It was on this day in 1865 that Union soldiers landed in Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that all slaves were free.

That was two months AFTER the end of the Civil War and TWO YEARS after the Emancipation Proclamation. To say that change comes slowly for African Americans is more than just an understatement.

Then again, Texas has always been a century or two behind.

The 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, was ratified in December of 1865. Three years later, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection of the laws to former slaves.

In 1870, the 15th Amendment guaranteed African American men the right to vote. Women of all colors had to wait another 49 years to vote. As it turns out, White men don’t like sharing.

Progress for both women and Blacks has been slow and grinding, but expansion of rights and freedoms has always marked the upward trajectory of mankind.

It took another 100 years though, until Congress actually did something to protect Black Americans, who were often kept from voting by any means possible, from poll taxes to written exams and pure intimidation.

It was the process of intimidating Black voters through terror campaigns; torture, fire bombings and lynchings that gave rise to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK, as in TucKKKer Carlson).

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 made most forms of voter suppression illegal, but even that protection was gutted in 2013 by the Right wing of the Supreme Court under the cover of very contrived jurisdictional issues and the improbable argument that racism in America was over.

Which brings us to Juneteenth 2022.

Last year, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law, making it a federal holiday. As you might guess, some states have been more than just a little reluctant to join the celebration.

Since that time, most states run by Republican legislatures have passed bills restricting voting rights and prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory, a term not one of them could define.

Critical race theory looks at the way our attitudes towards Black people are woven into the very fabric of Americana, from our workplace to health care, education and our judicial system. It’s an attitude that goes back to the arrival of slaves in the Virginia Territory in 1619.

Like anti-Semitism, it’s an attitude ingrained in a culture feeling both fear of and superiority to the others.

In December of 1960, 6-year old Ruby Bridges began first grade at all-White William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Escorted by federal marshals, she faced a daily barrage of rocks, taunts and threats.

Ruby Bridges didn’t just survive, she thrived. She went on to become a civil rights activist and won a Jane Addams Children’s Book Award.

The people pushing back against CRT have no idea what it means. They just don’t want their children to know that their mothers and grandmothers were the ones throwing rocks at Ruby Bridges.

If Ruby Bridges could endure all that and go on to success, those little White snowflakes can certainly survive learning the history of our nation.

In 2019, New York Times Magazine commemorated the 400-year anniversary of the arrival of the first slaves in the American colonies with a study of slavery in America called the 1619 project.

It seemed like a reasonable endeavor, except to the anti-science, anti-history, anti-education, anti-books, anti-everything crowd.

The pushback was immediate and everyone with a Confederate flag on his truck was suddenly wearing a 1776 hat, much the same way they rebuffed the Black Lives Matter movement with the All Lives Matter euphemism.

We can have statues of Robert E. Lee in all our public spaces, but when it comes to America’s Indigenous People and the Black men, women and children that were brought here in chains and sold like bales of cotton, we refuse to pull back the curtain.

All this begs the question; What, exactly are we celebrating on June 19th?

Juneteenth is a reminder that White America has to be dragged kicking and screaming into any recognition of Black America’s right to exist, to enjoy the rights and freedoms taken for granted by the rest of us.

Juneteenth is a symbol of White America’s resistance to sharing this land that they claim is God’s gift to us all. The fact that it is now a federal holiday offers small comfort amidst a raging blaze of pushback.

Anyway, enjoy the day. Let’s see if we can make it to July 4th.

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Kevin Alcántara (Photo by Stephanie Lynn)

MLB

AAA

Omaha 9, Iowa 3

Game Recap

The I-Cubs were facing off against a potential future Hall of Famer on rehab assignment (Zach Greinke).

Jared Young had a big day at the plate (and it bears pointing out again that the Cubs are now giving him reps at 3B, presumably in an attempt to increase his versatility as a potential bench bat). Hitting a very long home run off Grienke is an accomplishment in itself.

Deep fly for JY! pic.twitter.com/pEJ3QBV6tz

June 19, 2022

The second time may just be the charm for David Bote as well. He looked good at the plate for the second straight game as he restarts his rehab. Fingers crossed, but Chicago may just have some reinforcements available soon.

It wasn’t a good day to be a Cubs pitcher though. Starter Robert Gsellman was knocked out of the game after giving up four runs in the 3rd, and then each of the three relievers allowed the Storm Chasers to score as well.

Top Performers

Jared Young: 2-3, HR (11), 2 R, 2 RBI, BB (.261)David Bote: 2-4, RBI (.216)Darius Hill: 1-3, 2B, R, BB, CS (1) (.396)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

It’s been a rough season thus far for Brendon Little. He missed April with an injury, then did manage to post a 0.00 ERA over 9.2 IP in May despite a very high walk rate, but things have taken a turn for the worse in June. He’s now given up a run in all six of his appearances this month (12.38 ERA) as opposing teams have now begun to get some hits against him in addition to the walks. The stuff still looks good and he’s missing some bats, but the command and control have got to improve if he hopes to make a run at a 40-man spot during the 2nd half of the season.

AA

Pensacola 5, Tennessee 3

Game Recap

The top of the order did its job as Yonathan Perlaza, Jake Slaughter, and Matt Mervis combined to reach base seven times and hit all four of the Smokies extra base hits. The rest of the lineup couldn’t hold up their end through, and the 5 run hole that Riley Thompson (0.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, BB, 0 K) dug the team in the 1st inning proved too much to overcome.

It was Thompson’s first start since returning from a month on the Developmental List, and the results couldn’t have been worse. There wasn’t a good camera for the game, so I can’t comment on how, why, or if concern is warranted, so for now I’m just going to chalk it up to a bad day implementing whatever changes they made while working with him these past few weeks. Chris Clarke did have a great piggyback outing. He was forced to enter in the 1st, and proceeded to strike out eight while putting up zeroes on the scoreboard over the next 5.2 innings to give his team a chance.

Top Performers

Jake Slaughter: 1-2, HR (6), 2 R, RBI, 2 HBP (.367)Yonathan Perlaza: 2-4, 2B, 3B, R (.235)Matt Mervis: 1-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB (.303)Chris Clarke: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K (4.86)

High-A

Quad Cities 6, South Bend 1

Game Recap

I’ll take a solid outing from Kohl Franklin at this point. It at least gives him a bit of momentum to build upon in his next time out. He allowed just one hit and one run through three innings yesterday, exiting with his team tied 1-1.

There just wasn’t much offense for the Cubs in this one. They’ve recently lost much of their power production to promotion, and are currently forced to rely on stringing together singles and walks to score most of their runs. That’s a tall order, and the results have been inconsistent, as you would expect.

Top Performers

Kohl Franklin: 3 IP, H, R, 2 BB, 2 K (10.13)Jake Washer: 1-3, 2B, BB (.298)Yohendrick Piñango: 1-4, 2B (.260)Luis Verdugo: 1-3 (.226)

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 6, Fredericksburg 2

Game Recap

For the second time this week Kevin Alcántara came up just short of hitting for the cycle. Well, he actually did better than hitting for the cycle earlier this week as he hit a second homer in lieu of a double, but this time around he did come up one hit short (a triple) of completing the cycle.

There are still the occasional rough games mixed in, as you would expect from a 19-year old in Low-A, but the big games outnumber the bad ones, and even when he’s just okay he tends to do something to help contribute to Myrtle Beach’s frequent victories.

Standing 6’6″ with long arms, he is a hitter who would be naturally susceptible to having a long swing, and it will be an ongoing battle with pitchers trying to bust him inside in an effort to prevent him from getting his arms extended. Think of how teams always attacked Kris Bryant, hard inside, and soft away. Alcántara will face the same test.

This isn’t the greatest example since it’s an offspeed pitch, but the swing mechanics are the same for fastballs, and Alcántara shows the same ability against velo.

June 19, 2022

What I’ve love in his progression this season is that he already shows the approach and mechanics necessary to combat that approach by opposing pitchers. Alcántara regularly lets the ball travel deep and takes it the other way. And there are few 19-year olds I’ve seen recently who manage to do so with as much power as him. The other key is the way he has condensed his swing and shown the ability to stay inside the ball and get the bat through the zone on inside pitches. He does so fluidly, and again, with power.

His mechanics may need to change as he fills out his frame, and it’s possible he loses a bit of that fluidity and quick twitch, but it is such a good sign that he already knows how to use his tools at such a young age, and the hope is that someone so capable of adjustments at this stage in their career will be able to continue to do so as he ages.

Will be interesting to watch Alcántara develop physically. I know PCA odds on favorite to be in CF but no prospect is sure thing. Need to develop other options. Alcántara might just maintain his athleticism as he fills out. If he does he becomes a unicorn as CF capable of 30+ HR. https://t.co/44EYGI0O0D

June 18, 2022

Alcántara wasn’t the only story in this one. Sparkplug second baseman Juan Mora had himself another good game, with three hits, including his fourth homer. Tyler Schlaffer scuffled a bit in April when he would end up giving up a homer that would ruin an otherwise solid outing, then struggled a bit with his command in May. He’s settling in so far in June though. He did have one clunker, but even including that he’s posted a 3.79 ERA and 12-to-1 K-to-BB ratio over 19 IP.

We call him Juan Baseball for a reason.

Mora touches all the bases with an inside-the-park home run! pic.twitter.com/Tgzg4oxXab

June 19, 2022

Top Performers

Kevin Alcántara: 3-4, 2B, HR (10), 2 R, 2 RBI (.286)Juan Mora: 3-5, HR (4), 2 R, 2 RBI (.279)Ezequiel Pagan: 1-3, 3B, 2 RBI, HBP (.273)Tyler Schlaffer: 5 IP, 4 H, R, BB, 6 K (4.65)Jose Miguel Gonzalez: 2.2 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 4 K (6-0, 3.76)Adam Laskey: 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K (S, 4, 0.00)

ACL

Cubs 6, Athletics 2

DSL

Cubs Red 9, Cubs Blue 1

It was June 1982. My father had died less than two months earlier, at the tender age of fifty-seven. My thirtieth birthday was on the eleventh of the month. I was having dinner that night with my mother and my youngest brother. There wasn’t much of a celebration. We were sad over someone who should have been there with us.

A week later was Father’s Day. It was the first without my dad. I can’t remember what we did that day. I only know it was painful because of my family’s loss.

That’s how I continued to celebrate Father’s Day for the rest of the decade. Throughout the rest of the 1980s, the third Sunday in June was just another day.

That changed early in the following decade. My oldest daughter was born in September of 1990. Her sister followed less than two years later. While it took them some time to understand the day’s meaning, their arrival gave me a reason to celebrate the day once again.

It’s now been more than thirty years since I started celebrating Father’s Day as a father. Almost two years ago my youngest made me a grandfather. Another great reason to celebrate. Grandfathers get to celebrate Father’s Day, right? DAMN, RIGHT!!! Plus, there’s another one on the way this fall.

When I look at everything I have just written, my thoughts are how did I get so lucky? How is it I’m so blessed? What a difference life is compared to that June day in 1982.

So, while I’ll spend some time today remembering and missing my own father, the focus will be on my current life and all the good things that are here…and all the good things to come. There’s room in my heart for both.

Related Post: Happy Father’s Day to my daughters

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Another beer week, another batch of trivia at your favorite brewers. We do have a new release from Seipp’s Brewing, and things may soon ramp up for the weekend before Independence Day.

Wednesday, June 22

Thursday, June 23

Dearest daughter,

SAGE will let you know when she needs to go OUT – she does a little dance, prances around and her tail thumps against the wall as if a drummer is banging on a bass drum. 

Usually, right after she gets up, she’ll walk to you so you that she knows you’ve noticed her, and then she does her little dance/drum solo.  She loves to have someone pet her right after she gets up.  She suffers from anxiety issues and wants to know that whoever she’s staying with, loves her. 

If she doesn’t come in when you call her, that’s okay, let her stay out for a few more minutes – even in the heat.  But if she doesn’t come in on the 2nd call, put her leash on her and she’ll follow you in – she’s SO SWEET – she never resists and is never aggressive. 

You can give her a handful of the kibble I brought to be served in the morning when she gets up.  And sometimes she sleeps in till 9:30.   

She gets fed dinner at 5:00 PM – I make them chicken, baked potatoes, rice & kibble, but there is no problem with a can of dog food and a handful of kibbles – which I brought to you.  You’ll find treats also in the bag along with her bowl.  I always give her a treat when she comes in from the outside.  AND if you feed your pups – KEEP THEIR FOOD SAFE FROM SAGE.  SAGE will eat EVERYTHING & ANYTHING. 

And I usually give her a treat in the afternoon…. but don’t worry about that. 

Let her out at night just before everyone goes to bed – (I brought her bed). 

Her VET is KIM XXXXXXX at 21 S. Park Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL – 630-469-7400

SAGE loves to be around people and dogs – so – I’m hoping she will GO DO GOOD with your dogs: Ellie, Cocoa, and Peanut. 

Thanks for watching SAGE – love dad

How can I just focus on my next best step? I struggle to think of each decision versus wanting to focus only on the future. I have this idea in my head of what I want my life to look like and where I would like my path to go. So much so though, that I can get stuck in indecision worrying about making the right or even the wrong decisions. I can see, and even set, those big picture goals, but I know that sometimes life surprises me with something even better than I planned. I love the Frozen 2 song, “The Next Right Thing.” “Take a step, step again. It is all that I can do,” the song sings. I know in my head that courage is taking those steps in spite of, not in the absence of fear, but knowing and believing are two different things. I do like where my life is headed, and maybe that is why I worry about making a mistake since I also know what it feels like to be lost in your own life and unsure of how to make things right. I ask for God, Spirit, and Universe to guide me towards choices and actions that reflect my highest and best self. It is a journey, that’s for sure. I constantly remind myself to enjoy the ride, not only the destination, but it is hard. I read a quote by Henry Ford who stated, “Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.” Life feels like it goes by so quickly, but really it is one day to live, one choice to make, that one step at a time. When I am struggling and feeling unsure, how can I remind myself that everything gets done one step at a time?

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All through my day, no matter where I go, or what I do, I am always looking for the good in people, in the world, in my life or even just in my day.

Follow me on Twitter Susan on Twitter

And read more positive thoughts Looking For The Good

Javier Assad (Photo by Stephanie Lynn

MLB

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Alfonso Rivas was a late scratch from the Iowa lineup last night, presumably because he is on his way to Chicago to replace Frank Schwindel. Schwindel’s back tighten up on him and was forced to leave yesterday’s game.

Caleb Kilian told me his cutter & slider are currently one pitch/same grip, just takes a little off vs righties, “I can manipulate it.” #Cubs

As to whether he wants a DISTINCT slider with more sweep: “Eventually, yes. I’m working on that right now… it’s a work in progress.” pic.twitter.com/9kFMlP9bB4

June 17, 2022

AAA

Iowa 5, Omaha 3

Game Recap

Matt Dermody has been the closest thing to a constant in the Iowa rotation throughout the season. Every other starter has either been riding the shuttle up to Chicago, on rehab assignment, promoted from Tennessee, DFA, released, or… you get it. But the Iowa native has either been in the rotation or performing as a piggyback for other starters all season.

He had a strong April (3.18), but his performance slipped in May (5.57), and then further over his first couple of appearances in June (9 R in just 4 IP). Last night though, he put together his best game of the season. The big lefty held Omaha scoreless over four one-hit innings, tying a season high with six K.

Dermody was followed by three relievers who each allowed one run, but Erich Uelmen slammed the door in the 9th to earn his fourth save. Uelmen has been one of the more pleasant surprises in Iowa this season.

Made Vinnie Pasquantino (who is very good) look very bad. pic.twitter.com/S2riscsPlK

June 18, 2022

There wasn’t much offense (just five hits), but it was enough. Nelson Maldonado homered for the second consecutive day. He appears to be finding his footing in AAA of late. Darius Hill has required no transition period since being promoted from Tennessee. He had himself yet another multi-hit game to raise his average to a cool .400.

He’s heating up! For the second straight game, Nelson Maldonado clubbed a solo shot and he is your @EMCInsurance Player of the Game. pic.twitter.com/fG1jM7D8M6

June 18, 2022

The biggest hit though, was provided by David Bote. He resumed his rehab yesterday after having to cut short his previous attempt a couple weeks back due to dizziness. His two-run double was key in a big four-run 3rd which broke the game open.

Welcome back, David Bote! pic.twitter.com/bj3whgsXeg

June 18, 2022

Top Performers

Matt Dermody: 4 IP, H, 0 R, 3 BB, 6 K (5.48)Wyatt Short: 2.1 IP, H, R, BB, 0 K (W, 1-0, 4.20)Conner Menez: 1.1 IP, H, R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K (2.14)Erich Uelmen: 1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K (S, 4, 1.91)Nelson Maldonado: 1-3, HR (3), R, RBI (.239)David Bote: 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI (.191)Darius Hill: 2-4 (.400)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

A few years ago, if you would have asked me to place odds on which of the Cubs farmhands would eventually fill the low-arm angle reliever slot in Chicago, Dakota Mekkes would have been the heavy favorite, with Erich Uelmen a strong runner-up. But Mekkes never progressed his command beyond borderline as he stalled out in Des Moines (and was recently placed on the Developmental List presumably in another effort to get him over the hump), and then of course Scott Effross ended up converting from a traditional arm slot to his current form and immediately took off and leap frogged all other options relatively quickly.

Meanwhile, Uelmen made a steady progression through the Cubs system as a starter, before making the inevitable conversion to relief midway through the 2021 season. He struggled badly in his first shot with Iowa in the 2nd half, and I’ll admit to having lost quite a bit of interest in tracking his progress, especially as Effross immediately excelled in Chicago. But Uelmen has responded this season. His time as a starter helped him hone and trust his changeup and breaking ball, and his first offseason/spring training as a full-time reliever no doubt helped him focus on how best to attack hitters without worrying about saving anything for the next time through the order.

His stuff looks crisp and he’s been very difficult to hit all season. Like Dermody in the rotation, Uelmen has pretty much been the one constant in the Iowa pen, but unlike Dermody, Uelmen has excelled pretty much from Opening Day. He’s even controlled LHB more so than RHB, always a concern when it comes to guys throwing from a lower arm slot). If there is one thing still holding him back it is control. Not dissimilar to Mekkes, Uelmen is issuing too many free passes (33 IP, 20 H, 12 R, 7 ER, 19 BB, 2 HBP, 38 K, 1.91 ERA). If he can make that final adjustment to control the strike zone the 26-year old former 4th round pick could make the leap onto the 40-man roster.

AA

Pensacola 3, Tennessee 1

Game Recap

What a difference a year makes. Javier Assad appeared to be on the way to stalling out in the Cubs system in 2021, with a conversion to middle relief a strong possibility, but he’s been a whole new pitcher in 2022. Assad moved quickly through the system prior to the pandemic but was always bit on the periphery of true prospect status. He’s always shown pretty good command and a knack for getting the most out of his stuff, it just always appeared like the stuff was going to come up a bit short in the end.

Thanks to a nasty new cutter though, he has increased his K rate from below average to above average, cut his ERA from 5.32 in 2021 to 2.64 in 2022, and he has re-established himself as a legit starting pitcher prospect.

Assad left after punching out nine over six innings of work, with the game tied 1-1. He did have a couple recent outings with unusual control issues, but he obviously righted the ship in this one. It was also his 32nd and hopefully final start with Tennessee over the past two seasons. I really don’t see anything else he needs to do to earn a promotion to Iowa, especially since it appears Caleb Kilian will be in Chicago for a while and the I-Cubs need some rotation help.

The offense and bullpen would come up short in the late innings, but it was still a successful game when it comes to prospect development. The Smokies lone run came on a homer by Alexander Canario. It wasn’t a smooth transition to AA, but he’s been starting to heat up a bit, and I look for a potential 2nd half power breakout from him. He’s already hit 15 home runs this season to nearly match his previous career high already, and I think he spends the rest of the season in Tennessee even if he busts out, but there is a good chance Canario could finish the year with 35+ home runs if he gets hot.

With Seiya Suzuki signed in Chicago long term, Christopher Morel already making his case to stay, Nelson Velázquez likely to get his shot after the trade deadline, and Brennen Davis set to return from injury next season, it is difficult to envision where Alexander Canario fits in the grand scheme of things. Especially since another RH power hitting OF, Kevin Alcántara, appears like he could be a fast riser behind Canario as well. But that doesn’t mean the 22-year old can’t hit his way into their plans.

Top Performers

Javier Assad: 6 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 9 K (2.64)Alexander Canario: 2-4, HR (8), R, RBI (.224)Jake Slaughter: 3-4, 2B (.362)Yonathan Perlaza: 1-3, 2B (.230)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Everyone has a bad day sometimes. Matt Mervis has been on fire all season, and never skipped a beat when he was promoted to Tennessee, but he wore the Golden Sombrero yesterday.

High-A

South Bend 14, Quad Cities 7

Game Recap

South Bend put up 14 runs on the board despite only 10 hits, just two doubles, and no home runs. They did draw eight walks, but still… that’s some crazy sequencing, even if the free passes did cluster inside a couple of big innings. I mean, Jordan Nwogu drove in three runs without getting a hit.

The guy who deliver most of the big hits was Fabian Pertuz, who is getting fairly regular reps at SS since Ed Howard went down, giving him an unexpected opportunity to make a big impression this season. He got off to a hot start in April, but has been kind of up-and-down since. He went 3-for-4 and drove in four runs in this one though. There is some decent bat speed and pop in his bat, but his upside is likely as a bench player, so proving he can handle shortstop is important.

Jordan Wicks earned his first career win (he’s basically been on pretty strict pitch limits since turning pro, often preventing him from the chance to even throw 5 innings and qualify for a win). He got to throw 80 pitches yesterday and posted one of his best stat lines of the season with 6 K and no walks. The Cubs have made fairly significant changes to his pitch mix and breaking ball grip and I get the sense the first half of this season was all about easing him into things and letting him get comfortable with the new pitches and approach. I also get the sense that the Cubs are about to lengthen the leash from here on out. This might be the start of the breakout.

Top Performers

Jordan Wicks: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K (W, 1-3, 4.32)Fabian Pertuz: 3-4, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 SB (3, 4) (.241)Yeison Santana: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB (.319)Caleb Knight: 2-4, 2 R, RBI, HBP (.258)Jake Washer: 2-5, 2B, 2 R (.297)Jordan Nwogu: 0-2, 3 RBI, SF, 2 BB, HBP, SB (6) (.250)B.J. Murray, Jr.: 0-2, R, 2 RBI, SF, 3 BB (.111)Pablo Aliendo: 1-4, 3 R, RBI, HBP (.213)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Michael McAvene made his 2022 debut. He walked a couple of guys. There was no CF camera yesterday so hard to say how he looked.

Low-A

Myrtle Beach 3, Fredericksburg 0

Game Recap

The offense gets most of the attention on a dominant Myrtle Beach team, especially since the lineup has been populated by so many of the orgs top prospects, but the Pelicans pitching has been just as big of a factor in contributing to their success. You don’t achieve the best record in Minor League Baseball without getting good pitching.

I’ve talked before about how the Pelicans have a lot of interesting arms but really really haven’t had a top pitching on their staff this year. Luke Little probably gets the most attention because he’s a huge lefty who throws upper-90s, but he most likely ends up a reliever due to his control. Richard Gallardo was given a high IFA signing bonus, definitely gets the most out of his stuff, and has consistently put up solid numbers, but the stuff is pretty much just solid-average across the board and it is difficult to project future leaps given he appears to have already filled out his frame (but if there is a future Javier Assad-like late leap in the org, Gallardo is a good bet). Porter Hodge remade his body and is throwing very well this year. The arrow is certainly pointing up with him, but his ceiling is likely as a BOR starter. Tyler Schlaffer falls into a similar category.

Luis Devers might be the one guy who emerges above all of the Pelicans starters though. He throws strikes, knows how to change speeds, and his offspeed stuff is pretty good (and most importantly he has a feel for commanding all of it). He doesn’t blow you away on the radar gun (mostly low-90s, touching mid-90s), but there’s movement, and of all the guys from this rotation he’s the one with the most room remaining for physical development so there may be more velo to come.

I’m still unsure when it comes to his mechanics. He short strides and falls on a stiff front leg before sort of slinging the ball. It is unusual, could be preventing him from throwing a little harder, and could lead to injury or control issues. But it could be one of those things that creates enough deception and timing issues for hitters that it is worth keeping. If he was showing a lack of command I’d be more inclined to mess with him, but that isn’t the case. He’s excelling right now, and if he can naturally gain some strength while maintaining health and command, the Cubs could end up with something here.

Here are all of Luis Devers’ swings-and-misses tonight. The changeup, y’all. It’s legit. pic.twitter.com/IB29Z0920h

June 18, 2022

Last night was his finest pro performance and it lowered his ERA below 2.00. His changeup in particular was pretty nasty. Gallardo might be first in line for a mid-season promotion given he spent all of last year in Myrtle Beach, but Devers is making the case to jump him, or at the very least join him soon after.

Top Performers

Luis Devers: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K (W, 8-3, 1.95)Aldfredo Zarraga: IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K (S, 2, 2.25)Josue Huma: 1-2, HR (1), 2 R, RBI (.250)Juan Mora: 1-3, 2B, R (.267)Ezequiel Pagan: 1-3, 2 RBI (.272)Felix Stevens: 1-2, BB (.230)

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

Crossing my fingers it is just a sprain, or something that can be cleaned up arthroscopically.

June 17, 2022

ACL

Reds 5, Cubs 4

DSL

Cubs Blue 3, Cubs Red 0