This recap covers the period July 31 to August 2. It was a very different trade deadline for the Cubs, as they made only minor improvements to the pitching staff and (in contrast to previous years) didn’t really add prospects by selling off a veteran or two. So, there’s not much new blood to talk about today.
The Weekend at a Glance
| The Top 10 | ||
| Name | Level | Stats |
| Gleyber Torres | Low-A South Bend | 1-for-9, 4 SO |
| Kyle Schwarber | MLB | — |
| Billy McKinney | Double-A Tennessee | 2-for-8, 1 BB |
| Albert Almora, Jr. | Double-A Tennessee | 2-for-12, 2 RS |
| Pierce Johnson | Double-A Tennessee | DNP |
| Dan Vogelbach | Disabled List | — |
| Carson Sands | Short-Season Eugene | 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO |
| Jen-Ho Tseng | High-A Myrtle Beach | DNP |
| Carl Edwards, Jr. | Triple-A Iowa | 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO |
| The Others | ||
| Name | Level | Stats |
| Javier Baez | Triple-A Iowa | 5-for-13, 4 RS, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 7 SO |
| Arismendy Alcantara | Triple-A Iowa | 2-for-5, 2 RS |
| Christian Villanueva | Triple-A Iowa | 4-for-15, 2 RS, 1BB, 2 SO |
| The Teams | |||
| Name | Level | Stats | Notes |
| Eugene Emeralds | Short-A | 4-3, 1 GB | Eloy Jimenez is 9-for-41 in his last 10 GP. |
| South Bend Cubs | Low-A | 18-19, 4 GB | Jake Stinnett’s line from SAT: 6.0 IP, 5 HA, 2 RA, 0 BB, 5 SO. |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | High-A | 21-17, 2.5 GB | Tucker Blair will have a full scouting piece on MB soon. |
| Tennessee Smokies | Double-A | 16-19, 8 GB | Jeimer Candelario is 12-for-34 over his last 10 GP. |
| Iowa Cubs | Triple-A | 58-50, 8 GB | Mike Olt is 17-for-41 with 3 HR over his last 10 GP. |
Notes: Schwarber got some praise for his catching from Clayton Richard this past week. He’s earned some playing time back there, but I go back to the body profile and I just can’t see that lasting long term behind the plate … Don’t forget about Christian Villanueva; the OFP here is limited because his bat to ball ability is light but Villanueva can be a 50 OFP at third because of his glove and some power, which is a big deal … Meanwhile, at Triple-A, Fun Javy showed up, complete with the strikeouts.
What to Watch For
Paul Blackburn: The aforementioned Tucker Blair saw Blackburn over the weekend ,and he will be included in Tucker’s ‘Scout the Series’ piece that should run later this week. Blair outlined this in his earlier StS piece, but it’s worth pointing out that finding a 50 OFP guy in the lower minors is a big deal. While Blackburn’s profile isn’t that of a frontline starter, he can be useable as a backend guy who can eat some innings.
Ian Happ: The Cubs’ first pick in 2015 is 12-for-40 over his last ten games and is 9-for-31 at South Bend. I’ll be putting eyes on him at the end of the week. Happ’s calling card is an advanced approach to hitting, so he should be able to handle himself just fine in Low-A South Bend to finish out the year.
Smokies v. Barons, August 5, 2015: Frankie Montas will bring his large frame and 102-mph fastball to Tennessee, as he will toe the rubber against the Smokies. Keep a close eye on how Almora and McKinney handle the velocity here.
Absolutely love this series and the new format today. Thank you very much