Hello, readers. Welcome to another edition of “Young Cubs.” There has been a lot of recent movement throughout the system, as injuries, ineffectiveness, and a variety of other circumstances have caused roster spots to become open at each level of the minors. This is a trend that will likely only speed up in the coming weeks, as trades begin to be made, further injuries occur, and a handful of players take off for the Pan Am Games, including Albert Almora, Dan Vogelbach, and Jasvir Rakkar. Don’t be surprised to see moves like the recent call-up of Michael Heesch to Triple-A or Cael Brockmeyer to Double-A. With that being said, let’s begin!
BP Top 10 Update (Stats for 7/3-7/5)
- OF Albert Almora, Double-A Tennessee: 3-for-7, 2 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
- C Kyle Schwarber, Triple-A Iowa: 5-for-9, 1 2B, 3 BB, 0 K
- OF Billy McKinney, Double-A Tennessee: 1-for-7, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
- RHP Pierce Johnson, Double-A Tennessee: Did not pitch.
- SS Gleyber Torres, Low-A South Bend: 2-for-7, 2 2B, 2 BB, 0 K
- 1B Dan Vogelbach, Double-A Tennessee: Temporary Inactive List; There was no news on why he was placed on this list, so my guess would be that Vogelbach is joining Team USA early. This is also the case for Jasvir Rakkar and Team Canada, so it would make the most sense. I look forward to Vogelbach hitting some dingers on an international stage.
- LHP Carson Sands, Eugene Emeralds: Did not pitch.
- RHP Jen-Ho Tseng, High-A Myrtle Beach: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
- RHP Carl Edwards, Jr., Triple-A Iowa: Did not pitch.
- RHP Duane Underwood, Jr., High-A Myrtle Beach: 7-Day DL
The Non-Prospects
Javier Baez: He’s still hurt. I am sad. That is all.
Arismendy Alcantara: Mendy went 1-for-10 on the weekend with six strikeouts. He’s still struggling to make consistent hard contact, which is discouraging, especially for a player with such enormous potential. There seems to be a lot of work being done with his approach and swing, so only time will tell if he can turn things around.
Team Updates/Standings
Eugene Emeralds, Short Season-A, Northwest League: 10-8, first place in the South Division (tie w/Hillsboro Hops)
South Bend Cubs, Low-A, Midwest League: 6-5, 1 GB, second place in the Eastern Division (tied w/Lansing Lugnuts)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans, High-A, Carolina League*: 5-6, 1.5 GB of first place, second place in the Southern Division (tied w/Carolina Mudcats)
Tennessee Smokies, Double-A, Southern League: 5-4, 2 GB of first place, third place in the Northern Division
Iowa Cubs, Triple-A, Pacific Coast League: 42-40, 11.5 GB of first place, third place in the American Northern Division
*= Clinched playoff spot via first-half championship
Player To Watch: Cael Brockmeyer, 23, C, Tennessee Smokies
Brockmeyer was only four games into his first stint with High-A Myrtle Beach when the major league Cubs announced that David Ross had been placed on the 7-Day DL with a concussion. This meant there had to be roster shuffling, with Taylor Teagarden joining the Cubs, Taylor Davis going back to Triple-A Iowa, thus making Brockmeyer the only realistic option to be moved up to Tennessee. He promptly celebrated his second promotion in a week’s time by hitting a home run in only his second Double-A plate appearance. Brockmeyer will likely head back to High-A later this week, but he has a chance to show just how advanced he is both behind the plate and with the bat. I continue to remain bullish on Brockmeyer’s chances to help the Cubs’ organization in the future and am interested to see how he does with Tennessee, and then with Myrtle Beach.
Tweet(s) of the Weekend
Smokies pitcher P.J. Francescon was a Southern League All-Star this year, but he also comes in for some love as a Twitter All-Star this weekend. This tweet extolling the virtues of the things a good minor-league roommate does for you is classic. The minor leagues have a fair amount of necessary oddities, one of which is having a consistent roommate on the team, and when they are this kind to you, I imagine it makes all the difference in the world.
Can't beat when you wake up after a nap and your roommate @CblackCHC has enough feel to already have #SharkWeek on and a pizza on its way.
— PJ Francescon (@PJ_Flow20) July 6, 2015
Best Promotion of the Upcoming Week
If you’ve ever been to a minor-league baseball game, you’re likely aware that the teams have some great promotions. They are sometimes fun, sometimes silly, sometimes downright bonkers, and they ultimately are a large part of what make the minor league experience so much fun. Here, I will highlight an upcoming promotion that stands out to me.
Eugene Emeralds vs. Vancouver Canadians, Wednesday, July 8th, Sandlot Night: There are so very many classic lines from this great baseball movie. The Emeralds are celebrating the film at Wednesday night’s game, and are encouraging fans to come dressed as their favorite character. My favorite part of this is the implication that lines from the movie will be used to taunt the opposing players. That should truly be a sight to behold.
Game(s) To Look Forward To
Tennessee Smokies vs. Biloxi Shuckers, Thursday, July 9th, 7:05 PM ET: As I have often said, any Smokies game is a good one to watch, but especially one where the opposing team has at least one BP Top 100 prospect. This time, that prospect is SS Orlando Arcia, who is rated as the no. 1 prospect in the Brewers’ organization by our BP prospect team. They also feature the Brewers’ no. 2 prospect in Tyrone Taylor, so this is a fun lineup for the Smokies to go up against. Tune in to see all the prospect-y goodness on display.