On Friday, Jake Arrieta delivered a seven-inning, no-run, ten-strikeout, one-walk, 99-pitch performance against the Cardinals. Over the last two years, we have become accustomed to this type of performance from Arrieta, and so, with the playoff implications of the game more theoretical than anything else, we glossed over it a bit and focused more on […]
Author: Nate Greabe
Young Cubs: Call Me (Up) Maybe
With only one week (!) of games remaining, the minor league regular season is suddenly winding down. For the Cubs, it’s been a season of mixed results in the upper minors. Iowa has struggled record-wise, but has continually produced productive players at the major league level. Players like Willson Contreras, Albert Almora, Rob Zastryzny, Carl Edwards […]
Young Cubs: Oscar De La Cruz-ing
We’ve had some great prospect coverage at BP Wrigleyville recently, so I encourage you to check out Ryan Davis on Albert Almora Jr. and Pierce Johnson, and Carlos Portocarrero on Jack Leathersich. Now, let’s check in on some happenings from the farm. Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) (54-69) Almora Jr. is hitless in his last three games in Iowa, […]
Young Cubs: Taking Stock
As farm systems are wont to do, the Cubs farm system has undergone several facelifts over the past few years. The face of the system has moved in quick succession from Javier Baez to Albert Almora to Kris Bryant to Kyle Schwarber to Willson Contreras (with Jorge Soler and Addison Russell nestled in between). This […]
Young Cubs: Finding MLB Value One Way or Another
We’re now in the middle of July, which means that you won’t open up your browser much over the next few weeks without seeing trade speculation. Much of this will be wild—hopefully at least some will be measured—but there is no doubt that some trades will be made this month, and there is little doubt that much […]
Young Cubs: Promotion Season Is Upon Us
The last few weeks have been rife with promotions. The most notable, of course, have come at the big-league level, with Albert Almora Jr., Willson Contreras, and Carl Edwards Jr. getting called up to the somewhat short-handed Cubs. But players have been bouncing up levels all across the minors, too, so let’s get caught up […]
Catching up with Duncan Robinson, Cubs Ninth-Round Draft Pick
Duncan Robinson, 22, is listed at 6’6″/220 and was one of the many tall right-handed pitchers the Cubs selected in last week’s draft. Equipped with a low-90s fastball and a big curveball, he was named the Ivy League Pitcher of the Year in 2015. He was drafted last Friday, graduated from Dartmouth College last Sunday, drove […]
Young Cubs: Welcome to Graduation
I don’t graduate until Sunday, so Albert Almora officially beat me out for our first big Young Cubs graduation of the year. It’s likely that Almora will spend more time in Triple-A at some point this year, but his year-to-date stats show that the promotion was well-deserved. He slashed .318/.335/.444 in Iowa, with three homers, […]
Game 55 Recap: Diamondbacks 3 Cubs 2
The Cubs and Jake Arrieta lost a weird one at Wrigley today but finished up what was, overall, an extremely successful homestand. Let’s recap: Top Play (WPA): Arrieta’s second inning double, which he hit 378 feet to center before it popped out of Michael Bourn’s glove up against the ivy, was the top offensive play of […]
Young Cubs: Jimenez Powering Up
The big-league Cubs have largely struggled since I last wrote, but things are still looking very good down on the farm. A few big name prospects have made some big strides in recent weeks, while some have simply continued to play well. Let’s take a spin around the minors and catch up. Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) […]