NEWSLETTER
All Stars for the Midwest League (Kane County) and the Florida State League (Daytona) have already been announced, and indeed those All-Star Games have already been played.
Now the focus shifts to the upper levels of the minors. The All-Stars for Double A and Triple A are in, and in one of those leagues the Cubs are very well represented.
The the other league is the Triple A Pacific Coast League. Iowa sends only Chris Rusin to the Triple A All-Star Game (except Rusin is now in the majors (or he was as of last night, anyway)). Rusin, a lefty of the crafty variety, is effective when he hits his spots, and apparently he has been hitting them more often than not with Iowa this season. He doesn’t overpower anyone, but his WHIP of 1.100 is good for 13th in the league, 3rd among those with 10 or more starts, and 5th overall in the Cubs organization.
Meanwhile the Tennessee Smokies have once again stocked the Southern League All-Star Team with Cub prospects. Six total Smokies made the cut, including four hitters and two pitchers.
Arismendy Alcantara (SS/2B) is the biggest name on the list, and his selection comes as absolutely no surprise. This is just another accolade on an already great year for the switch hitter in the midst of a breakout season.
Joining Alcantara on the infield will be Christian Villanueva (3B). Villanueva did not get off the greatest start, but he rebounded with a strong May (OPS of .857) and followed that up by hitting 5 of his 9 home runs in June. He is best known for his defense, though, and I have no doubt that played a role in his selection.
Rafael Lopez (C) may be a bit of a surprise choice for some, but the left handed hitting catcher has quietly put up some respectable numbers this year. His line of .249/.348/.412 comes with a walk rate of 12.7% and compiles into a wOBA of .349. That was enough to earn the respect of the league and spot on the All-Star roster.
The final hitter from the Smokies is Matt Szczur (OF), and this one is no surprise, either. Szczur is hitting .300/.369/.400 with three triples and 17 steals, and he also has been playing some very underrated defense in the process. I’m not sure how much longer he will be in Tennessee, but when he heads to Iowa it will be with another honor on his resume.
Kyle Hendricks (RHP) is probably right behind Alcantara in terms of being a completely obvious selection for this team. If you want, you can complain about his K/9 (just 7.00), but there is not much else to argue with from Hendricks this season. He has been the best pitcher on the Smokies all year.
The final Tennessee All-Star, Alberto Cabrera (RHP) has done a nice job of pitching himself. The starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter still has a bit of an elevated walk rate (3.31 BB/9), but the rest of his numbers are solid. This selection comes not long after one of the best starts of his career – an 8 inning, 13 strikeout thing of beauty against Jacksonville on June 24.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Iowa scored early, scored late, and came away the 6-2 winners.
Tennessee – It took 13 long innings, but the Smokies overcame two errors to come up with a 4-3 win.
Daytona – Daytona had the day off. This was a scheduled day off, not another rain out.
Kane County – The Cougars picked up 2 in the first but still lost 5-3 to Wisconsin.
Boise – The Hawks are red hot right now. They win again, this time by beating up Salem-Kinzer 10-5.
Arizona – The AZL Cubs were out hit, but not our scored. They won 6-4.
Performances of Note
Other News
