NEWSLETTER
On Saturday, Peoria Chiefs third baseman Dustin Geiger homered in his fourth consecutive game. He has five homers over that stretch and eight in just 25 games this season. That would put him on pace for 45 home runs over a full 140 game minor league season. That’s not only impressive, it’s positively Rizzo-like. Even though this is Geiger’s third season as a professional, he won’t turn 21 until December. In other words, he’s producing at a high level while still the right age for his league. [Brett: Geiger is also something of a Twitter star.]
And that raises an interesting situation. If we add Geiger’s name to the Cubs’ list of third base prospects, it becomes very apparent that this is an area of extreme depth for the farm system. And what do good farm systems do when they have a lot of depth at one position? They deal that depth for something else they need. And the Cubs certainly have a lot of needs.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the Cubs will be dealing one of their many third base prospects in July or over the winter, and the one I think is the most likely to go is Junior Lake. Lake has a fantastic ceiling, has made major strides in the last nine months, could possibly stick at shortstop for some teams, and is having success in Double A. But despite all that, there are still serious questions about his ability to play, and especially to hit, at a high level. Dealing Lake now would be a classic case of selling high, and that is something teams rarely regret doing.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Iowa took the lead with a two run eighth and held on for the 5-4 win.
Tennessee – The bullpen gave up three in the ninth, dooming the Smokies to a 6-3 loss.
Daytona – The Cubs rallied in the ninth but were unable to salvage the game. They lost 6-5.
Peoria – The Chiefs used three home runs to power their way to a 5-3 win.
Boise – The Hawks won a shutout, 4-0.
Arizona – The Cubs won an 11-1 blowout.
Performances of the Day
Other Minor League Notes
Farm System Standings
AAA – Iowa Cubs : 37 – 53.
Pacific Coast League American Northern Division – Third Place: 19.0 Games Behind.
AA – Tennessee Smokies : 7-10
Southern League North Division – Fourth Place : 4.0 Game Behind
High A – Daytona Cubs : 8-9
Florida State League North Division – Fourth Place : 2.5 Games Behind
Low A – Peoria Chiefs : 6-10
Midwest League Eastern Division – Fifth Place : 4.0 Game Behind
Short-Season A – Boise Hawks : 8 – 15
Northwest League East Division – Third Place : 5.0 Games Behind
Rookie League – AZL Cubs : 11 – 4
Arizona Rookie League East – Second Place : 0.5 Game Behind
