Cubs Den
Daily Cubs Minors Recap: Kilian leads Smokies to dramatic victory; Keep an eye on Luis Vazquez; Pelicans pen shines; Another homer for Stevens
Luis Vazquez (photo by Jared Ravich at MiLB.com)
AAA
Game Recap
St. Paul jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the 1st off opener Dillon Maples (0.1 IP, 3 R, 3 BB) and temporary fill-in Blake Whitney (2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 2 K) and the Saints never looked back.
Not many bright spots tonight for the @IowaCubs, but RHP Ethan Roberts spinning two perfect innings and striking out Byron Buxton on three pitches certainly counts as one.
Very impressive since being promoted from @smokiesbaseball a few weeks back.
Top Performers
Ethan Roberts: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K (3.38)Joe Biagini: 3 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 3 K (5.43)Levi Jordan: 1-4, HR (2), R, 3 RBI (.180)Nick Martini: 1-4, HR (11), R, RBI (.276)Abiatal Avelino: 2-4, R (.273)
AA
Game Recap
Caleb Kilian turned in his best performance since joining the Cubs organization in the Kris Bryant trade. The righty dominated AA before the deal (2.43 ERA in 11 starts), but rain and some unusual command issues marred his first couple of starts in a Smokies uniform. There were no such problems last night:
Caleb Kilian’s pitching line for @smokiesbaseball:
• 5 IP
• 5 K
• 3 H
• 1 R
Kilian, acquired from San Francisco, is @LanceBroz‘ No. 16 Cubs prospect. pic.twitter.com/qbUxnxiUfb
Still, the game was on the line in the 9th, but some head’s up defense by pitcher Garrett Kelly and shortstop Andy Weber secured the victory:
What a finish, Smokies win!@smokiesbaseball pic.twitter.com/Dz2WMdldNH
Top Performers
Caleb Kilian: 5 IP, 3 H, R, 0 BB, 5 K (W, 1-2, 4.02)Garrett Kelly: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K (S, 1, 5.63)Andy Weber: 2-3, 2B, R, BB (.211)Nelson Maldonado: 2-4, 2B, R, RBI (.303)Nelson Velazquez: 2-4, 2B, RBI (.327)Brennen Davis: 1-3, BB (.280)D.J. Artis: 1-3, R, RBI (.188)
High-A
Quad Cities 12, South Bend 8 (Game 1)
Quad Cities 6, South Bend 5 (Game 2)
Game Recap
South Bend certainly scored enough to come away with a better fate, but the pitching wasn’t great yesterday, and there were a couple of defensive miscues which hurt has well.
Top Performers
Luis Vazquez: 3-6, HR (1), 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, HBP, SB (4) (.367)Yonathan Perlaza: 2-5, 2B, HR (11), 2 R, 4 RBI (.257)Bradlee Beesley: 1-4, HR (4), R, 2 RBI (.242)Bryce Ball: 2-6, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 BB (.191)Alexander Canario: 4-9, 2B, 2 R, 2 RBI (.282)Edmond Americaan: 3-7, 3B, R (.210)Chris Clarke: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 5 K (4.88)
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Alexander Canario (.282/.320/.507) continues to impress with the bat. He also showed off his strong arm a bit, even though he failed to throw anyone out.
Gonna just keep a running thread of Canario using the whole field. pic.twitter.com/n6Ni7RmrRm
Luis Vazquez (.367/.486/.467 in 9 games with South Bend) got off to a hot start at the plate before an injury less than a week into the season sidelined him. He only returned recently, but the slick fielding shortstop hasn’t missed a beat. He has a hit in all 5 games since he returned atop the South Bend lineup. I’ve always been a believer in his long term development. Back at the start of 2018, when the system was weak, I even had him as a top 20 prospect. The glove should remain big league caliber at an important position, and though he was a weak hitter early in his career, I could tell there were bat-to-ball skills. The issue was he hadn’t grown into his 6’1″ frame at the time, so a lot of the contact tended to be weak. Vazquez is now starting to fill out, and the ball is coming off his bat better, though we are talking about a small sample size this year. Still just 21 years old, don’t be surprised if he begins getting more attention in the coming years.
Another guy to keep an eye on is Bradlee Beesley (.242/.317/.419). He’s got speed, and he knows how to put the bat on the ball. He’s not very big, and home run power isn’t going to be important for him, but he’s certainly got enough to threaten pitchers with extra bases.
Good snot, Bradley Beesley got all of this one. Glad to see him back and healthy. pic.twitter.com/HneTfcB1oj
Low-A
Myrtle Beach 5, Fayetteville 3 (Game 1)
Fayetteville 3, Myrtle Beach 1 (Game 2)
Game Recap
An all-around offensive attack and excellent bullpen work (8 IP, H, R, 3 BB, 12 K) by Carlos Ocampo, Dalton Stambaugh, and Gabriel Jaramillo led the Pelicans to victory in Game 1.
In Game 2 the Pelicans pitched okay, but the offense was DOA. Only two players recorded hits (Jordan Nwogu and Yohendrick Pinango) and only one other managed to reach base.
Top Performers
Yohendrick Pinango: 2-2, HR (4), R, RBI, BB (.268)Jonathan Sierra: 1-2, 2B, 2 R, 3 BB (.269)Jordan Nwogu: 2-6, 2B, 2 BB (.245)Ezequiel Pagan: 2-5, 2B, R (.245)Jacob Wetzel: 1-6, 3B, R, 2 RBI, BB (.239)Carlos Ocampo: 3.1 IP, H, R, BB, 6 K (6.02)Dalton Stambaugh: 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K (W, 1-0, 0.00)Gabriel Jaramillo: IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K (S, 3, 1.56)JM Gonzalez: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 K (L, 4-5, 4.55)
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
Casey Optiz, the stud defensive catcher out of Arkansas the Cubs selected in the 8th round, made his Myrtle Beach debut. He went 0-for-2 in Game 2, but also drew a walk. I’m looking forward to seeing how well he can control opposing running games the rest of this season.
He’s cooled down a little as the season has progressed, but it is important to keep in mind Yohendrick Pinango (.268/.317/.369) is still one of the youngest players in Low-A, and though power isn’t expected to be a big part of his game, it is nice to know he possesses it:
Pinango has pull power. His approach goes the opposite way, and his swing leads to a lot of GB/LD, but there have been several times he’s chosen to turn on one and destroy a ball this season. He’s got plenty of time to adjust and learn to tap into this in hitter’s counts. https://t.co/VAqWzJQSnL
ACL
Top Performers
Jonathan Holder: IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, K (0.00)Luis Rodriguez: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, BB, 4 K (W, 1-0, 0.89)Angel Gonzalez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K (11.65)Felix Stevens: 1-2, HR (5), R, RBI, BB (.254)B.J. Murray Jr.: 1-3, 2B, R (.091)Miguel Fabrizio: 1-3, 2B, R (.359)Owen Caissie: 1-2, BB (.340)
Injuries, Updates, and Trends
The Cubs may be getting some veteran help for their somewhat beleaguered bullpen. Jonathan Holder has spent all season on the 60-day IL with a shoulder strain, but he made his 2021 debut in Mesa yesterday. It will likely be a couple of weeks before he could be ready. For instance, I assume they will want to see him throw multiple innings during an outing, as well as a back-to-back (something they didn’t do with Rowan Wick who I feel they rushed back and he was down a couple MPH in his first b2b in Chicago). Holder amassed a career 4.38 ERA in 157 games for the Yankees the past 5 years.
I mentioned this the last time Luis Rodriguez pitched, but all the guy does is record outs. I’ve never heard a positive scouting report on him, and given he is repeating Rookie Ball at 21 and the Cubs haven’t chosen to send him out to Myrtle Beach yet indicates he likely isn’t a long term prospect, but the 6’1″ lefty has now lowered his ERA below 1. This isn’t unfamiliar territory for him. He posted a 0.73 ERA during his 2018 pro debut in the DSL. I wish I had a bit more information on him to share with you.
There are few larger humans (listed at 6’4″ 225 but that might be low) with more raw power in the Cubs system than RF/1B Felix Stevens (.254/.338/.535). He’s shown a concerning amount of swing-and-miss in his profile during his 2019 stint in the DSL and again this year in the ACL, but he’s also tapped into his power during games with 11 homers in 71 career games. His HR yesterday gives him 4 over his last 8 games. A two-way player as an amateur with a strong right arm, he’s converted to a full-time position player as a pro, spending most of his time this year at 1B. He’s played RF in the past, but I think the excess of OF prospects the Cubs have at this level means 1B is his best route to playing time. It also could indicate he’s outgrown the OF.
Congratulations to 15th Round Pick B.J. Murray Jr. on recording his first career hit. Originally from the Bahamas, the switch hitting 3B steadily improved at the plate during his three years at Florida Atlantic. There may still be some untapped potential in him.
DSL
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