Results tagged ‘ Ryan McNeil ’
Cubs Instructs 2012: Soler Goes Boom

Jorge Soler connected on his first home run of the Instructional League as the Cubs beat up the Giants 8-3 yesterday afternoon. Pierce Johnson was outstanding on the mound for the Cubs going 2.2 innings allowing no runs on only one hit, he walked two and struck out one in his instructs debut. Ryan McNeil also got a chance to pitch yesterday afternoon, he struggled with command but had a decent outing. McNeil went 1.1 innings giving up one run on one hit while walking two and striking out one.
As I mentioned already, Jorge Soler launched a solo shot in the victory, he finished the day 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI, and two runs scored. Chadd Krist also got a hold of one in the victory, he was 1-for-2 with a home run, and an RBI. Trevor Gretzky also had a big day at the plate going 2-for-2 with two singles, and two RBI’s. The instructional league is just that, a league for instruction and it’s pretty clear that the Cubs are buying what the Cubs brass is trying to teach. Over the first three games in Arizona the Cubs have drawn 20 walks, 20! That is outstanding, and something worth noting as that is exactly what the Cubs front office wants to see, young prospects working counts and taking their walks.
Notables:
Marco Hernandez; 2-for-2, double, RBI, SB
Shawon Dunston Jr.; 1-for-2, RBI, SB
Ben Carhart; 1-for-2, double, RBI
Please visit The Cub Reporter for a full box score and recap of Monday’s game.
Thanks for reading,
- George
8/27: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here is the start of the last week of the regular season in the minor leagues. The Boise Hawks were off and Daytona was postponed.
The Cubs scored three in the second and that was enough as they beat the Giants 3-1. Ryan McNeil was outstanding pitching four scoreless, hitless innings. he did however walk three and struck out two, his ERA now sits at 1.35. Corbin Hoffner was equally as impressive striking out five in two scoreless innings. After Chad Marin gave up a run, Alvido Jimenez came in and struck out two, pitching 1.1 perfect innings and getting the win. Steve Perakslis pitched the ninth and notched his second save of the season. Yasiel Balaguert was all the offense the Cubs needed hitting a three-run home run in the second. Carlos Penalver, David Bote, and Dan Lockhart all had a hits a piece in the Cub win.
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Peoria beat Wisconsin again on Monday, beating them 7-3. Starling Peralta was good on Monday starting and getting his fifth win of the year. He pitched six innings allowing two runs on three hits, while walking two and striking out eight. Luis Liria struck out two in two innings and Bryce Shafer pitched the final frame giving up a run and striking one out. Jacob Rogers had another nice night at plate going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. Bijan Rademacher had two hits of his own knocking in two on the night and Chadd Krist had a hit and an RBI as well. Timothy Saunders and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and scored a run, with Saunders stealing his seventh base of the season. Jorge Soler had a double and scored two runs in the win.
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Tennessee scored five in the first two innings and held on to beat Mobile 5-3. Dae-Eun Rhee started and got the win going five innings, allowing two runs, one earned on eight hits. Zach Rosscup, Casey Weathers, and Tony Zych combined to pitch the next three innings and got the ball to Brian Schlitter who notched his fifth save of the season pitching a perfect ninth. Jae-Hoon Ha had nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. Junior Lake and Logan Watkins each had two hits, with Watkins scoring a run and Lake having a double. Matt Szczur and Rubi Silva each had a hit in the Smokies win.
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Iowa scored two in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough losing to Nashville 4-3. Seth McClung started and took the loss allowing four runs on eight hits in five innings. Esmailin Caridad, Jaye Chapman, and Marcus Hatley all pitched a hitless and scoreless inning each of baseball. Greg Rohan ended the night 2-for-4 with a home run, his fourth since moving to Iowa. Dave Sappelt hit his seventh homer of the season, a two run shot in the ninth. James Adduci, Tony Campana, and Alfredo Amezaga all had a hit in the Cubs loss on Monday night.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/17: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Our daily trip through the Cubs system.
The AZL Cubs out hit the A’s, but also made five errors and lost 4-3. Ryan McNeil got the start going three innings allowing no runs on two hits, while striking out two. Rafael Dolis pitched another scoreless innings in relief. The fourth inning is really where the defense cost the Cubs as Corbin Hoffner gave up three runs, only one earned in two innings. Alvido Jimenez took the loss allowing one run on two hits in two inning of work. Yasiel Balaguert had another nice night at the plate going 2-for-4 including a triple and an RBI. Carlos Penalver and David Bote also had two hits, Bote had a triple and scored a run. Alberto Mineo was 1-for-4 and drove in a run of his own. Daniel Lockhart, Shawon Dunston, and Trevor Gretzky all had one hit in the loss.
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Boise put seven early, but had to hold on to beat Tri-City 7-6. The Hawks put up thirteen hits and had several players have a multi hit game. Dan Vogelbach was 3-for-5 including a triple and an RBI. Stephen Bruno had only one hit, but made it count hitting a three-run homer in the fourth. Albert Almora continued his hot stretch going 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Izaac Garsez and Lance Rymel each had a two hits and they both drove in one. Jeimer Candelario only had one hit, but drove in another run. Rock Shoulders and Marco Hernandez each had a hit in the victory as well. Justin Amlung started, but did not factor in the decision as he only lasted two innings allowing one run on three hits. Michael Heesch pitched the next two innings and got the win for Boise. James Pugliese and Su-Min Jung each struggled over the next three innings, but got the game to Eduardo Orozco with the lead. Orozco closed out the game recording his fifth save as he pitched two scoreless innings striking out three. Although they allowed Tri-City to mount a comeback it was good to see Boise hold on.
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Peoria lost to Burlington on Friday 5-4. Starling Peralta got the start and pitched pretty good giving up three runs, two earned on five hits in six innings. He also struck out eight in the no decision. Austin Reed took the loss in relief giving up two runs in his one inning of work. Bryce Schafer struck out three in two scoreless innings. Chadd Krist got back on track going 2-for-3 with a home run and a double. Wes Darvill and Dustin Geiger each contributed offensively with a solo home run a piece. Timothy Saunders added a triple and Sergio Burruel also had a hit. Jorge Soler was back in the lineup, but really struggled going 0-for-4 with three strike outs. It has been a tough stretch for Peoria as of late.
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Going into the eighth Daytona was tied at two, but gave up three runs in the inning and lost 5-2. Kyle Hendricks started and went four innings allowing two runs on three hits in a no decision. Kyler Burke continued his struggles since going to Daytona as he gave up three runs in five innings taking his seventh loss at Daytona. Christian Villanueva had a nice night going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. John Andreoli and Nelson Perez each added two hits as well, both having a double. Javier Baez had another hit and stole two bases, his first two since moving up. Rafael Lopez added a hit in the losing effort on Friday.
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Tennessee scored two in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as they lost 5-4 to Birmingham on Friday. Starting pitcher Dae-Eun Rhee took the loss giving up four runs on nine hits in just 4.2 innings. Trey McNutt gave up a run, but struck out two in his 1.1 inning of work. Casey Weathers and Brian Schlitter combined to pitch the last two innings of scoreless baseball. Rubi Silva was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Jae-Hoon Ha, Justin Bour, and Chad Noble all drove in a run without getting a base hit on Friday. Junior Lake was 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored. Logan Watkins had a double and scored a run on the night as well.
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Tied going to the eighth, Iowa put up four in the eighth and three in the ninth to beat Tucson 8-1. Dave Sappelt had a big night going 3-for-5 with a home run and a double. He also drove in four on the night. Alfredo Amezaga also had three hits and scored two runs. Diory Hernandez had a double and drove in two. Greg Rohan and Jeff Frazier each had a hit and had an RBI a piece. Nate Samson contributed to the victory with two hits of his own. In his first start with the Cubs Horacio Ramirez went six strong giving up only one run on six hits. Scott Maine got the win striking out three in his two innings and Jairo Asencio pitched a scoreless ninth to close out the game.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/12: Around the Cubs Minor League System
The Cubs minor’s report for Sunday, August 12.
The AZL Cubs took a 6-1 lead early, but lost a heartbreaker 10-8, giving up five in the seventh. Albert Almora continued to impress going 2-for-3 with a double, one RBIs, and two runs scored. Carlos Penalver and Alberto Mineo each had two hits with Penalver hitting a double and driving a run in. Garrett Schlect and Trevor Gretzky each had a hit with Schlect knocking one in. Jacob Rogers and Yasiel Balaguert also drove in a run. Ryan McNeil started, giving up one run on two hits, while striking out two in two innings. Jin-Young Kim struck out two and gave up two unearned runs. After Arturo Maltos-Garcia gave up a run in his one inning the game really took a turn. Corbin Hoffner took the loss, but didn’t get any help giving up six unearned runs on seven hits in 1.2 innings. Jasvir Rakkar recorded the last four outs not allowing a baserunner and striking one out. The Cubs need to be better defensively as they gave up eight unearned runs on Sunday.
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Salem Keizer scored five in the seventh and held on to beat Boise 10-9. Justin Amlung started for the Hawks pitching the first two innings allowing one run on three hits and striking out one. Michael Heesch gave up two runs in his two innings of work. James Pugliese was not very good on Sunday giving up seven runs, five earned on eight hits in just 2.2 innings. Matt Iannazzo gave the Hawks a chance getting the final seven outs not allowing a run and striking out two. Boise had a few nice nights at the plate on Sunday. Xavier Batista was 2-for-4 with a two home runs and five RBIs. Wilson Contreras also got into the fun going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Marco Hernandez also had two hits and Stephen Bruno went 3-for-5. We have come to expect great things from Dan Vogelbach, but tonight was not his night as he went 0-for-5. Boise will look to get back on track in their next one.
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After beating Beloit yesterday Peoria dropped one today losing 6-5. Zeke DeVoss was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base, his 34th of the season. Wes Darvill had his second nice game in a row going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Pin-Chieh Chen and Dustin Geiger each had a hit and drove in a run a piece. Our nightly Jorge Soler watch was back in effect as he went 1-for-3 with a walk. After his outstanding outing earlier in the week Starling Peralta was back on the mound on Sunday. He pitched six innings allowing six runs, three earned on five hits and five walks. Pete Levitt pitched the final two innings, striking out two and not allowing a run. Soler and the Chiefs will be back in action against the Snappers tomorrow.
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Daytona was cancelled once again on Sunday.
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The Tennessee Smokies pitching staff was the story in this one beating Huntsville 4-0. In his first start Yoannis Negrin pitched great throwing five innings giving up no runs on one hit and striking out four. Zach Rosscup and Casey Weathers combined to pitch the next 2.2 innings and Frank Batista recorded his 21st save striking out two in 1.1 innings. A big congrats to Justin Bour as he drove in two runs on one hit bring his RBI total to 100. Junior Lake went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Logan Watkins had a nice night going 1-for-2 with three walks, three runs scored, and two stolen bases. Matt Szczur and Jae-Hoon Ha each had a hit of their own. We’ll see if the Smokies can keep it going.
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In a continuation from Saturday Iowa hung on to beat Las Vegas 10-8 in game one. Greg Rohan was 3-for-5 with three RBIs. Dave Sappelt added three hits of his own, including two doubles and a triple. He also scored two runs and drove two in. Blake Lalli has been getting some more playing time and has been doing quite well as he added two hits of his own, including a home run and two RBIs. Jeff Frazier and Brian Esposito each had two hits with Frazier knocking in three. The Cubs had to use a lot of pitchers in this one as Casey Coleman had to leave early and the game was called when winning pitcher Esmailin Caridad was on the mound when the game was called Saturday. Blake Parker, Marcus Hatley and Jay Jackson combined to pitch the next 3.2 innings before giving the ball to Jairo Asencio. Asencio closed out game one recording his second save.
Iowa dropped game two to Las Vegas losing 3-2 in a seven inning game. Frankie De La Cruz started and took the loss giving up all three runs on five hits in five innings. He also struck out seven and walked four. In his return to Iowa Scott Maine pitched the final inning of this one. Alfredo Amezaga was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI. Blake Lalli and Diory Hernandez each had two hits of their own in game two. Greg Rohan added a hit and knocked in a run, his 13th since being in Iowa. It’s good to see Iowa get the split in this one.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/7: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Here’s what happened in the Cubs minor league system on Tuesday night.
The AZL Cubs got back on track beating the Angels 6-1. The Cubs used four pitchers, all doing a nice job. Ryan McNeil struggled with his control, but struck out four and allowed no runs in 2.1 innings. Anthony Prieto thew two scoreless innings and Loiger Padron got his fourth win of the season striking out three in three scoreless innings. He is now 4-0 with a 1.88 ERA. Shawon Dunston had only one hit, but drove in an impressive three runs. Jorge Soler went for with an RBI and Albert Almora added a hit of his own. Both top prospects stole two bases and scored a run. Dan Lockhart had a hit and Carlos Penalver knocked in one in the victory. After a couple tough days for the Cubs it was back to business as usual on Tuesday night.
Tuesday didn’t go to plan for Boise as they lost to Everett 6-3. Dan Vogelbach hit his third home run since going to Boise and ended the night 1-for-3. Gioskar Amaya had two more hits, including a triple and an RBI. Izaac Garsez went 2-for-2 with a run scored and Wilson Contreras had a hit and an RBI. Jeimer Candelario and Marco Hernandez each had a hit on Tuesday night as well. James Pugliese pitched four innings allowing one run on six hits, while striking out six in a ND. Michael Heesch allowed three runs in two innings and took the loss. Boise has had a nice run as of late, so they will get back at it tomorrow.
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Starling Peralta was the story in this one as the Peoria won 5-3. Peralta thew seven innings allowing one run on two hits and struck out 14. Yes you read that right, he struck out 14. Bryce Shafer struggled, but Larry Suarez came in to pitch a scoreless 1.1 innings and record his first save of the season. Offensively had one of his best, if not his best game of his young career. He went 4-for-4 with two doubles, one triple, four runs scored, and a stolen base. Chadd Krist and Wes Darvill each had two hits, and Krist drove in two runs. Pin-Chieh Chen and Yaniel Cabezas each added a hit and an RBI. Peralta really just put the Chiefs on his back in this one and had night to remember.
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Daytona picked up the win beating Lakeland 6-1. Austin Kirk was good giving up one run on four hits in 5.2 innings. He got the win and improved his record to 7-3. Jeffrey Lorick and AJ Morris combined to pitch the last 3.3 innings allowing no runs. It took a couple of games, but Javier Baez finally had his coming out party in Daytona. He went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Christian Villanueva was 1-for-3 with a double and two RBIs. Rubi Silva added an RBI and John Andreoli went 2-for-3 with a run scored and three stolen bases, he now has 47 on the year. Everyone else in the lineup contributed with a hit on Tuesday as it was one of those rare games where everyone ends with a hit.
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A six run first was way too much to come back from for Tennessee as they lost to Jackson 10-4. In his second start with the Smokies Jacob Brigham really struggled giving up six runs on six hits in just 0.2 innings. The Smokies would use five more pitchers on the evening. Kevin Rhoderick pitched better than he has been pitching 1.1 scoreless ball. Brian Schlitter and Dustin Harrington combined to pitch the last 2.1 innings not allowing a run. Need I say it, Justin Bour was 2-for-3 with yet another RBI and Nelson Perez had two hits of his own. Matt Szczur, Logan Watkins, and Matt Cerda all had triples on Tuesday. Junior Lake, Nate Samson, and Chad Noble all contributed with an RBI a piece. It was definitely a tough start for Brigham, but the Smokies will look to get back on track tomorrow.
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Iowa put up seven on Tuesday and that was enough as the beat Reno 7-4. Ty’Relle Harris was quite impressive pitching six innings allowing only two runs and striking out five. Jaye Chapman pitched a scoreless 0.2 innings, striking out both outs he recorded. Jairo Asencio earned his first save by striking out one in one inning. Dave Sappelt had a nice night going 2-for-4 with two RBIs. James Adduci hit a double and knocked in three and Alfredo Amezaga added two hits and scored two runs. Matt Tolbert added a double and drove in one run . It is nice to see Iowa get a win, hope they can keep it going.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
8/2: Around the Cubs Minor League System
Nightly minor league recap for August 2, 2012.
The AZL Cubs let things get interesting in the ninth, but they held on to win 6-5. It was a good night for the highly touted prospects of the Cubs. Albert Almora was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Jorge Soler also had a double and drove in two runs on Thursday. Shawon Dunston and Jacob Rogers each had two hits with Dunston driving one run in. Anthony Prieto started and pitched two scoreless innings. He was relieved by 2012 3rd round pick Ryan McNeil who got his first professional win. McNeil struck out two in two innings of work. Jin-Young Kim came in to close things down recording the final two outs of the game and earning his second save. As much as it got close it was still good to see the Cubs get the win.
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As good as Boise has been lately Thursday was not there night losing 15-1. In a game like that there just aren’t too many highlights, but we will try to find a couple. Marco Hernandez and Daniel Vogelbach each had two hits, which those four were the only hits the Hawks had all night. Vogelbach drove in his sixth run since being landing in Boise. James Pugliese got the start and took the loss, but all five runs he gave up were unearned in his five innings of work. Michael Heesch, Rafael Diplan, and Lance Rymel all struggled in relief. hopefully the Hawks can forget about this one and get back on track tomorrow.
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Peoria just didn’t have enough to get the win tonight dropping Thursday’s game to Quad Cities 6-4. Starling Peralta started and took the loss in this one going five innings giving up three runs on three hits, while walking three and striking out six. The game took a turn for the worse when Justin Berg entered and he gave up three runs, unfortunately for him all were unearned in his two innings of work. Sheldon McDonald threw a scoreless ninth striking out one. After an eight RBI two home run performance how could Dustin Geiger do anything close. Well, he went 3-for-4 with a double and a home run staying red-hot. Bijan Rademacher and Pin-Chieh Chen each had two hits, with Chen driving in two. Oliver Zapata had a hit and an RBI and Wes Darvill hit a triple. Javier Baez had a rare rough day going 0-for-4. Peoria will look back to getting on track tomorrow.
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Daytona stayed hot and won another one Thursday defeating Fort Myers 8-2. The story of the night came from newly acquired Christian Villanueva who came over in the Ryan Dempster deal. In his first two at bats in the Cubs organization he hit two home runs. He ended the night going 2-for-3 with two home runs, two runs scored, and two RBIs. Ronald Torreyes continues to just hit going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs. John Andreoli, Rafael Lopez, and Timothy Saunders all had two hits a piece with Lopez driving in one. Robert Whitenack started, but didn’t last long enough to get the win, as he only allowed one run, but struggled with his control walking four. Ryan Searle got the win in relief, his fifth of the season. He struck out five in 3.1 innings allowing only one run on two hits. AJ Morris threw the last two inning allowing no runs and striking out one. Daytona is trying to make a push here as they are really playing well as of late.
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Not much good came out of this one as Tennessee lost to Pensacola 6-1. Tennessee was only able to muster up two hits, both coming off the bat of Logan Watkins. Watkins ended the game 2-for-4 with a home run. In his first appearance in the Cubs organization Jacob Brigham only lasted three innings allowing three runs, two earned on five hits. He also walked three and struck out two. Zach Rosscup pitched five innings in relief allowing one run and striking out four and Tony Zych struggled in his one inning of relief. Tomorrow is a new day.
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Iowa lost another losing to Colorodo Springs 7-4 on Thursday. Brooks Raley took the loss giving up six runs on 10 hits in six innings. Marcus Hatley pitched two really nice innings striking out three and not allowing a base runner. Josh Vitters and Dave Sappelt each got back on track as they both went 3-for-5. Greg Rohan followed his big day yesterday with another two hit, two RBI performance tonight. James Adduci had two more hits and drove in one run. Brett Jackson had one hit and stole his 26th base of the season. There isn’t much more that can be said for Iowa that hasn’t been said already.
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Thanks for Reading,
-Mark
Minor League Monthly: July 2012
Here is a recap for the month of July for the Cubs minor league system. There are a lot of players who had a good July, but I limited it to a player of the month/pitcher of the month at each level.
AZL Cubs: 21-10 (1st place)
July Record: 14-8
The Cubs had a pretty good month of July to go along with a great start to the season and they are in first place as of today. There were a lot of exciting things happening in Mesa, mainly the debut’s of both Albert Almora and Jorge Soler. There were other exciting debut’s as pitchers Dillon Maples and 2012 draftees Paul Blackburn (56 overall) and Ryan McNeil (3rd round) started there professional careers. Finally Daniel Vogelbach just crushed the ball before being promoted to Boise. He left the Cubs hitting .324 with seven home runs, 12 doubles, and 31 RBIs.
Player of the Month: Ben Carhart
The 22-year old third baseman was drafted in the 35th round of this years draft out of Stetson University. This month he hit a robust .400. with one home run, six doubles, 14 runs scored, and 12 RBIs. He slugged .550 and had an OBP of .486 bringing his OPS to 1.036.
Pitcher of the Month: Carlos Martinez-Pumarino
In his first year in the organization, the 21 year-old pitcher has been very good. This month Martinez-Pulmarino was 1-0 with a 1.15 ERA. He pitched 15.2 innings in six games, all but one out of the bullpen. He struck out 14, allowed only five hits and walked four in July.
Boise Hawks: 5-2 (1st place second half)
July Record: 12-17
Boise was off to a really rough start, but have been hot of late winning six out of their last eight and four in a row. Luckily for them the second half has just started, so as far as the second half goes they are off to a nice start.
Player of the Month: Gioskar Amaya
At only 19-years old the infielder has impressed with the bat thus far at Boise and July was no different. He hit .330 with four home runs, four triples, and three doubles. Amaya knocked in 13 and scored an impressive 24 runs while stealing six bags. He had an OBP of .407 and slugged .567 brining his OPS to .974.
Pitcher of the Month: Tayler Scott
The 20-year old starting pitcher had quite a nice July. He started six games and went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA. In his 30 innings pitched he gave up 21 hits, walked 14, and struck out 20. Scott was drafted last year in the fifth round out of Notre Dame Prep High School in Scottsdale, AR.
Peoria Chiefs: 15-22 (7th place second half)
July Record: 12-16
July was not the best of months for the Chiefs and they will have some work to do to get back in the playoff picture. Catcher Chadd Krist came up from Boise and has continued to hit and Pin-Chieh Chen has been on quite a tear over the last couple weeks. Peoria will look to have a good August and make up a lot of ground in hopes to get back in the race.
Player of the Month: Javier Baez
Wow did the 2011 first round pick have a great month. The 19-year old shortstop hit .368 with with seven home runs, three triples, and six doubles. Baez drove in 20 runs, scored 21, and stole eight bags. His OPS for the month was 1.076 as he slugged an impressive .679 and had an OBP of .397. It was quite the month for the highly touted Cubs prospect.
Pitcher of the Month: Joseph Zeller
Zeller, 24 pitched well in July going 2-2 with a 1.65 ERA in six appearances, five starts. He pitched 32.2 innings giving up 32 hits, walking seven, and striking out 14. He isn’t a huge strikeout pitcher and he gave up a hit an inning, but it is impressive to see the ERA as low as it was in the month.
Daytona Cubs: 18-21 (5th place second half)
July Record: 12-17
Daytona didn’t have their best month, but there were some highlights to go along with the disappointing record. Matt Szczur was promoted to Tennessee after Jae-Hoon Ha was injured. Szczur had been one of Daytona’s most consistent performers throughout the year and it will take some adjustments for them to get back on track without him. The Cubs will have to make up a lot of ground in August as they sit six games back going into today.
Player of the Month: Ronald Torreyes
At only 19-years old the second baseman is starting to really hit. After a disappointing first couple months Torreyes had a very good June and followed it with a nice July. He hit .333 with one home run, two triples, and seven doubles. He also drove in 18, scored 16, and stole seven bases. Torreyes was brought over in the Sean Marshall deal.
Pitcher of the Month: Matt Loosen
Loosen went 4-1 in six starts in July. He had an ERA of 3.08 throwing 38 innings, giving up 26 hits, walking 13, and striking out 35.
Tennessee Smokies: 17-20 (4th place second half)
July Record: 12-16
A sub .500 record in July wasn’t what the Smokies were looking for as they currently are 5.5 games behind the division leader. The month was highlighted when Matt Szczur was promoted to Tennessee. The reason he was promoted was because of an unfortunate accident when Jae-Hoon Ha got a concussion. The Smokies need to got hot in order to make a run at the division.
Player of the Month: Justin Bour
The 24-year old first baseman has had a good season and July was no different. He hit .337 with four home run and eight double. Bour drove in an impressive 25 runs which brings him to 84 on the season. He slugged .529 and had an OBP of .381 with an OBP of .909. It will be fun to watch Bour’s pursuit of 100 RBIs.
Pitcher of the Month: Eric Jokisch
Jokisch, 23 was 4-1 with a 2.57 ERA in five July starts. In 28 innings pitched he struck out 2o, walked eight, and surrendered 21 hits. We all know the Cubs system is light on arms, but Jokisch has had a pretty good season up to this point.
Iowa Cubs: 42-69 (Last place)
July Record: 8-20
Things don’t get much worse than an 8-20 month, but maybe it is when August is starting and you are 24 games back. It was going to be tough when Rizzo was brought up, but I don’t think anyone was expecting a month like this. There weren’t too many bright spots, but there were some. Josh Vitters had a good month, not great, but good. James Adduci came up from Tennessee and did well in the 18 games he played in compiling and OPS of .999. All Iowa can hope for now is to end the season on a high note.
Player of the Month: Dave Sappelt
The 25-year old outfielder had his best month since coming over from Reds. Sappelt hit .317 in July hitting one home run, one triple, and eight doubles. He scored 16 runs and drove in 12 while stealing eight bases. He got on base at a .368 clip and slugged .442. It was nice to see Sappelt have a good month and my guess is we will see him in Chicago at some point this season.
Pitcher of the Month: Esmailin Caridad
I bet you didn’t expect to hear that name again, but he had quite an impressive month. In 18.2 innings Caridad gave up 14 hits, walked 7, and struck out 22 as his ERA stands at 0.92 for the month of July. if Caridad can continue we might see him again in big leagues.
It wasn’t the best month for the Cubs farm system, but there were some good things as well as some really exciting things. There were a lot of hitters and pitchers who could have been included and narrowing it down to only one per level was tough. Hope you like it.
Thanks for Reading,
-Mark

































