Cubs Minor League Baseball Blog

Jeff Beliveau – The top reliever on the squad, Beliveau struck out 69 with 13 walk in 57 innings.  He oddly gave up seven home runs though and fly balls are an issue.  He finished 6-1 and this was after he was lights out in Dayton.

Ryan Searle – Probably the best of the starters, Searle finished with a 3.51 ERA and a 5-3 record.  His rates weren’t that great and he had 66 strikeouts and 43 walks in 84 2/3 innings.

Jeff Stevens – Another hard thrower, Stevens struck out 52 and walked 16 in 41 2/3 innings.  he finished 3-0 with a solid 2.59 ERA.  Oddly he was death on left handed hitters and he held them to a .152 batting average against.

With only a handful of guys who played more then 90 games for the Smokies, there weren’t a lot of big number stats compiled.  Still, here are the best few hitters on this past season’s squad.

Ryan Flaherty – Out of players with more then 80 games, Flaherty led the team with a .907 OPS.  He was second with 14 home runs and he had a very nice 55/40 strikeout to walk ratio.  Flaherty is 25 but now that Aramis Ramirez is out of the fold, Flaherty could get his shot.

Rebel Ridling – Ridling finished with a team high 20 home runs and his 79 runs also led the team.  He was right behind Flaherty with a .887 OPS and he’s having a very nice showing in the Venezuelan Winter League.

Steve Clevenger – an interesting catcher, Clevenger walked 35 times and struck out 39 times.  He doesn’t have a lot of pop but a .295 average helped prop up his .812 OPS.  He’s having a tough time in the Dominican Winter League but he raked in 25 games when he was pushed to the PCL.

Kevin Goldstein released his list of the top eleven Cubs prospects and it’s an interesting one.  Topping the list is outfielder Brett Jackson, the Cubs first round pick in 2009 and the only five star prospect.  Jackson split time between Double-A and Triple-A and while he’ll probably start the season back in Iowa, there’s a good chance that Jackson will be with the Cubs before the end of the first half.

Number two and the lone four star prospect is shortstop Javier Baez.  The Cubs first round pick in 2011, Baez played in only five minor league games and he doesn’t turn 19 until December 1.  He’ll play for Peoria next year and he’s well away from his big league debut but this is a guy worth watching.

Wellington Castillo (C), Dillon Maples (RHP) and Mat Szczur (OF) round out the top five.  Castillo is close to big league ready and he could be the backup catcher in 2012.

Playing in the PCL makes it tough for pitchers.  Throw in the fact that the Cubs really don’t have top notch pitching prospects and it makes for some interesting numbers when you mention “stars.”  Still, here were the better pitchers on the team.

Ramon Ortiz – One of the better starters, Ortiz had 16 starts for the Cubs before heading to the big league club. Of course Ortiz is a veteran and no longer a prospect, he did put up some decent numbers in 2011.  He had 81 strikeouts in 99 1/3 innings and his 4.26 ERA was one of the best amongst the pitchers with as many innings as he had.  Ortiz is a journeyman though so we’ll see where he ended up in 2012.

Robert Coello – Coello had an impressive 94 strikeouts in 95 innings but he also had 41 walks and a subpar 1.33 WHIP.  He split his time between the pen and the rotation and his fly ball rate is an issue.

Blake Parker – Probably the best reliever for the Cubs, he struck out 60 hitters in 51 1/3 innings and his 2.81 ERA was one of the best on the team.  He did split time between Triple A and Double A and he actually pitched better for Iowa last year.

Here’s Baseball America’s Top Ten Prospect List

1)  Brett Jackson OF
2)  Javier Baez  SS
3)  Matt Szczur OF
4)  Trey McNutt RHP
5)  Dillon Maples RHP
6)  Welligton Castillo C
7)  Rafael Dolis RHP
8)  Junior Lake
9)  Josh Vitters 3b/1b
10)  Dan Vogelbach 1b

Iowa plays in the PCL so the numbers can get a little inflated. Still, the Cubs had their share of hitting stars in 2011.  Here’s a look at some of the Cubs better hitters in 2011.

Bryan Lahair – Lahair racked all season and this even translated into a decent stint for the big league club.  He led the team in home runs (38), RBIs (109) and runs (91).  He finished with a 1.070 OPS and that included 60 walks.

Lou Montanez – Montanez had a solid season and he hit .321 and he finished with a team high seven triples.  His 164 total bases were second on the team and he had a really nice 47/38 strikeout to walk ratio.

Scott Moore – Moore finished with an OPS of .823 and like Lahair, he’s a career minor leaguer.  He hit .295 and scored 60 runs in a solid season.  I also like the 48 walks and that helped him with a really nice .380 OBP.  With Ramirez on his way out, Moore might see some time at third base with the Cubs.

Iowa Cubs – 66-77, 13 1/2 games back of first place Omaha
Tennessee Smokies – 40-30, 2 1/2 games back of first place Chattanooga
Daytona Cubs – 29-38, 9 1/2 games back of the first place Dunedin Blue Jays
Peoria Chiefs – 27-42, 14 1/2 games back of first place Quad Cities
Boise Hawks – 19-19, three games back of first place Tri-City
AZL Cubs – 28-28, thirteen games back of the first place AZL Giants

The Smokies made it to the Southern League championship but they fell to Mobile one game to three.  Trey McNutt gave up two runs on two hits with four walks and three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Jae-Hoon Ha went two for five with a double, a home run and three RBIs.  James Adduci went two for five with a run.

Daytona swept St. Lucie to win the Florida State League championship.  Dae-Eun Rhee picked up the win in the finale.  He gave up two runs on four hits and three walks with five strikeouts in six innings.  Frank Batista pitched a shutout ninth and he picked up his third save of the playoffs.

Logan Watkins went two for three with an RBI.  Greg Rohan went three for five with a double and an RBI.

Iowa beat Omaha 7-2 in their season finale.  Jay Jackson improved to 8-14 on the season.  He gave up two runs on five hits with three strikeouts in five innings.  Blake Parker pitched a shutout ninth and he struck out the side.

Chris Robinson went two for four with a double and two RBIs.  Brett Jackson drew a walk and he belted a solo home run.

Matt Loosen improved to 1-1 on the season with a nice start in the Cubs 4-0 win over Lakeland.  He gave up two hits with eight strikeouts in six shutout innings.

Evan Crawford went three for four with a double and a run.  Greg Rohan went two for four with a triple, a run and an RBI.

Iowa dismantled the River Cats and Chris Rusin improved to 2-1 with a really nice start in the 8-0 win.  He gave up six hits with eleven strikeouts in seven shutout innings.

Chris Robinson went three for four with two doubles, two RBIs and one run.  Lou Montanez went three for four with a run.

Jay Jackson improved to 5-8 on the season with a really nice start in the Cubs 7-1 win over the RedHawks. He gave up a run on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven innings.  Justin Berg struck out two in a shutout ninth inning.

Wellington Castillo went three for four with an RBI.  Bryan LaHair drew a walk and hit a two run home run.

Nicholas Struck pitched all five innings in the Smokies 2-0 win over the Mudcats. He gave up four hits and he struck out six in five shutout innings.  It was his first win of the season as a Smokie.

Struck also went two for two with an RBI in the win.  Luis Flores tripled and he scored a run.

Casey Coleman improved to 2-1 on the season with a really nice start in the Cubs 10-4 win over the Isotopes.  He gave up three runs on seven hits and a walk with four strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Marlon Byrd had a big day at the plate.  He went two for four with a double, a home run, three RBIs and two runs.  Marwin Gonzalez went three for four with a double, two RBIs and a run.

Jeffrey Lorick improved to 6-2 with a really nice start in the Cubs 3-0 win over Dunedin.  He gave up just three hits and three walks with a strikeout in six shutout innings.  Marcus Hatley struck out two in a shutout ninth and he picked up his fourth save of the season.

Rafael Valdes doubled and drove in two runs.  Justin Bour doubled, drew a walk and scored a run.

Dallas Beeler improved to 1-0 on the season with a really nice start in the Smokies 6-0 win.  He gave up seven hits and he struck out four in six shutout innings.

Nelson Perez went two for three with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs.  Josh Vitters went two for three with a double, two RBIs and a run.

The Smokies took care of the Stars 10-2 and they did it behind a solid day at the plate by Matthew Spencer.  He went two for three with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs.  DJ LeMahieu went three for five with a double and two runs.

Alberto Cabrera picked up the win and he improved to 1-1.  He gave up two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings.

Doug Davis improved to 1-0 on the season with a nice start in the Cubs 5-0 win over the Yankees.  He gave up two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.  Brent Ebinger threw a shutout ninth to close out the game.

Junior Lake had a big day at the plate.  He went three for five with a home run, a triple, three RBIs and two runs.  Justin Bour went two for three with a walk and an RBI.

The Cubs lost a tight and they did it with some really nice pitching.  The final was 1-0 in ten innings over the Zephyrs and Robert Coello gave up four hits and he struck out seven in eight innings.  Scott Maine struck out five in two shutout innings of relief and he improved to 2-1.

Jon Mota went two for three in the win.  Brad Snyder was the run with a solo home run in the tenth.

While 12-11 isn’t outstanding, the Iowa Cubs start has been good enough to land them in second place in their division.  Nobody is really lighting it up and they sit just 2 1/2 games back of Omaha.  Lou Montanez is off to a super hot start and he has an OPS of 1.160 with 27 RBIs.  Bryan Lahair is also off to a nice start with a 1.074 OPS.  Pitching has been a problem though and no pitcher who has four or more starts has an ERA under 4.00.

The Smokies are off to a nice start with a 15-9 record and they’re just a half game back of first place Huntsville.  Ryan Flaherty leads the team in most offensive categories.  He has seven home runs, 21 RBIs, 21 runs.  Rafael Dolis has lead a mediocre pitching staff though.  He’s 1-2 with sixteen strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

Daytona is in first place in their division with a 16-6 record.  Justin Bour leads the team with six home runs and Jae-Joon Ha has seventeen RBIs.  Robert Whitenack is 3-0 with 25 strikeouts and a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings.  Peoria is in the middle of the pack in their division at 12-11.  Greg Rohan has been their top hitter with 21 RBIs and the top pitcher has been Austin Kirk who’s 1-2 with a 2.28 ERA.

Interested in Cubs minor league baseball.  It’s coming next week and here’s when and where each of the Cubs four affiliates kick off their season.

Iowa Cubs – at Round Rock on April 7
Tennessee Smokies – at Charlotte on April 7
Daytona Cubs – April 7 at Brevard County
Peoria Chiefs – April 7 against Cedar Rapids at home

I’m also going to be making a couple of trips to Chicago and I already have my Cubs tickets. I’m hoping to make it to around 15 games this year whether it’s the major or minor leagues.

The Cubs and the Tennessee Smokies agreed to a two year extension of their player development agreement so that makes the Southern League team a Cubs affiliate through the 2014 season.  The Smokies have been the Cubs affiliate since 2007 and the team has won back to back division titles so the Cubs have had some success at the Double-A level.

Since becoming the Smokies, the Tennessee has had four affiliates but most of them didn’t last too long since the Cubs rolled into town.  It’s nice to see some consistency and I’ve always wondered if shuffling minor league affiliates has had any kind of impact on the team as a whole.

Baseball America put out their list of the Cubs top ten prospects although keep in mind a lot of this is going to change with all of the Matt Garza rumors I keep hearing.  Topping the list is Chris Archer (one of the guys rumored to be leaving for Garza).  Archer has a projected arrival date of mid-year 2011 so if he’s not dealt, we’ll see him in a Cubs uniform sometime this year.  For now, he’ll pitch at Triple-A after having 13 very solid starts Double-A last year.

Brett Jackson comes in at number two and he’s knocking on the door as well.  He split time between Daytona and the Smokies and he had solid numbers at both spots.  This year he’ll be roaming the outfield for Iowa but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in a Cubs uniform this year as well.

Number three is Trey McNutt.  He was 10-0 between Low-A and High-A before he struggled in a short stint with the Smokies where he’ll likely return to start the 2011 season.  This guy is a hard thrower who misses a lot of bats and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do at the big league level.

Hak-Ju Lee (shortstop, good season at Low-A as a 19 year old) and Josh Vitters rounds out the top five.  The list isn’t too much different then Goldsteins, just the order within the top five is a little different.

Kevin Goldstein’s list of the Cubs top eleven prospects hit the website yesterday.  There’s no five star, but they do have three four star prospects which is nice.  Topping the list is Brett Jackson who’s probably close to making his debut after half of a season at Double A.  Goldstein thinks if Jackson has a strong spring, he could start the season with Iowa to open the gate.  From there, he’s just an injury or a strong start away from playing for the Cubs.

Pitcher Trey McNutt comes in at number two.  He’s probably a year away but he jumped two levels and should start at Double-A, which is where he ended 2010.  This kid can throw hard but Goldstein talked about how his secondary pitches are a work in progress.

Chris Archer is number three.  Like Jackson, Archer is knocking on the door after a strong season High A.    Goldstein even thinks he could skip Double-A and could be a September call up.

After that, things thin out.  Josh Vitters (who seems like he’s been around forever) and Hak-Ju Lee round out the top five.  His final comments touch on how the Cubs have a lot of nice pieces, but no big stars.

Jeff Samardzija fell to 1-1 since joining the Iowa Cubs as the squad lost to Sacramento 5-3.  He gave up four runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings.

The offense was held in check and Iowa picked up just seven hits by seven different players.  Jason DuBois doubled, drew a walk and drove in a run while Richie Robnett tripled, drove in one and scored.

The rain has come and gone and hopefully it’ll hold off for my nephew’s little league game tomorrow.  He was pretty happy that I picked him up a Nokona glove for Christmas.  I got a nice deal on it at Baseball Rampage and I bought the same time I picked up my Demarini baseball bat.

The Smokies lost game one of their championship series to Huntsville 8-7.  Mitch Atkins gave up five runs in 3 2/3 innings but he didn’t even take the loss because of all the offense.  That loss went to Jesse Estrada, who gave up two unearned runs in just 2/3 of an inning.

Casey McGehee went two for five with a three run homer to give the Smokies a boost.  Tyler Colvin doubled twice, drove in a run and scored once.

The Smokies had a chance to eliminate Huntsville and move on to the Southern League championship but because their hitters couldn’t get on track, they’ll now face a do or die situation tomorrow.  The Smokies were held to just three hits and Eric Patterson was the only hitter to reach base twice with a double and a walk.

Donald Veal took the loss with a rough start.  He gave up three runs on five hits and five walks with three strikeouts in four innings.

Just a day after being no-hit, the Smokies bounced back and ran up the score on Huntsville to take a 2-1 lead in their best of five game series.  Eric Patterson led the way at the plate and he went three for four with a homerun, four RBIs and two runs.  Issmael Salas also had a big game and he went three for five with a triple, a homerun, two RBIs and two runs.

Jeff Samardzija didn’t bring his best stuff and he gave up five runs in six innings.  To his credit, only two of those runs were earned but he gave up nine hits including a homerun.  Matthew Avery picked up the win with an inning of shutout relief.

The Smokies managed just three walks without a single hit as they were complete shutdown by three Huntsville pitchers.  Tyler Colvin reached base twice and he drew two of those three walks.

Justin Berg took the loss in a rough start.  He gave up five runs (just two earned) on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts in six innings.