SB Nation User Blog: cubbiefan07

Cubs in Winter Ball Updates

cubbiefan07 — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:57:34 -0000

Dominican Winter League
Jake Fox, whom the Cubs traded to Oakland on Thursday, has been played for Licey in the DWL. So far he's hitting .296 in 7 games with 1 HR and 7 RBIs. Fox just joined Licey for the second half of their season.

Starlin Castro, the Cubs top prospect in the organization, has been struggling since joining the DWL. He started his winter playing for Mesa of the Arizona Fall league, but now he's joined Escogido in the Dominican. So far in 8 games he's hitting .182 with 2 RBIs. In the AFL, he tore it up hitting .376 in 26 games.

Nelson Perez, a Class A Cub prospect has been playing with Toros all winter. Perez played with Peoria of the Midwest League during the regular season and hit .251 in 120 games. The outfielder has played in 26 DWL games so far, and has a batting average of .293 with 2 homers and 6 runs batted in. Perez is a left handed batter.

Here are the current Domician League standings:
1. Escogido: 23-15
2. Licey: 22-16, 1 GB
3. Toros: 21-17, 2 GB
4. Aguilas: 18-20, 5 GB
4. Gigantes: 18-20, 5 GB
6. Estrellas: 13-25, 10 GB

Mexican Pacific League
Many Cubs have played for Mexicali all season long. Jeff Samardzija started 5 games to get some work in before returning to Indiana. He had a 2.25 ERA and a record of 2-0.

Jeff Stevens recently joined the Mexicali bullpen. During the 2009 regular season, Stevens pitched in 11 games for the Chicago Cubs along with 42 at AAA, all in relief. He had a record of 1-3 with a 2.03 ERA at AAA Iowa and was 1-0 with a 7.11 ERA with the big league club. So far this winter, his ERA is high once again currently at 5.40 in his 7 games with Mexicali. He is 0-2 and has recorded 2 saves. Stevens came to the Cubs organization last offseason in the trade that sent Mark DeRosa to Cleveland.

Brian Schlitter has pitched in 18 games out of the Mexicali pen. He has a ERA of 3.79 in 18 games. During the regular season, he pitched with Tennessee posting a 4.38 ERA in 59 games. Schlitter came to the Cubs organization in 2008 in the deal that sent Scott Eyre to the Phillies.

Outfielder Matt Camp has been hitting well for Mexicali. He has a batting average of .337 in 47 games with 1 homer and 24 RBIs. During the regular season he hit .283 in 99 games at AAA Iowa and .298 in 14 games at AA. The Cubs are at-risk of losing Camp in the Rule 5 Draft because they chose not to protect him.

Brad Snyder also played for Mexicali. He may not return the Cubs next season because he is a minor league free agent.

Thomas Diamond, a pitcher that the Cubs recently picked up from Texas, is 2-0 with a microscopic ERA of 0.64 in 3 starts for Mexicali since joining their rotation when Samardzija departed.

James Adduci, an outfield prospect, is the lone Cub who has played in the Mexican Pacific League for for a team other than Mexicali. James has appeared in 13 games for Hermosillo. He's hitting .244 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Adduci had a great regular season, hitting .300 in 131 games for Tennessee. Adduci came to the Cubs in a trade with the Marlins for Zach McCormick in September of 2006. He was a Southern League All Star this season.

MPL Current Standings:
1. Hermosillo: 9-4
2. Culiacan: 8-5, 1 GB
2. Navajoa: 8-5, 1 GB
4. Mochis: 7-6, 2 GB
5. Obregon: 6-7, 3 GB
6. Guasave: 5-8, 4 GB
6. Mexicali: 5-8, 4 GB
8. *Mazatlan: 4-9
*first half winner

Venezuelan Winter League
Cub short stop Andres Blanco has been playing infield for Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League for most of the winter. He has an average of .294 with 2 homers and 25 RBIs. In addition, Blanco has 14 steals. In 2009, he played 53 games with the Chicago Cubs and hit .252 with 12 RBI. Blanco will be in the infield mix in Spring Training, vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Robinson Chirinos has been a teammate of Blanco's for Magallanes this winter. He is hitting .333 in 37 games. Chirinos, a catcher, spent most of 2009 in the Florida State League, He hit .300 for Daytona in 69 games.

J.R. Mathes pitched with Caracas earlier this off season. The AAA prospect went 1-2 with an ERA of 5.08 in 6 starts.

First baseman Blake Lalli has joined Caribes for the second half of their season. He is hitting .292 in 7 games so far with a home run and 4 RBIs. Lalli spent all of this past season with the Smokies of AA hitting .314 with 52 RBIs in 118 games. He is a left handed batter who was signed by the cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.

Current VWL standings:
1. Magallanes: 31-16
2. Caracas: 30-16, 0.5 GB
3. Zulia: 26-22, 5.5 GB
4. Margarita: 25-23, 6.5 GB
5. LaGuaira: 23-25, 8.5 GB
6. Lara: 20-28, 11.5 GB
7. Aragua: 19-28, 12 GB
8. Caribes: 16-32, 15.5 GB

The Latest From the Cubs in Winter Ball

cubbiefan07 — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:20:43 -0000

Castro Tearing it Up
Cubs short stop prospect Starling Castro has really opened some eyes in the Arizona Fall League. Posts all over the internet in the past week read headlines like Starlin a Future Star? or Castro looks Sharp in Arizona. The fact of the matter is that Castro has been doing this for some time now. He's hitting .522 with 4 RBIs for the Mesa Solar Sox in 7 games. This season, making the jump from Daytona to Class AA Tennessee proved to be no problem, as he hit .288 in 31 games for the Smokies after hitting .302 in 96 games with the D-Cubs. Next year, on March 24, this kid will turn 20 years old. He's earning himself an invite to Spring Training, and if he produces there we could see him at AAA and even become a part of the Cubs bench in 2010 or 2011.

Castillo the Next Cubs Catcher?
If Geovany Soto has another down season, I don't think the Cubs are going to be as patient with the young backstop this time around. If Geo is not hitting by June or July, Koyie Hill will get most of the catching duties the rest of the season. And if the Cubs decide to in a different direction in 2011, then Welington Castillo could be the answer. Castillo is hitting .455 in just 3 games with Mesa, and already has a home run in just 11 ABs. Welington spent the entire year at AA, and if this guy can get his bat going (hit just .232 in 95 games), we know he can catch at the big league level in the near future.

The Shark in Mexico
Jeff Samardzija was hit hard a little bit in his last outing as he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits. However, none of the runs were earned, so his ERA stays at 1.38 in 3 Games. He is not the lone Cub on Mexicalli, as he is joined by farmhands Brian Schlitter, Matt Camp, and Brad Snyder. Camp has done a lot of lead-off hitting and plays center field. He is hitting .378 with a homer, 7 RBIs, and 6 SB so far in 10 MPL games. Brad Snyder, another outfielder, has been hitting clean up and is batting .297, 2 HR, 7 RBI. He missed a lot of the 2009 season with a wrist injury, but after coming back he hit .278 with 14 HR and 44 RBIs in 69 games at AAA-Iowa.

Mesa Solar Sox
The Mesa Solar Sox team includes farm hands from the Cubs as well as the Angels, Marlins, Twins, and Red Sox this year. They have gotten off to a little bit of a slow start, as they are 3-5, in last place in the AFL East. Phoenix is 6-2 and second place Scottsdale is just ahead of Mesa at 4-4. Besides Castillo and Castro, there are a few other Cubs playing in the AFL:

Josh Vitters: .400 AVG, 5 games, 2 RBIs.
Andrew Cashner: 0-1, 13.50 ERA, 1 Games
John Gaub: 1-0, 9.00 ERA, 2 Games
Blake Parker: 3.60 ERA in 3 Games
James Russell: 0-1, 3.60 ERA in 3 Games
Brian Schlitter: 5.14 ERA, 3 Saves in 7 Games

Blanco Getting Some Work in

Cubs shortstop Andres Blanco has hopes of becoming a everyday player for the Cubs in the near future. He was a key piece to the bench for much of 2009, and could be right back in that role in 2010. If Fontenot, Baker, or Theriot have an injury or struggle, he will find himself getting a lot of playing time. Blanco is in Venezuela playing for Magallanes. In 8 games he's hitting .265 with 7 RBIs. He's been playing mostly second base, which makes me wonder if that is because that is the open spot on his team or if it is because the Cubs want to see if he can play second everyday. Will Blanco have a chance to win a starting job in Spring Training?

Other VWL Updates

J.R. Mathes is 0-1 with a 5.27 ERA in 3 starts for Caracas.
Jonathan Mota is hitting .350 in 7 games for Aragua.

Perez in DWL

The Dominican Winter League has gotten underway, and so far the only Cub to get into game action was Nelson Perez, who's hitting .500 in 3 ABs for Toros so far. This season, the left handed hitting outfielder hit .251 in 120 games for Peoria with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs. According to different DWL rosters, guys like Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramriez, Esmalin Caridad, Alfonso Soriano, and more are listed to play. However, we have not seen any of these guys in game action yet or heard about them playing from any other Cubs sources.

Cubs in Winter Ball

cubbiefan07 — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:22:59 -0000

The list of Cubs playing in Winter Leagues

Arizona Fall League- Mesa Solar Sox
Andrew Cashner- P
John Gaub- P
Blake Parker- P
James Russell- P
Welington Castillo- C
Starlin Castro- SS
Josh Vitters- 3B

Mexican Winter League- Mexicali
Bobby Dickerson- Cubs minor league manager, manager of Mexicali
Jeff Samardzija- P
Brian Schlitter- P
Matt Camp- CF
Brad Snyder- RF

Venezuelan Winter League
J.R. Mathes- Caracas, Pitcher
Marwin Gonzalez- Caracas, Short Stop
Robert Hernandez- Magallanes, Pitcher
Robinson Chirinos- Magallanes, Catcher
Luis Rivas- Magallanes, Short Stop
Andres Blanco, Magallanes, Infield
Leopoldo Sanchez- Lara, 3B
Jhon Rodrigez- Margarita, Pitcher
Jonathan Mota- Aragua, SS
Eduardo Figueroa- Caribes, Pitcher
Carlos E. Rojas- Caribes, Pitcher
Jose Guevara- Caribes, Catcher
George Matheus- Caribes, 3B

For complete daily updates on the Cubs in Winter Ball, Cubs Farm Updates Twitter
§Cubbiefan07

AA All Star Team

cubbiefan07 — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:07:22 -0000

The Southern League has announced their All Star Teams!

This year's game will be played in Birmingham, home of the White Sox AAA club the Barons.

The Cubs organization will be well represented in this game, 6 Tennessee Smokies have made the club. Here they are:
1B Blake Lailli
SS Darwin Barney
OF James Adduci
P Casey Coleman
P Jay Jackson
P Brian Schlitter

The game is on Monday, July 13, the same night as the MLB HR Derby.

I was some what surprised by Schlitter, he was the guy the Cubs got in return for Scott Eyre last year I believe.

Anyways, any thoughts on this?

Former Cubs Updates

cubbiefan07 — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:49:30 -0000

Mark DeRosa (CLE): .266 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI
Kerry Wood (CLE): 2-2, 6.00 ERA, 8 SV
Felix Pie (BAL): .195 AVG, 2 HR, 4 RBI
Rich Hill (BAL): 1-0, 6.14 ERA, 14.2 IP
Ronny Cedeno (SEA): .173 AVG, 2 HR, 5 RBI
Jason Marquis (COL): 7-3, 3.93 ERA, 68.2 IP
Henry Blanco (SD): .172 AVG, 3 HR, 6 RBI
Bobby Howry (SF): 0-2, 3.79 ERA
Michael Wuertz (OAK): 2-1, 2.59 ERA
Chad Gaudin (SD): 2-3, 4.76 ERA
Luis Vizcaino (CLE): 1-2, 2.84 ERA

Marquis, Wuertz, Vizcaino, and even Howry could all be helpful for our bullpen at this point!

Your Thoughts?

Former Cub Updates

cubbiefan07 — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:06:37 -0000

Former Cubs 2009 Stats So far...

Mark DeRosa: .115 AVG, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 Games.
Kerry Wood: 2 Games, 1 ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 IP.
Felix Pie: 6 Games, .278 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI.
Rich Hill: 15 Day DL (strained left elbow)
Ronny Cedeno: 4 games, .143 AVG.
Jason Marquis: 1 Game, 7 IP, 5 Hits, 2 ER.
Henry Blanco: 3 games, 3-9, 2 HR.
Paul Bako, Daryle Ward, Jon Lieber, and Jim Edmonds are all still listed as free agents.

If we could have one of them back, who would you want?

Cubs Need Bullpen Help

cubbiefan07 — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 02:19:11 -0000

Some thoughts after a frustrating game:

If the Cubs make a big trade, it should be for a lights out closer not a starter.

Even if they can't get a lights out closer, we need to bring in some solid relief help.

Derrek Lee should not be hitting 3rd.

Milton Bradley is hitting under .100 and needs to get his bat going. Even though I gave him the player of the game for his home run today, he still didn't have a great game.

Rich Harden didn't do that poorly, just made one mistake and had some bad defense behind him.

The Cubs batting order should be as follows: Soriano, Theriot, Ramirez, Bradley, Soto (when back), Fontenot, Lee, Kosuke. I still really like Lee, but I think he would make the lineup better at the bottom.

Lou didn't manage very well today.

Tell me what you think, especially about the first two bullets.

Mitch Atkins could start?

cubbiefan07 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 22:50:14 -0000

Cubs.com reports that Mitch Atkins will be in the mix for the starting 5. They're should be a lot of competition this Spring. Aaron Heilman, Jeff Samardzija, and Sean Marshall all want to start. Chad Gaudin is also in the mix. I want to see "Shark" in the rotation. I don't know why Atkins would even be given a chance, I think Jeff Stevens, Angel Guzman, and other prospects would be more successful in the rotation then him. What do you guys think?

Juan Cruz could return to the Cubs?

cubbiefan07 — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:22:50 -0000

David Kaplan said on Sports Central that he wants to see the Cubs add Juan Cruz to the bullpen mix. Cruz played with the Cubs in 2001, 2002, and 2003. He was 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in 57 games coming out of the pen for Arizona in 2008. The only drawback is that the Cubs would lose a draft pick because he is a Type A free agent. I would like this move, what do you guys think?