Cubs Prospects Blow Up for a Huge Day in the AFL and Other Bullets

jeimer candelario smokiesI’ve got my NLCS tickets in-hand (Game 5), thanks to unbelievably awesome BN’er Keith. I still can’t believe it when I look at them. I am so freaking excited.

  • It seems my check-in on the Arizona Fall League yesterday was a day early. Had I waited, I could have told you about the incredible combined day Jeimer Candelario and Willson Contreras had: 7 for 9 with a walk, just one strikeout, three doubles and three homers! Contreras accounted for a “good day” portion of that (two hits, one of the homers, and the walk), but Candelario had the kind of day you remember forever: 5 for 5 with three doubles and two homers. Seriously. He did that yesterday in the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League. Recall, Candelario has been an emerging top prospect in the Cubs’ system for a number of years, and he finally really exploded this year in the second half when he reached AA. As you can see in that post, the Cubs will have a tricky 40-man decision on Candelario, who is just 21, has played only a bit above A-ball, and is Rule 5-eligible this year. If he keeps playing like this, though, it’ll be a no-brainer to add him to the 40-man and ensure no team plucks him away.
  • (Undoubtedly, some of Candelario’s success yesterday was due to the opposing pitching/conditions/umpires – check out the box score. His Mesa Solar Sox put up a 20-spot. (EDIT: Hey, way to read, Brett. It was the other team that scored 20, though Mesa did have 14 hits.))
  • Sahadev Sharma with a great read on “That’s Cub” and the behind-the-scenes work that helps put the Cubs where they are.
  • Theo Epstein’s way is brutal honesty (Tribune). And more on how he convinced Jon Lester to sign on with the team (Cubs.com).
  • Patrick Mooney with a profile on Jorge Soler.
  • Humorously serious Sports Science breakdown of Jose Bautista’s bat flip.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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