We have a little bit of everything in the Daily today, including very good starts by Brailyn Marquez in Eugene and Matt Swarmer in Tennessee and Alex Lange in Myrtle Beach.
But since nothing starts a day off quite like a home run, how about this shot to left by Eugene’s noted speedster (and No. 39 on the Top 40) Fernando Kelli.
Need more? How about another blast to left by 2018 draftee D.J. Artis? This was the first Northwest League homer for Artis.
And since we’re already here, let’s go ahead and check out some of that very good Marquez pitching I mentioned a minute ago.
Triple A: Iowa Cubs
This game was suspended by rain.
Double A: Tennessee Smokies
Birmingham 2, Tennessee 0
The Smokies only allowed two solo homers, but they were unfortunately unable to score at all themselves.
Matt Swarmer: 6 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 1 BB, 6 K
Brad Markey: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
Jordan Minch: 1 IP, 1 H
Zack Short: 1 for 4
Jeffrey Baez: 0 for 2, 2 BB
Yasiel Balaguert: 2 for 4
High A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans
Myrtle Beach 1, Potomac 0 in nine innings
Potomac 1, Myrtle Beach 0
Believe it or not, the wind was blowing out in both games.
Alex Lange: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K
Manuel Rondon: 3 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
Aramis Ademan: 1 for 4
Game Two
James Buckelew: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 K
Jose Paulino: 4 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 K
D.J. Wilson: 1 for 3
Andruw Monasterio: 2 for 3
Low A: South Bend Cubs
Lake County 5, South Bend 2 in ten innings
Both South Bend runs came during a bottom of the ninth rally that tied the game.
Jeffrey Passantino: 7 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 5 K
Maikel Aguiar: 2 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
Christian Donahue: 1 for 2, 2B
Jimmy Herron: 2 for 4
Short Season A: Eugene Emeralds
Hillsboro 6, Eugene 4
Thanks to a pair of errors, the Emeralds allowed four unearned runs.
Brailyn Marquez: 6 IP, 1 R, 5 H, 7 K
Sean Barry: 1 IP, 4 R (0 ER), 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Cam Sanders: 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K
D.J. Artis: 2 for 4, HR
Nelson Velazquez: 1 for 4, 2B
Fernando Kelli: 1 for 2, HR
Rookie: AZL Cubs 1
Cubs One had the day off.
Rookie: AZL Cubs 2
Padres 7, Cubs Two 3
The game was delayed for over an hour due to wind.
Blake Whitney: 2 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 2 BB, 2 K
Luis Silva: 2.1 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K
Luis Diaz: 1 for 4, 2B
Raymond Pena: 1 for 3, BB
Alonso Gaitan: 1 for 3, BB
Miguel Pabon: 1 for 3, BB
Other Notes
In case you missed it yesterday, the Cubs have sent one more prospect out to finish off the Cole Hamels trade. As a 17 year old in the DSL, Ovalles, a left handed hitting outfielder, put up a very noteworth 17% walk rate on his way to a wRC+ of 137. I don’t rank prospects in the Dominican Summer League, so he wasn’t eligible for the Top 40, but he would have been in strong contention to slip into the bottom of the list as soon as he played a real game in the States. With Rollie Lacy and now Ovalles, Texas has chosen to play a bit of a long game in the Hamels trade, but I think in the end they’ll have done fairly well.
That’s not to say it was bad trade. Just the opposite. Even without Lacy the Cubs have more A ball pitching than you can shake a stick at, and the lower ranks of the system are so crowded with outfielders that I don’t know where Ovalles would have played when he did come over. The Cubs absolutely traded from strength without giving up any of their highest ceiling talent to reinforce a rotation badly in need of help. The Hamels trade was a good deal for the Cubs.
There is a very good story in Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) about how the Cubs lost a very good Intertional Free Agent last season. The Cubs signed Florenco Serrano out of the Mexican League under an arrangement (entirely legal) that would have paid him just the $300,000 that the Cubs were allowed to spend on one player. But the Mexican League team passed him more of the $1.2 million total than that $300k, and that got MLB involved, cost the Cubs the well regarded pitching prospect, and shut down all signings out of Mexico for now. No fault attaches to the Cubs here, and it is possible they could sign Serrano a second time when MLB removes the blockage. Check out the full article for all the details.
There is another very good story over on the Myrtle Beach Pelicans blog regarding Roberto Caro and how he got the call to return to High A. Caro is doing well in High A this round, a fact that allowed him to sneak onto the Top 40 at No. 38.
Ever wondered how the world would be different if the Myrtle Beach Pelicans were named after mako sharks? The Pelicans did, and you can pick up a memento of that alternate history on the MiLB Auction site.
Last night also marked the final night this year for Eugene’s Monarcas jerseys. I still think that was the best look in the farm system this year, and I hope they bring it back.
NEWSLETTER
