Cubs Minor League Daily: More All Stars, and Pitcher Updates

kane county cougars logoYesterday we ran through the All-Star selections for the Tennessee Smokies and the Daytona Cubs. Today we’ll add four more All Stars to the list, this time courtesy of the Midwest League and the Kane County Cougars.

Given the production the Cougars have gotten from behind the plate this season it is no surprise that one of their All-Stars is a catcher. Will Remillard, who was thought of as more of a glove-first kind of guy when the Cubs took him out of college in the 2013 draft, has an OPS of .827, a walk rate of 7.5%, and a strikeout rate of just 13.5%. Those are the kind of numbers that can get a college draftee bumped up a level before the end of the season.

Jordan Hankins, also of the 2013 draft, joins Remillard on the All-Star list. Hankins was an amateur catcher, but for Kane County he’s played primarily at third base. His numbers aren’t quite as impressive (.734 OPS, 4.7 BB%, 12.8 K%), but he has established himself as one of the more promising infielders stashed in the lower minors.

Reliever Jose Arias has a K/9 of 12.6 and an ERA of 2.16 over 25 innings in which he has allowed just one home run. He has been one of the more dominant middle relievers in the Midwest League this season and is another candidate to move up the system mid-season. He may need to get his walk rate down a little first, though. That currently sits at 4.32 BB/9.

Paul Blackburn is the final Cougar to make the list. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.30 and a WHIP of 1.056 over 10 starts this season, and was recently named the Cubs Pitcher of the Month for May.

Scores From Yesterday

Iowa – Iowa had the day off.
Tennessee – The Smokies were led by some good pitching in this 4-1 win.
Daytona – Daytona rallied for all their runs in the bottom of the eighth and came away with a 4-2 win.
Kane County – A tally in the bottom of the tenth sealed this 5-4 win.

Performances of Note

  • [Tennessee] Yesterday there was no sparkle. Kris Bryant did not hit a home run. In fact, he didn’t have a hit of any kind. He did, however, walk and strikeout in this 0 for 3 game.
  • [Tennessee] Dustin Geiger was happy to supply the power, though. Geiger smacked his 7th homer of the season, walked, and struck out twice.
  • [Tennessee] John Andreoli singled, walked, and stole two more bases. His season larceny count now stands at 28.
  • [Tennessee] Joe Gardner struck out 5 and allowed a run on 3 hits over his 6.2 innings.Jeff Lorick fanned 3 in 1.1 innings of relief, and Arodys Vizcaino tossed an uneventful final frame.
  • [Daytona] Marco Hernandez hit a two run double for the team’s only extra base hit.
  • [Daytona] Jeimer Candelario and Willson Contreras had one hit each.
  • [Daytona] On the mound, Rob Zastryzny put together a decent start. Over 5 innings he allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
  • [Daytona] Jose Rosario was excellent in relief, striking out 5 in his 3 innings on the mound.
  • [Kane County] Jacob Hannemann hit two more doubles and finished 3 for 5. He also happened to score the winning run.
  • [Kane County] Daniel Lockhart also doubled and finished 2 for 5. Jacob Rogers likewise had a pair of hits.
  • [Kane County] Corbin Hoffner pitched 3 flawless innings of relief, allowing nothing and sitting down 6 with the strikeout.
  • [Kane County] Paul Blackburn left after two thirds of inning having walked 3 and allowed two runs on a hit. Per Kevin Druley, the Cubs have an organizational rule that pitchers cannot throw more than 35 pitches in the first inning – Blackburn was just about at that mark, so he was removed to protect his young arm.
  • Other News

  • Speaking of All Stars, you can vote for the Triple A All Star team rosters now. And, if you vote, you can get a discount on MiLB.TV. So, not only can you vote for the best of the Cubs like Kyle Hendricks and Eric Jokisch, or the most prospecty like Javier Baez and Arismendy Alcantara, you will also get the opportunity to watch them on the cheap. Assuming you don’t have MiLB.TV already, of course. Instructions on how to vote can be found here.
  • In addition to their All Stars, Kane County also announced a change of ownership. Dr. Bob Froehlich and his wife are now the majority shareholders. This change is likely to have little, if any, impact on the operations of the Cougars, but is worth noting nonetheless.
  • Been missing Cubs pitching prospect Jen-Ho Tseng? He was shut down last month with a sore shoulder, but he’s on his way back:
  • Did you know that the draft starts tonight? Probably not. It’s been flying under the radar around these parts. Once again Brett and I will both be covering the draft on Twitter and here on Bleacher Nation. Make sure to visit frequently for the latest draft coverage over the next few days, and don’t forget to follow Brett (@BleacherNation) and me (@ltblaize) on Twitter if you haven’t already.
  • written by

    Luke Blaize is the Minor League Editor at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @ltblaize.

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