Cubs Minor League Daily: The New And Improved Michael Burgess

Every year in the minor leagues we see formerly highly touted prospects play their way right off the prospect charts. Sometimes it happens due to injury, but typically we see this occur when a player struggles mightily and consistently against a given level of competition. If a player can’t hit a Double A fastball, for example, he’s not getting past Double A no matter what his prospect ranking had been.

But sometimes we get it wrong. Every once in a while we come across a player who was all but written off… and justly so… but who manages to make the necessary changes and to re-inject his name back into the prospect conversation. It is rare for a player to make that sort of change, but it does happen.

And that brings me to Michael Burgess. Burgess was drafted by the Nationals and was traded to the Cubs in the Tom Gorzelanny deal. At the time, we knew he had plenty of power and the potential to develop more, but he had trouble making enough consistent contact to take advantage of that power. The Cubs sent him to Daytona in 2011, and he did show some progress there. While hitting a remarkable 20 HR, he dropped his K% to a very respectable 22.4%. Of course, that was also the fourth year he had spent in High A. His numbers were good, but there was no reason to be excited. When the Cubs’ Top Prospects lists came out after the 2011 season, Michael Burgess was scarcely to be found.

It gives me great pleasure, then, to welcome Mr. Burgess back to the prospect conversation. Through 56 games and 196 plate appearances, Burgess has struck out just 28 times. That is good for a K% of 14.4%, a career low. His previous low mark was 20.1% in 2010. His power numbers (5 HR, .407 SLG) are nothing to write home about, but for the time being that does not worry me. There has never been any question about this guy’s ability to slug, only his ability to make contact. He is now making contact at a better pace than he ever has in his career. I think it is only a matter of time before the power reappears as well.

He has a lot of work to do, but by cutting his K% that much while playing against the toughest competition of his life, he’s convinced me that he deserves a chance to make those additional improvements. He definitely has the time to improve. Despite spending parts of four seasons in High-A, he is only twenty three. According to the prospect calendar, he’s pretty much right on track.

Scores From Yesterday

Iowa – A bad day for starter Chris Rusin turned into a 9-1 Iowa loss.
Tennessee – Great pitching and timely hitting carried Tennessee to a 2-1 win and a winning record.
Daytona – Daytona had the day off for the All-Star game. The Cubs’ prospects played for the losing North Division. The final was 6-3.
Peoria – Rain suspended the Peoria game; it will be completed today at noon. At the time of the suspension, Peoria trailed 5-2, but they had the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth with one out and catcher Yaniel Cabezas due up.
Boise – An early lead did not last as the Boise Hawks lost their second straight game 7-4.

Performances of the Day

  • [Iowa] Thanks to Rusin’s struggles, Jay Jackson came in as a reliever. Sure enough, he pitched well (3.2 innings, 4H, 1R, 5K). He also had a hit in his one at bat.
  • [Iowa] Josh Vitters went 4 for 4 with a double, raising his June batting average to .281.
  • [Iowa] Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson each had a double in four at bats, but Jackson also struck out three times.
  • [Tennessee] Eric Jokisch gave up a single run on a solo homer, but otherwise was nearly flawless. In six innings he allowed just one run on four hits and one walk. He had no strikeouts. His Double A ERA is now a mere 1.42.
  • [Tennessee] Frank Batista struck out one in the ninth as he collected his tenth Double A save.
  • [Tennessee] Rebel Ridling picked a great time to hit his eighth home run. The solo shot came with two outs in the eighth inning to put the Smokies ahead for good.
  • [Tennessee] And who doesn’t love steals? Logan Watkins swiped his 13th base, and Junior Lake stole his 6th. Lake is stealing at a much slower pace than he was last season, and he is getting caught much more often as well. I wonder if the league is handling him more cautiously than in the past.
  • [Daytona] Austin Kirk only pitched one inning in the All-Star Game, but it was the first inning, and he put up a solid string of zeroes. On the biggest stage and against the best competition, he got the job done with fifteen pitches and two ground outs.
  • [Boise] Wilson Contreras and Rock Shoulders each launched their first home run of the season. Both players, particularly Shoulders, have the capacity to hit many, many more.
  • [Boise] Gioskar Amaya is a prospect well worth watching. He hit his first triple as a Hawk in this game.
  • Other Minor League Notes

  • The Iowa bullpen continues to impress. Jay Jackson (as a reliever), Jeff Beliveau, and Ryan Rowland-Smith combined to pitch five and two third innings in which they struck out seven and gave up just six hits and one walk. Particularly in the Pacific Coast league, that’s not bad at all. We see similar effectiveness out of the bullpens in the rest of the farm system. It is very believable to think that the Cubs could have an effective, home-grown bullpen as soon as next season.
  • Including Saturday’s game, the Tennessee Smokies have a record of 12-3 in the month of June and a winning record for the season. Finally, this team is playing exactly like I thought they would from the beginning of the year. They have a deep and talented pitching staff, and that pitching is starting to carry them.
  • In addition to Austin Kirk, the Cubs had three other prospects in the FSL All-Star Game on Saturday. Arismendy Alcantara came off the bench and struck out in one at bat. Nelson Perez started the game and went 1 for 3 with a double and a walk, and Greg Rohan was 0 for 4 with two strike outs.
  • Ricardo Marcano, one of the Cubs’ more highly touted prospects in the Domincan Summer League, is starting to heat up. His line now reads .306/.433/.429 with two doubles, two triples, and two stolen bases. He also has ten walks against just eight strikeouts in 59 trips to the plate. He is currently riding a nine game hitting streak that includes both of his triples and three multi-hit games. Marcano, a left handed hitting outfielder, will turn 18 in October.
  • Farm System Standings

    AAAIowa Cubs : 29 – 41.
    Pacific Coast League American Northern Division – Second Place: 15 Games Behind.

    AATennessee Smokies : 35-34
    Southern League North Division – Second Place (tie): 6.0 Game Behind.

    High ADaytona Cubs : 29 -36
    Florida State League North Division – Fourth Place : 12.5 Games Behind

    Low APeoria Chiefs : 34 – 34
    Midwest League Eastern Division – Third Place (tie) : 10 Games Behind

    Short-Season ABoise Hawks : 0 – 2
    Northwest League East Division – Second Place : 0.5 Games Behind

    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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