Sample sizes are still small and caution is still in order, but what Dan Vogelbach has done in Tennessee this month is ridiculous.
Some argue that strikeout and walk rates are among the first statistics to settle into their normal ranges, and that by this time we should have enough numbers on most minor league players for those normal ranges to have emerged. If that is the case, and I am emphatically not making that argument myself, then Vogelbach’s walk rate of roughly 20% and strikeout rate of roughly 5%, not to mention his ISO in the low .300 range, have settled into their correct ranges and place him in an arguably unique place.
Including, I think, Dan Vogelbach over the long term. His BABIP will not stay .455, and I think, as that settles back to less fairy-tale-esque levels, his ISO will decline with it – at least back into the range of mere mortals. What will be really interesting is seeing what happens to those walk and strikeout rate numbers as his plate appearnces move him into the band of statistical significance.
[Iowa] Barrett Loux used 40 pitches over 2.2 innings, allowing a run on 5 hits. He did not walk or strikeout anyone, and left with an apparent elbow injury.
[Iowa] The Iowa bullpen was very good. Blake Cooper pitched 3.1 scoreless innings (1 H, 3 BB, 3 K), Hunter Cervenka threw one scoreless (1 H, 1 BB, 3 K), and James Russell again had a good game as he tossed a pair of scoreless frames (2 H, 4 K).
[Myrtle Beach] Duane Underwood allowed 2 runs (one earned) on 4 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 over 5 innings.
[Myrtle Beach] Gerardo Concepcion struck out a pair while giving up a run on 2 hits in his 2 innings, and Tayler Scott allowed nothing but a hit while striking out 4 in the final innings.
[Myrtle Beach] Billy McKinney finished 2 for 3. He was the only Pelican with a multi-hit day.
[South Bend] Zach Hedges gave up 3 runs on 7 hits over 5 innings while striking out 3. James Norwood relieved him with a pair of scoreless frames.
[South Bend] Chesny Young (1 for 3, double, walk) scored the Cubs’ only tally, and Gioskar Amaya (1 for 4) drove him in.
[South Bend] The only other extra base hit went to David Bote. He was the DH in this one.
Scores From Saturday
Iowa – At one point the Cubs led by six, but lost this one 9-8. Tennessee – Tennessee and Chattanooga swapped a couple of big innings in this game, but the Smokies came out bigger with a 16-10 win. Myrtle Beach – The Pelican fell behind early and never caught up. They lost 4-2. South Bend – South Bend led by nine after three and a half, and they won this game 9-2.
Performances of Note
[Iowa] Dallas Beeler started out fine, but ran into problems his second time through the batting order. His final line read 4 IP, 5 H, 7 R, 3 BB, 2 K).
[Iowa] Yoanner Negrin struck out 2 and allowed nothing in his 2 innings of relief.
[Iowa] Matt Szczur finished 3 for 5 with a stolen base. Taylor Teagarden also had 3 hits, including a triple.
[Iowa] Arismendy Alcantara doubled and struck out once.
[Tennessee] Given the wild nature of this game, Rob Zastryzny (3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 K) and C.J. Edwards (2 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) actually came out pretty well. P.J. Francescon also pitched a scoreless inning.
[Tennessee] Dan Vogelbach hit his 3rd homer of the season and finished 3 for 3 with 2 walks.
[Tennessee] Stephen Bruno hit a grand slam for his first homer of the year. That was the only hit for Bruno.
[Tennessee] Pin-Chieh Chen doubled and finished 3 for 5 with 3 runs scored.
[Myrtle Beach] Paul Blackburn gave up all 4 runs he allowed in the first inning, but then proceeded to pitch 4 scoreless innings after that. Ben Wells followed with three hitless innings, and Jasvir Rakkar threw a flawless ninth.
[Myrtle Beach] The majority of the Pelicans’ hits in this one came from Jacob Hannemann (3 for 4, double, walk) and Jeimer Candelario (3 for 4, double). Hannemann also stole his 7th base of the season.
[Myrtle Beach] Ben Carhart also doubled. He finished 1 for 4.
[South Bend] Trevor Clifton struck out 7 and allowed just one run on 3 hits in his 5 innings on the mound.
[South Bend] Justin Marra and Gleyber Torres each had 2 hits for the Cubs. Marra walked once, and Torres twice.
[South Bend] As a team the Cubs walked 9 times against 10 strikeouts.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – This game was rained out. Tennessee – The Smokies moved to five games over .500 with this 5-2 win. Myrtle Beach – In a rain shortened game, the Pelicans scored just in time to avoid being shut out. They still lost 6-1. South Bend – South Bend dialed back the offense a bit in this one. The only won by six in this 7-1 final.
Performances of Note
[Tennessee] Albert Almora finished 2 for 4 and stole his second base of the season. His line now reads .306/.343/.355 with 5 walks and 5 strikeouts.
[Tennessee] Stephen Bruno doubled and finished 2 for 4. His double was the only extra base hit. Bijan Rademacher also had 2 hits.
[Tennessee] Kyle Schwarber and Dan Vogelbach each finished 1 for 4.
[Tennessee] Frank Batista pitched a very nice game. Over 7 innings (86 pitches) he struck out 8 while allowing a run on 3 hits and 2 walks.
[Myrtle Beach] Jacob Hannemann had another 2 hit game, finishing 2 for 3. Jacob Rogers doubled and also finished 2 for 3.
[Myrtle Beach] Josh Conway pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed a hit, 2 walks, and struck out one.
[South Bend] Ryan Williams allowed just one hit over 6 innings while striking out 3. Francisco Carrillo and Tommy Thorpe combined to complete the game in hitless fashion (although a run did score off Carrillo thanks to a bunch of walks).
[South Bend] Gleyber Torres finished 3 for 4 with 2 more stolen bases. He now has 6 steals this season.
[South Bend] Trey Martin finished 2 for 4 and stole 2 bases of his own. He also has 6 on the year.
[South Bend] A Jesse Hodges double was the only extra base hit for the Cubs.
Other News
Looking for an early look at some possible Cubs’ options in the first round of the 2015 draft? Then look no further than yesterday’s This Week In The Minors.
The Myrtle Beach Pelicans have continued to add their video recaps to their YouTube page, and I highly recommend subscribing (if you haven’t already). These videos do not always appear on the Pelicans website, so be sure to check their channel on YouTube directly.
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NEWSLETTER
Sample sizes are still small and caution is still in order, but what Dan Vogelbach has done in Tennessee this month is ridiculous.
