As noted on Bleacher Nation yesterday, Kris Bryant has signed with the Cubs for roughly slot (according to reports). This is, without reservation, an extremely good thing for the Cubs. Â The Cubs today are a better, deeper organization with a brighter future than they were at this time yesterday. Â That is definitely something to be happy about.
The Cubs no doubt tried to talk the Bryant camp below slot by pointing out that he would likely not be in as strong a position in the draft next year, and the Bryant camp likely tried to talk the Cubs up by pointing out just how good Bryant’s season was (historic) and how much of a very bad thing it would be for the Cubs to not have him in the organization and to lose the extra 5% on the their draft pool that was attached to his slot. In the end, as we should have expected (although perhaps not hoped), they met right back where the negotiations started – slot. I can’t be unhappy about that.
This process worked out about as we expected. Â It would have been nice to sign Bryant on the first day and to bring all their draftees into the organization, but we never expected either of those things. Â The draft signing process is, by it’s nature, uncertain and a little messy. Â As signing seasons go, the Cubs had a relatively smooth one. Â And twelve months from now we’ll likely be right back here again having a similar discussion about a similar signing process.
There is one final chapter to this saga, though. I have promised to re-rank the Bleacher Nation Top 40 once all the draft picks that could factor into that list have signed. There were only a few picks who fit that criteria, and Bryant is the last of them to join the organization. The updated Bleacher Nation Top 40 is planned for Sunday as part of This Week In The Minors.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Despite a run in the ninth, the Cubs lost 6-5. Tennessee – Tennessee had an odd sort of doubleheader yesterday. Game One was the completion of a game begun on June 28 and resulted in a 7-2 Smokies win. Game Two also went to the Smokies 5-2. Daytona – Daytona gave up bunches of runs late and lost 7-6. Kane County – They led early, but in the end Kane County took a 7-2 loss. Boise – Three errors did not help as the Hawks lost 6-5. Arizona – It was a huge day in the desert.  The Cubs piled on the runs and enjoyed some very good pitching on their way to a 14-2 win.
Performances of Note
[Iowa] Nick Struck was roughed up in the start, but Esmailin Cardiad and Michael Bowden both pitched well in relief.
[Iowa] The math types (including me) say Anthony Giansanti has to come back to earth eventually, but for his sake I hope this ride lasts all season. Batting sixth Gainsanti finished 2 for 4 and raised his Iowa OPS to 1.261.
[Iowa] Junior Lake has picked up his 10th steal in 14 chances.
[Tennessee] John Andreoli went 1 for 2 in the resumed game, and then finished the scheduled game 1 for 1 with 2 walks and his 3rd steal.
[Tennessee] P.J. Francescon finished the resumed game with 3 innings of 1 hit ball. Kevin Rhoderick pitched 1.1 hitless innings in the second game.
[Daytona] Bijan Rademacher fell a homer short of the cycle. His 3 for 4 day included his first High-A triple.
[Daytona] Dustin Geiger finished 2 for 4 with his 10th homer.
[Kane County] Third baseman Jeimer Candelario is up to 5 home runs now. It came as part of this 2 for 3 day that included a walk.
[Kane County] Albert Almora also had two hits, including his 12th double.
[Boise] Shawon Dunston reached base three more times on two singles and a walk. His was the only multi-hit game for the Hawks.
[Boise] Duane Underwood struck out 5 in 2.2 innings of work. The bad news is that he gave up 4 walks and 6 hits resulting in 4 runs (3 earned).
[Arizona] There were a lot of pitchers pitching well for the AZL Cubs. Daury Torrez finished the game by striking out 7 in 4 innings of work while allowing 2 runs on 3 hits. Marcos Mateo, Trevor Graham, Tyler Ihrig, Josh Davis, and Trey Lang all threw a scoreless inning before Torrez took the mound.
[Arizona] As a team Arizona walked 10 times against just 4 strikeouts.
Other News
Lake is well over the 100 PA line that we generally look for as a minimum before a player moves from one level to another, but I don’t think that means we can expect Lake to come to Chicago unless he is starting. Through his first 146 PAs, though, his numbers are solid. A walk rate of 6.8% is nothing to sneeze, and his strikeout rate of 19.2% is pretty good given his OBP of .356 and SLG of .485. His wOBA is weighing in at a very healthy .370. If the Cubs make enough trades that a starting position opens up at third or in the outfield for the rest of the season, I would have a hard time finding an argument against promoting him.
Ronald Torreyes appears in one of those box scores for Tennessee, but that is only because it is a continuation of a game that started before Torreyes was traded. That also explains how Giansanti wound up in box scores for Iowa and Tennessee on the same day.
If you want to see another oddity, check out the player page for Javier Baez on the Smokies website. History tells us that Baez was promoted for the July 6 game and homered in his first at bat. The Last 10 Games section says Baez actually went 0 for 3 eight days prior. Yay suspended game weirdnesses. That sort of thing will drive you nuts when you stumble across it a few years after it happened and you find dates that make no rational sense. Trust me, I’ve been there.
A very scary scene in Pittsburgh, where Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jakob Junis, currently on the IL with a shoulder impingement, took a batting practice ball off the neck and went down. Junis was apparently on the ground for a long...
On April 9, I took an early look at Nico Hoerner's apparently evolving approach at the plate, which featured a lot more patience and a lot more big hacks. Effectively, it seemed like he was trying for a little more...
There's been much debate about pitcher arm injuries lately, much of it sparked by Spencer Strider's season-ending Tommy John surgery, and Strider spoke to the media for the first time since the injury on Friday. Spencer Strider on pitcher arm...
A new signing popped up on the Chicago Cubs' transaction log: lefty Mitchell Tyranski. Tyranski, 26, put up a 3.83 ERA over 42.1 innings at High-A last year in the Dodgers organization, striking out 47 and walking 21. Were you...
We already dove deep into Shota Imanaga's latest impressive start against the Marlins yesterday. And there's been no shortage of love for Michael Busch this season either. But I do want to take this time to illustrate just how good...
Even though Sunday ended in a loss for the Chicago Cubs, we did get some good news in the form of positive injury updates. Ian Happ (hamstring) was available off the bench and could be good to go tomorrow, when...
I know that sometimes there is a history between an umpire and a manager. I know that sometimes a manager can subtly get under the skin of an umpire without doing much that we can see or hear. And I...
Let's get caught up on all of the action down on the farm in today's Cubs Farm Report. Cubs Farm Report | April 22, 2024 Triple-A Iowa Cubs (13-8) The Cubs were swept in a doubleheader by the Louisville Bats...
What started as a small convo for the bullets ballooned into a deeper dive on Kyle Hendricks, what's going wrong, and where the Cubs go from here. So if you're looking for the Hendricks discussion, that was earlier today. Despite...
Baseball America today released its updated (version 2.0) 2024 MLB mock draft. With more of the amateur season taking place, we are starting to see more of the top tier become firmly crystalized with eight names, none of whom are...
Nolan Arenado and the St. Louis Cardinals (10-13) host Ketel Marte and the Arizona Diamondbacks (11-13) at 7:45 PM ET on Tuesday.Keep scrolling to find out all the details on how to watch St. Louis square off against Arizona live.When...
The Carolina Hurricanes are fancied by sportsbooks to defeat the New York Islanders when they match up on Thursday at 7:30 PM ET, with the visiting Hurricanes at -155 on the moneyline, and the Islanders at +130.Hurricanes vs. Islanders Favorite,...
The bookmakers are expecting a close game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins when they play on Wednesday at 7:00 PM ET, with the Maple Leafs at -115 on the moneyline, and the Bruins at -105.Maple Leafs vs....
On Tuesday, in a series opener at Oracle Park, Logan Webb takes the mound for the San Francisco Giants (10-13) against Luis Severino and the New York Mets (12-9), with first pitch scheduled for 9:45 PM ET.Keep reading to find...
Grayson Rodriguez will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles (14-7) when they visit starter Griffin Canning and the Los Angeles Angels (9-13) on Tuesday, with first pitch at 9:38 PM ET.The article below will give you everything you need...
The Texas Rangers are hosting the Seattle Mariners for a three-game series, with the action getting underway at 8:05 PM ET on Tuesday, April 23.Rangers vs. Mariners Series Info Mariners @ Rangers Time: Tuesday, April 23 at 8:05 PM ET...
The Houston Astros will be on the road, beginning a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, April 23 at 7:40 PM ET.Cubs vs. Astros Series Info Astros @ Cubs Time: Tuesday, April 23 at 7:40 PM ET Cubs...
The New York Knicks just took a 2-0 lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in a sequence you'll just have to see to believe. With roughly 30 seconds left on the clock down 101-96, the Knicks looked destined to walk out...
Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres (13-12) visit Ryan McMahon and the Colorado Rockies (5-18) on Tuesday, with first pitch at 8:40 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you need to know to watch San...
On Tuesday, Mitch Haniger and the Seattle Mariners (11-11) open a series against Marcus Semien and the Texas Rangers (12-11) at Globe Life Field, with first pitch scheduled for 8:05 PM ET.The article below will provide you with everything you...
NEWSLETTER
As noted on Bleacher Nation yesterday, Kris Bryant has signed with the Cubs for roughly slot (according to reports). This is, without reservation, an extremely good thing for the Cubs. Â The Cubs today are a better, deeper organization with a brighter future than they were at this time yesterday. Â That is definitely something to be happy about.
