Outfielder Mark Zagunis is going to be heading back to AAA Iowa today. No word on his replacement yet – Brett or Michael will have the details when those are available – but I wanted to take the chance to defend Zagunis’ two months that will surely be mocked some today.
In his time with the Cubs, Zagunis was given six starts, and hit .333 in those games. Zagunis earned his roster spot because he could be a platoon option for either Jason Heyward or Kyle Schwarber against lefties, and he performed admirably in that role in a tiny sample. That he lost the role due to some defensive miscues in Atlanta, in my view, speaks more to management’s unwillingness to trust players with youthful developmental hurdles, rather than to his abilities as a player. That was all the way back on April 4, and Zagunis got just three more starts in the month and a half after that.
Yes, the volatility of young players isn’t ideal for a team with championship aspirations. But you definitely don’t want one bad game to outweigh the process that went into that starting opportunity in the first place. I look forward to seeing what Zagunis looks like in Iowa.
Onto some other minor league notes …
#Cubs Riley Thompson (2018 11th-round pick) is through a new career-high 6 scoreless frames for @SBCubs:
➡️ 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
This is the third time in 2019 for Thompson to toss 5 or more scoreless innings in an outing. @LouisvilleBSB pic.twitter.com/4Fikgfds3M
— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) May 25, 2019
Meet Peyton Remy. 17th round pick in 2017. Career 2.87 ERA and 10.5 K/9.
Hasn’t allowed a run in last 14.1 IP for SB. Remy, 22, still has a bit of projectability, but does damage with a FB that sits 91-92, good overhand CV and a newer slider.
Here’s a 3-pitch K featuring all 3. pic.twitter.com/tWOVGlyPJT
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) May 24, 2019
Update on former #2 overall pick LHP Danny Hultzen, currently on the comeback trail with the #Cubs: FB 94-96, hard SL 84-87 in dominant one-inning Extended Spring Training outing. #EverybodyIn
— Adam McInturff (@2080adam) May 24, 2019
Great follow around draft season: @Savermetrics. Recently these 3 tweets about high school guys hosted in Wrigley caught my eye. Last year, guys like Roederer and Franklin were brought in pre-draft, so this is valuable info to file away if you’re handicapping possible Cubs picks. pic.twitter.com/2KKpj8dAor
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) May 25, 2019