good as Byrd. I want to see a competitive team next year, and having Jackson up all season would certainly help. He’ll already have superior speed and better power than Byrd, along with a much better plate approach.
Most top prospects spend little time in AAA, with some notable exceptions.
The Cubs need new faces… it is time to see what the kid has. If he’s not ready, he can always go back to Iowa…. he wouldn’t be the first nor the last.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
A few things...
Byrd doesn’t cost enough that he doesn’t make sense to keep around for a 4th OFer. With a rookie starting in CF, Colvin in RF (possibly, maybe even Byrd unfortunately), Soriano in LF, there will be lots of extra innings to go around to get Byrd plenty of PAs. He’s not incredible offensively, but his .335 wOBA and 2.6 WAR are respectable at the very least. I think you keep him no matter what due to the uncertainty in that OF.
Second of all, Brett Jackson is having an incredible year and making me even more excited for him, but it’s not like he’s a surefire star that is beyond a doubt ready for the majors right now. I would really like to see him pull the K rate back to a reasonable number (at least below 25%) before we start putting him against even tougher competition. He has plenty to work on in AAA, but I think he could be successful in the MLB right now – I just don’t ese a major reason to rush him.
But how is it "rushing him"??
By most every indication, he is ready.
As for Byrd, your logic isn’t wrong… and is most likely what the Cubs will do. But I find two problems.
First, wOBA and WAR be damned, Marlon Byrd is a subpar OF (value, he’s still fine defensively). We all love a lot of characteristics about Marlon (the hustle, the attitude, et al.). But he is miles from irreplaceable. If you got a look at Jackson and he showed he was probably ready to take the full-time job, why wouldn’t you trade Byrd and then go get a veteran to fill-in innings? Heck, you could just plug Reed (.396 wOBA, 1.7 WAR in just over half the ABs of Byrd… Johnson would be 6th in the NL among OF in wOBA if he had enough ABs, Byrd would be tied for 22nd… he is also shy of the AB total) into the “true” 4th OF spot, starting three days a week.
Second, based on the same process, you can make the case to keep just about any Cub. This team clearly needs new pieces. Byrd is one of the few that you can probably move without eating a bunch of salary.
For me… I’d rather collect more information on my top prospect by letting him play in September rather than hold tight to one roster spot and the super two issues. IMO, those are things for the Pirates (et al.) to worry about.
"Stuff like this is why they should shut off the internet."
by Orval Overall on Dec 17, 2010 1:19 PM CST
Lee is important to judge this fall.
Vitters did well there last time.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
FYI Baez makes Boise Debut tonight
From my sister in Boise ( who is constantly accusing me of “stealing” her “baby Cubs” as she does not get the concept of short season rookie league teams)
"I am not ashamed to say I love Greg Maddux" - Jim Hendry
Me either
Na, Wang, Chen to Taiwan
I’m guessing for a tourney.
I'm a Cubs fan. The Jaded Bitterness comes as a Standard Feature.
Most definately
Good luck to them (just don’t get hurt).
McNutt, Cashner and Carpenter
three power arms and two infielders,
A friend once told me: "I don't buy the idea that a team learns anything from a loss, the only thing they learn is how to lose games."---Knight
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Bleed Cubbie Blue
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recommended FanShots
Recent FanShots
Cubs By The Numbers
Cubs By The Numbers is a history of the ballclub by uniform number, but the biographies help trace the history of our beloved team in a new way. For everyone who's a Cubs fan, anyone who ever wore the uniform is like family. Cubs By The Numbers reintroduces readers to some of their long-lost ancestors, even ones they think they already know.
Click here to order your copy, available now!
Recent Stories in Chicago Cubs Game Threads
Recent Stories in Ticket Exchanges
Baseball Nation Recent Stories
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Eric Hosmer redefines the Baltimore chop with infield double (Video)
- College player makes impossible over the fence catch to save tournament game (Video)
- Security!: Camden Yards guard collides with Royals’ Mike Moustakas
- The Juice: Nelson Cruz matches career high eight RBIs, Pujols stays hot in Seattle
- Benches clear at Fenway as Red Sox-Rays rivalry heats up
