The attention of all Cub-dom is understandably riveted on that ongoing soap opera called Trading Dempster. Sometime soon we will also start watching the newest season of Trading Garza while waiting to record the latest episodes of Can We Trade Soriano, Shipping Soto, Moving With Marmol, New Home For Maholm, and Hasta LaHair-sta.
In the midst of all that rumor watching, be sure we don’t forget about the minor league players who could be moved as well. It is very likely that several prospects from all levels of the farm system will be moved along with other pieces to bring back what the Cubs’ need. Just because the Cubs are looking to acquire talent does not mean they will not deal some talent in the process. I maintain that one of the most likely to be moved before Opening Day 2013 is Junior Lake, but I could see any number of the Cubs’ pitchers in Peoria and Daytona being moved as well.
[Iowa] Josh Vitters finished 3 for 4 with both a double and a triple. He also walked once.
[Iowa] James Adduci had a huge game. Along with his first Triple A home run this season, he also doubled and finished with four hits.
[Tennessee] Dallas Beeler struck out eight over five innings, but he also gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits. Similarly, Tony Zych struck out four in his two innings, but he also gave up two runs on five hits.
[Tennessee] Junior Lake has definitely gotten hot again. He raised his batting average to .290 with a three hit game that featured his 14th double and two stolen bases.
[Tennessee] The Smokies’ two home runs were courtesy of Justin Bour (his tenth) and Greg Rohan (his third in Double A).
[Daytona] Austin Kirk picked up the win despite giving up five walks in his six inning start.
[Daytona] The Cubs just keep on stealing. Eliser Bonne took his 18th base and John Androli stole his 36th. Both outfielders also had two hits.
[Daytona] Rafael Lopez hit two doubles as part of a 3 for 4 performance.
[Peoria] Michael Jensen allowed four hits and struck out six over six innings.
[Peoria] Javier Baez finished 2 for 2 with a double and a sac fly.
[Peoria] Catcher Chadd Krist continues to hit well. He added another double to his collection, giving him six in just 11 games with the Chiefs.
[Boise] All three Hawks’ pitchers had very good games. Between them, Jose Arias, Michael Hamann, and Eduardo Orozco allowed just five hit while striking out six.
[Boise] Marco Hernandez was the lone Hawk to put together a multihit game. He finished with two singles.
[Arizona] Ethan Elias allowed just one hit over three innings while striking out four.
[Arizona] Jorge Soler picked up his first steal of the season. He also singled and walked.
[Arizona] Albert Almora hit his first professional double in this game.
[Arizona] Also earning a professional first was Garrett Schlect. He launched the first home run of his career in the fourth inning.
Other Minor League Notes
Rafael Lopez is starting to become intriguing. He put up huge numbers in Arizona to start his season, but that was not a surprise. The Cubs then moved him to Peoria for 31 games. While he was not impressive in Peoria, he wasn’t bad either. Through ten games with Daytona, however, he has significantly stepped up his production at the plate. The sample size is too small to draw any conclusions, but this catcher bears closer watching.
If you missed Shadev Sharma’s excellent guest post on Javier Baez yesterday, be sure to take a moment to read it. Sharma provides some great information and makes a number of good points in an article that is a very enjoyable read. Keep in mind as well, that, despite his success as the plate, Baez is still a 19 year old kid living away from home and playing meaningful baseball professionally for the first time. There are aspects of that reality that will come into play on any decision regarding when to promote him.
And now for the scary news of the day. Jae-Hoon Ha was carried off the field on a stretcher after colliding with the outfield wall. Later reports on Twitter from the Smokies indicated that he was alert and responsive as he was carried away, but there has been no definite update on his condition. The Florida Times-Union has the best account of the incident. I suspect Ha is going to be monitored closely for concussion symptoms but, again, we do not have very much information about his condition right now.
Farm System Standings
AAA – Iowa Cubs : 41 – 65.
Pacific Coast League American Northern Division – Fourth Place: 22.0 Games Behind.
AA – Tennessee Smokies : 15-18
Southern League North Division – Fourth Place : 5.0 Games Behind
High A – Daytona Cubs : 14-20
Florida State League North Division – Sixth Place : 7.0 Games Behind
Low A – Peoria Chiefs : 12-20
Midwest League Eastern Division – Sixth Place : 6.0 Game Behind
Short-Season A – Boise Hawks : 1-2
Northwest League East Division – Second Place : 1.0 Games Behind
Rookie League – AZL Cubs : 20 – 8
Arizona Rookie League East – First Place : 1.0 Games Ahead
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NEWSLETTER
