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.

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 Smokies may have lost 5-4 but Josh Kroeger got it done at the plate.  He went four for five with a homerun and three RBIs.  Gary Cates went three for four with an RBI.

Geoffrey Jones took the loss when he gave up a run in the ninth.  The run was unearned and he struck out two.

Mark Holliman improved to an impressive 3-0 record with a solid start over Carolina.  He gave up just two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings.

Christopher Walker was the hitting star.  He went two for four with a double, two RBIs and a run.  Jorge Cortes singled and drove in two runs in the 4-2 win.

Sean Gallagher had a tough start and he took the loss in the Smokies 13-4 loss, but the pen was even worse.  Gallagher gave up three runs in two innings and then two relievers gave up five runs a piece in a pretty poor pitching performance all the way around.

Christopher Walker had a nice game at the plate.  He went two for five with two RBIs.  Issmael Salas went two for five with a double and two runs.

Justin Berg was knocked around for ten runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks in just one inning in a 16-7 beatdown at the hands of Mobile.  Tim Layden was also hit hard and he gave up five runs (two earned) on five hits in two innings.  The four errors by the Smokies didn’t help things but this was an ugly game all the way around.

Jacob Fox was the hitting star in the game.  He went two for five with a three run homer.  Gary Cates also went yard with a two run shot.

The Smokies got their share of hits but they could only push one across the plate as they lost to Mobile 6-1.  They outhit Mobile 13-9 but they didn’t pick up a single walk and they stranded ten runners in the game. Josh Kroeger was a perfect four for four and the only run came on a solo homerun by Jemel Spearman.

Donald Veal took the loss and he dropped to 0-4 on the season.  He gave up six runs on six hits and five walks with five strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

Paul Schappert dropped to 1-1 this season with a tough start against Mobile. He gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks with one strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.

Jacob Fox went four for five with a run and an RBI in the 8-5 loss.  Jorge Cortes was a perfect five for five and Sam Fuld went three for four with two runs.

Mark Holliman threw a gem as the Smokies beat Mobile 3-0.  He gave up eight hits with six strikeouts in eight shutout innings.

Issmael Salas hit a solo homerun to account for one of the three Smokies runs.  Jemel Spearman went two for three with a run and an RBI.

Kevin Hart improved to 2-1 with his best outing of the year.  He gave up just four hits and two walks with four strikeouts in seven shutout innings.  He’s gotten progressively better in each of his last three starts and hopefully this is a breakthrough outing for the right hander.

Christopher Walker was the hitting star with three hits including a three run homer.  Josh Kroeger and Gary Cates each finished with two hits and an RBI.

Justin Berg had an impressive start today in the Smokies 5-1 win over the Lookouts.  He gave up seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Jacob Fox went two for three with two RBIs and a run.  Christopher Walker went two for five with a double and two runs.

Donald Veal’s had a tough time this year and he’s dropped to 0-3 with another rough start.  He gave up four runs on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts in just 4 1/3 innings and he’s given up at least three runs in each of his first three starts while not even making it into the fifth inning in any of them.  This isn’t good news for a guy who was listed as high as number two on Cubs prospect lists.

Josh Kroeger provided most of the offense in the 7-5 loss.  He homered and drove in two runs.

Sean Gallagher had a nice start today in the Smokies 5-2 win over the Lookouts.  He gave up just two runs on five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.

Matt Craig went two for four with a double and two RBIs.  Christopher Walker finished the game with two hits and two runs along with two stolen bases.

Chris Robinson led the way for the Smokies at the plate with a big two run homer in their 6-5 win.  Brian Dopirak also went yard with a solo shot and Matt Craig finished with three hits.

Mark Holliman had a very nice start.  He gave up just a single run on three hits and two hits with three strikeouts in seven innings.

Christopher Walker led a seven run fourth inning with a big three run homer in the Smokies 7-2 win over the Lookouts.  He was also the only Smokie to finish with two hits in the game.

Kevin Hart picked up the win with five solid frames.  He gave up two runs on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Seven different Smokies had two hits a piece in a team effort 7-5 win over Huntsville.  Jorge Cortes went two for three with two walks, two RBIs and a run while Issmael Salas went two for three with a double and two runs.

Justin Berg was roughed up in his start but the bats and the pen picked him up.  He gave up five runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.  Carmen Pignatiello threw two shutout innings with two strikeouts and he picked up the win.

Sean Gallagher was hit hard in the Smokies 5-2 loss to Huntsville today.  He gave up four runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in five innings of work.

Jemel Spearman was the hitting star.  He doubled in a run in his only at bat as a pinch hitter and he later scored as well.

The Smokies were held to just four hits in a 1-0 loss to the Jacksonville Suns.  Chris Robinson had the only extra base hit of the game with a double.

A great start by Mark Holliman went to waste.  He gave up four hits in six shutout innings in which he walked one and struck out seven.

The Smokies might have lost 8-2, but Matt Craig got it done at the plate.  He was a perfect two for two with a solo homerun and two walks.  Issmael Salas also hit a homerun in the loss.

Kevin Hart had a rough start and he took the loss.  He gave up five runs on four hits and a walk with a strikeout in five innings of work.

Jacob Fox had a huge game for the Smokies in their 10-6 win.  He went four for five with two homeruns, two doubles, five RBIs and four runs.  Josh Kroeger was also effective at the plate with three hits, a run and an RBI.

Justin Berg was bounced after just one inning in his start.  He gave up four runs on two hits and three walks with a strikeout.  Paul Schappert picked up the win in relief.  He gave up two runs on four hits in four innings of work.

The Smokies couldn’t put a single run across the plate despite getting seven hits.  Brian Dopirak had three of those hits and Joseph Simokaitis had two hits and the only extra base hit for the Smokies (a double).

Donald Veal was roughed up in his start.  He gave up five runs on six hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.

The Daytona Cubs hammered Brevard County in their season opener.  They scored six of their eight runs in the final three frames with Matt Matulia leading the way.  He went two for four with a double and three RBIs.  Nate Spears scored twice and Tyler Colvin had two hits and a run.

Mitch Atkins threw six solid innings in his start.  He gave up two runs on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts in six innings of work.

The Iowa Cubs were blown out in their season debut yesterday.  J.R. Mathes was really hit hard by Round Rock and he was tagged for five runs on four hits and four walks with three strikeouts in four innings of work.  Fedrico Baez had a nice relief appearance though.  He held Round Rock to a single hit with two strikeouts in two innings.

The offense managed just two runs and Felix Pie led the way. He singled twice while Buck Coats singled, drew two walks and scored a run.  He even gunned down a base runner at third base to help out on defense.

Third baseman Matt Craig singled twice, scored and drove in two in the Smokies 3-1 win over Jacksonville.  Brian Dopirak also singled twice while Gary Cates doubled and drove in a run.

Sean Gallagher picked up the win with 5 2/3 solid innings.  He gave up just four hits and a walk with five strikeouts.