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, […]
Tag: Young Cubs
Johnson, Developing as a Reliever, Awaits Wrigley Call
Pierce Johnson, it seems like for as long as we can remember, has been the Cubs’ pitching prospect. At a time when hitters dominated the ranks of Chicago’s minor league system, and not to mention all the headlines, Johnson was alone on the pitching side. The hitters have graduated, but Johnson’s trajectory toward the big leagues […]
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 […]
Started From the Bottom, Not Yet Here: The Cubs’ Low-Level Pitching
The Cubs’ system isn’t exactly loaded with top-end pitching talent, especially at the upper levels, but don’t ever let anyone tell you that the Cubs don’t have any potential starting pitchers in the minors. Since Theo Epstein and company took over before the 2012 draft, the Cubs have made it clear that their plan is […]
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 […]
New Names, Same Story: Cubs Place Three in BP Top 50
The days of occult-like fan-following of the Cubs’ minor-league system have ended. It was a mania brought about by multiple factors, the greatest of which were a miserable on-field product at the major-league level, and arguably more importantly a historically* brilliant collection of talent in their minor-league system. In the span of just over one […]
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, […]
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) […]