Now that we have seen a lot of player movement within the farm system, something to keep in mind when comparing stats between the various levels is that what numbers are “good” can vary a good bit between leagues.
It is possible, for example, that a player could have “worse” stats after a promotion but actually be performing slightly better compared to the league. Comparing back against league average numbers can be handy, especially until you get a feel for how the various leagues perform.
And with that in mind, here are the current league average slash lines, ERAs and WHIP for each league the Cubs are part of.
Pacific Coast League (Iowa): .270/.341/.426: ERA 4.67: WHIP 1.440
Southern League (Tennessee): .246/.324/.382: ERA 3.94: WHIP 1.329
Carolina League (Myrtle Beach): .249/.328/.375: ERA 3.92: WHIP 1.350
Midwest League (South Bend): .253/.328/.378: ERA 3.92: WHIP 1.359
Northwest League (Eugene): .247/.322/.381: ERA 3.91: WHIP 1.290
Arizona League (AZL Cubs): .252/.343/.360: ERA 4.39: 1.448
The differences aren’t always dramatic, but they are there. And there are some odd trends as well. The lowest league SLG, for example, is in the Arizona League, home of the second highest ERA. The Northwest League has the third highest league SLG and the worst OBP. Why? Good question. We can dig into that a different day.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
Nashville 8, Iowa 3
Iowa 5, Nashville 3
A few pitchers who could be up with the Cubs down the stretch pitched in this split.
Casey Coleman: 5 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 7 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Dillon Maples: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Ryan Court: 2 for 2, BB
Stephen Bruno: 1 for 3, HR
Game Two
Eddie Butler: 3 IP, 2 R, 5 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Alberto Bandonado: 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Dakota Mekkes: 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K
Mark Zagunis: 1 for 3, 2B
Taylor Davis: 2 for 3
Jason Vosler: 1 for 2, HR, BB
Ryan Court: 1 for 2, BB, 2 SB
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Birmingham 11, Tennessee 2
The usualy steady Smokies bullpen wasn’t as steady in this one.
Duncan Robinson: 5 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 4 K
Charcer Burks: 1 for 3, BB, SB
Ian Rice: 1 for 3, BB
Jesse Hodges: 1 for 4, 2B
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Myrtle Beach 3, Down East 2
Down East tried to rally in the ninth, but the Pelicans held on.
Cory Abbott: 5 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 5 BB, 4 K
Manuel Rondon: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 K
Aramis Ademan: 1 for 4, 2B, SB
Kevonte Mitchell: 2 for 4
Roberto Caro: 2 for 4, SB
Low A: South Bend Cubs
South Bend 6, Beloit 1
Beloit was held scoreless for the final eight innings.
Javier Assad: 5 IP, 1 R, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 K
Ben Hecht: 2 IP, 1 H, 3 K
Brian Glowicki: 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 4 K
Zach Davis: 2 for 3, BB
Rafael Narea: 1 for 4, 2B
Cam Balego: 2 for 4
Christian Donahue: 2 for 3, BB
Chris Singleton: 1 for 4, 3B
Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Spokane 2, Eugene 1
The Emeralds did not get on the board until the ninth.
Riley Thompson: 2 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Jeffrey Passantino: 5 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 5 K
Riley McCauley: 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 K
Jonathan Sierra: 1 fro 3, 2B
Gustavo Polanco: 1 for 3, HR
Rookie: AZL Cubs 1
Cubs One 4, Reds 1
Another very good day for the rehabbing pitchers.
Justin Steele: 4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 8 K
Ryan Webb: 1 IP, 2 K
Corey Black: 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K
Fauris Guerrero: 3 IP, 3 H, 4 K
Alexander Guerra: 1 for 3, 2B
Dalton Hurd: 1 for 2, 3B, BB
Jamie Galazin: 1 for 2, 2B
Rookie: AZL Cubs 2
Cubs Two 6, White Sox 4
Thanks to three errors, the Cubs did not allow an earned run.
Allen Webster: 1 IP, 1 R (0 ER), 2 H, 1 BB
Jack Patterson: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K
Elias Herrera: 2 IP, 3 R (0 ER), 2 K
Nathan Sweeney: 2 IP, 2 K
Reivaj Garcia: 2 for 5
Levi Jordan: 2 for 4, 2B
Fidel Mejia: 3 for 4, 2B
Other Notes
The extra roster slots opened up by adding a second Arizona Rookie League team not only have allowed the Cubs to get more playing time for their draft picks and International Free Agent signees, it has also allowed them to be much more aggressive in signing players from the independent leagues and to rehab contracts. We’ve talked about some of the independent league signees in the past (but not all of them).
And we can add Allen Webster to the veteran list (you may vaguely remember that the Cubs signed him a long time ago, but he hadn’t actually popped up until now). Webster was a pretty good pitching prospect for the Dodgers and Red Sox over the past decade, but he never stayed in the majors long. His last trip to the majors game in 2015 with the Diamondbacks. He missed all of 2016, and pitched in the minors for the Rangers last season. He is now in Mesa.
The first half of the season for Eugene ends on July 23, but the Emeralds are out of contention. Their elimination number is one and they trail Hillsboro by ten games.
The end of the first half for the Arizona League teams is going to be somewhere around that time (they haven’t published the exact date). Cubs 2 are out of contention (6.5 games back, elimination number of one), but Cubs 1 is right now tied for first with the D-backs in their division. If the Cubs 1 keep playing well, they could be the first team in the organization to clinch a playoff slot.
And finally, some highlights from South Bend last night:
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