After yesterday’s win, the Iowa Cubs are 24-26. Given that they are in Nashville playing the amazingly terrible Sounds through Friday, I really like the Cubs’ chances of closing the rest of the gap and finishing the week at or over .500. Given how far down the Cubs looked a short time ago, this is nothing short of a remarkable turnaround.
Should that happen there is a very good chance that all four full season league teams in the Cubs’ farm system will be over .500 after Memorial Day. It has been awhile since we’ve seen this. I’m not sure just how long, but definitely awhile.
That does not mean that all is well on the farm, though. Not yet. Iowa is winning thanks in large part to minor league veterans and major league bench players signed and stashed in Triple A. There are some quality prospects on the roster, but they are the icing on the cake, not yet the cake itself. Iowa is becoming more prospecty with every passing month, a trend that will continue throughout this season and likely into next season, but what we are seeing here is more the effect of experience than upside.
Deeper in the system, however, it is primarily prospects doing the heavy lifting. And those prospects will continue to rise as they have for the past two years. Slowly but surely the Cubs are building a deep, rich, lasting pipeline of talent the likes of which this organization has not had in many years.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Even over the Sounds, a win is a win. This win was a 6-2 win, to be exact. Tennessee – A road win against one of the best teams in league? That’s a nice accomplishment. That’s what the Smokies accomplished in this 3-2 win. Daytona – It took eleven innings, but the Cubs won at home 6-4. Kane County – Kane County scored three times in the fifth to make it close, but the rains ended the game in the sixth with the comeback left unfinished. The Cougars lost 7-5.
Performances of Note
[Iowa] The good news is that Chris Rusin pitched 8 innings, allowed just one run on 6 hits, and struck out 8. The bad news is that he did it against a Nashville lineup that featured just one batter hitting over .300.
[Iowa] Brett Jackson doubled, walked, struck out, and scored in this one.
[Tennessee] So who held the league leading Birmingham Barons to just 2 runs in 6 innings in their home stadium? Kyle Hendricks. Don’t even pretend to be surprised. Add in the 2 walks and 6 strike outs and you have yet another very nice outing for the blossoming starter.
[Tennessee] And credit Kevin Rhoderick and Frank Batista for putting the game away in relief. It was Batista’s 7th save.
[Tennessee] Arismendy Alcantara launched his 8th home run. He was the DH in this game.
[Tennessee] With both a double and a triple making up his two hits, Christian Villanueva also had a nice game.
[Daytona] Javier Baez hit his 7th home run of the season in the bottom of the 11th. I doubt that will be his last game winner.
[Daytona] Chadd Krist just keeps hitting. With a another double in this game he left his Daytona line a very respectable .311/.415/.400. The Cubs might have found a catching prospect who can hit. Sample sizes are small: stay tuned.
[Kane County] Dan Vogelbach hit his 7th home run of the season, a three run blast in the fifth.
[Kane County] The prettiest stat line of the day might belong to Gioskar Amaya. He finished with a double (his 11th) in his one official at bat. His other two trips to the plate ended in a walk.
[Kane County] Dillon Maples did not have such a nice line. Through 3 IP he gave up 7 R on 4 H with 5 BB and 5 K. Those 5 K are a silver lining in an otherwise cloudy game. Now for the really interesting part; in five days we should get to see how Maples responds to a bad game.
Other News
Be honest. How many of you expected Alcantara to have more home runs than Baez at this point in the season? More home runs than Soler? Than Vogelbach? I’m not sure when Tennessee’s infielder morphed into one of the best sluggers in the farm system, but he is rapidly hitting his way to the top of the second base prospect chart. With 200ish plate appearances under his belt it is getting tough to write this off as a statistical fluke. Is this a case of a player responding to the crush-the-high-mistakes hitting philosophy being taught in the organization? Maybe. But Alcantara is definitely a player to watch as we move into the second third of the season.
A few Alex Bregman bits to chew on as you settle down for the night ... Jon Heyman tonight writes that although Bregman is receiving "creative short-term offers," he and Scott Boras are still looking for six+ years. That tracks with Bob Nightengale's reporting earlier today. Heyman adds that the Astros actually have come up some amount from their offer from earlier in the offseason (reportedly six years and $156...
The Chicago Cubs, ostensibly still in the market for a free-agent third baseman, will watch one option fall off the board tonight. Former White Sox third baseman - and offseason Cubs target - Yoan Moncada is reportedly signing a modest deal with the Los Angeles Angels. Yoan Moncada to the Angels Ken Rosenthal reports the deal on X as a one-year, $5 million contract. https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/1887654549227512106 Moncada, still just 29, is...
Given the Ryan Brasier trade potentially capping off the Chicago Cubs' bullpen moves for the offseason, and given how much movement there has been in that group this offseason, I thought it worth a reset just to see where the Cubs stand. How many arms do they have available now for the bullpen group? How many can be moved up and down? Who is fighting for a roster spot? You...
Based on some scattered quotes from ownership โ as well as where Jed Hoyer's front office wound up last season โ our initial expectation for the Cubs 2025 payroll was right around the first tier of the luxury tax threshold (up to $241M this year). But then, around mid-winter, those expectations changed. Supported by their cost-saving activity in free agency and especially trade, some new reporting/speculating led us to believe that...
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The tale is not as old as time, but it's as old as this prospects rankings season goes: the Chicago Cubs' farm system stepped way back over the last year, for reasons good and bad, and now ranks as closer to average than anything near elite. The latest iteration of that story comes from Baseball America, which ranked the Cubs' farm system 15th in baseball heading into 2025: "15. Chicago...
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Alternate title: The Cubs are promoting top broadcasting prospect Alex Cohen! Maybe it's not the breaking news those of us on social media are pining for tonight, but it makes me happy nonetheless! According to Jeff Agrest at The Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs will have a new, full-time play-by-play announcer backing up Boog Sciambi on Marquee Sports Netowork. And it's someone a lot of us really love: Alex Cohen! Most...
Take these only for what it's worth, as we're all able to do some speculating. But Jon Heyman is inarguably plugged in, and Matt Spiegel does hear things. So there might be some meat underneath. A little. Don't go too far with it. But I'm obsessing, so I'm sharing. First, Jon Heyman would peg the Cubs as the favorites on Alex Bregman right now if he had to choose: Jon...
Today, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Bears owner and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey. For more details, please readย our initial report on the news. The death of Virginia Halas McCaskey means that the NFL has lost a legacy. Mrs. McCaskey had been the Chicago Bears' principal owner since 1983 when her father, George Halas, passed away. The Bears matriarch has seen the NFL evolve from an upstart...
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Today, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Bears owner and team matriarch Virginia McCaskey. For more details, please read our initial report on the news. The nightmare that was the 2024 Chicago Bears season is over. Before the transactional period starts and the roster changes begin, we will recap the seasons of most of the 53-man roster. Next up: We're looking at the 2024 season of Kevin...
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*walks into bunker, turns on megaphone, blares air horn* UP AND AT 'EM, CADETS! MAN YOUR STATIONS, CADETS! SOUND THE ALARM! TURN ON SHAMS CHARANIA'S NOTIFICATIONS! TRADE DEADLINE DAY IS HERE! While I've done no research to back this up, I still feel confident declaring this the craziest NBA trade deadline ever. We have had multiple All-Star players on the move, headlined by a Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade...
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The Blackhawks practiced on Thursday afternoon after their tough overtime loss to Edmonton late on Wednesday night. Not on the ice: veteran center Jason Dickinson, who suffered what appeared to be a nasty injury during the second period. Dickinson was seen leaving the United Center in a walking boot. The hope was that the severity wasn't as bad as it certainly looked when he left the ice with assistance. After...
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On Wednesday morning The Athletic released the results of their informal, anonymous NHL player poll. They asked the usual range of questions, from coaches players would/would not want to play for, which cities would be on a no-trade list and whether or not Gary Bettman should retire from his role as commissioner of the NHL. And there were a few interesting results. Here the ones that got my attention: Ordinarily...
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A few Alex Bregman bits to chew on as you settle down for the night ... Jon Heyman tonight writes that although Bregman is receiving "creative short-term offers," he and Scott Boras are still looking for six+ years. That tracks...
The Chicago Cubs, ostensibly still in the market for a free-agent third baseman, will watch one option fall off the board tonight. Former White Sox third baseman - and offseason Cubs target - Yoan Moncada is reportedly signing a modest...
Given the Ryan Brasier trade potentially capping off the Chicago Cubs' bullpen moves for the offseason, and given how much movement there has been in that group this offseason, I thought it worth a reset just to see where the...
Based on some scattered quotes from ownership โ as well as where Jed Hoyer's front office wound up last season โ our initial expectation for the Cubs 2025 payroll was right around the first tier of the luxury tax threshold (up...
It has felt for a few days like maybe there was a thaw coming in the Alex Bregman/Scott Boras demands for a maximum-length deal in order to finally put pen to paper in free agency, but maybe that was just...
The tale is not as old as time, but it's as old as this prospects rankings season goes: the Chicago Cubs' farm system stepped way back over the last year, for reasons good and bad, and now ranks as closer...
Kinda thought I would wake up to an Alex Bregman decision. It had that vibe last night, but nothing doing yet. Instead, we got Pete Alonso signing, which I suppose is not nothing. But I'm about ready for "the offseason"...
The Pete Alonso free agency closes up back where it started, and where most thought it would end: he's going back to the New York Mets. And, boy, he did NOT get paaaaaid: In total, Pete Alonso's deal will guarantee...
Alternate title: The Cubs are promoting top broadcasting prospect Alex Cohen! Maybe it's not the breaking news those of us on social media are pining for tonight, but it makes me happy nonetheless! According to Jeff Agrest at The Chicago...
Take these only for what it's worth, as we're all able to do some speculating. But Jon Heyman is inarguably plugged in, and Matt Spiegel does hear things. So there might be some meat underneath. A little. Don't go too...
The Toronto Raptors (16-35) are heavy underdogs (-19) as they look to extend a three-game road winning streak when they visit the Oklahoma City Thunder (40-9) on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Paycom Center. The game airs at 8:00 PM...
The Charlotte Hornets (12-36) are heavy underdogs (+11.5) as they attempt to break a six-game losing streak when they host the San Antonio Spurs (22-26) at 7:00 PM ET on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Spectrum Center. The contest airs...
Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons (25-26) are 3.5-point underdogs against Tyrese Maxey and the Philadelphia 76ers (20-30) Friday, February 7, 2025 at Little Caesars Arena. The matchup starts at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN, NBCS-PH, and FDSDET. The over/under...
The Washington Wizards (9-41) are heavy, 17.5-point underdogs as they look to continue a three-game winning streak when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers (41-10) on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Capital One Arena. The contest airs at 7:00 PM ET...
The Phoenix Suns (25-25) are 9-point underdogs as they look to turn around a three-game losing streak when they host the Utah Jazz (12-37) on Friday, February 7, 2025 at Footprint Center. The contest airs at 10:00 PM ET on...
The Atlanta Hawks (23-28) host the Milwaukee Bucks (27-22) after losing five straight home games. The Bucks are favored by 6 points in the contest, which tips at 7:30 PM ET on Friday, February 7, 2025. The over/under is 240.5...
The Miami Heat (25-24) are favored by 6.5 points against the Brooklyn Nets (17-34) on Friday, February 7, 2025 at 7:30 PM ET. The matchup airs on YES and FDSSUN. The point total is set at 211 for the matchup.Our...
The Dayton Flyers (16-7, 6-4 A-10) aim to build on a three-game home win streak when they host the VCU Rams (18-5, 8-2 A-10) on February 7, 2025.VCU won its most recent game versus La Salle, 96-66, on Tuesday. Joseph...
The Princeton Tigers (15-6, 4-2 Ivy League) will try to build on a three-game road win streak when they visit the Pennsylvania Quakers (6-13, 2-4 Ivy League) on February 7, 2025 at The Palestra.In its most recent game, Princeton beat...
The Saint Joseph's (PA) Hawks (13-9, 4-5 A-10) host the Saint Louis Billikens (14-9, 7-3 A-10) in A-10 play at Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena, tipping off at 9:00 PM ET on Friday, February 7, 2025.In its most recent game,...