Yardbarker: Felix Pie

07/12/2008 Cubs Minor League Performances

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:37:58 -0500

Albuquerque @ Iowa, W, 6-10 Tenn @ West Tenn, L, 2-10 Clearwater @ Daytona, W, 1-5 West Mich @ Peoria, W, 0-2 Eugene @ Boise, L, 10-6 AZL Angels @ AZL Cubs, W, 5-6 DSL Cubs1 @ DSL White Sox1, L, 1-3 DSL Blue Jays1 @ DSL Cubs2, W, 2-3 Performances: Felix Pie: 3/6, 1 3B, 3 RBI, slightly distraught over not even being mentioned at all in the article about the game, despite having a better day than the star: Micah Hoffpauir: 3/6, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K, 4 un-earned run error with 2 outs in the 8th. Don't see many of those. Josh Kroeger: 2/4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K. Season line: .285/.357/.486 in 288 AB with 30 BB, 56 K, 9/11 SB/SBA, 21 2B, 2 3B, 11 HR. League Average line: .275/.347/.439. Perfectly acceptable for a 4th OF. He's had 55 career MLB PA and is still just 25, so the jury shouldn't completely be out on him. Jose Ascanio: 2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (0 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR. Perhaps struggling while being on the shuttle from Iowa to Chicago, as he's given up runs in 8 of the last 9 appearances he's had in Iowa. His peripherals are still solid for a reliever. Tyler Colvin: 0/3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 K, Outfield A (man at home). He's still got some time to figure things out, since no one expects him to be a star and he'll still only be 23 y.o. until Sept. 2009, but you hope this is a year to regroup and put things together. He's still got time to do that this year, but his numbers are going to look terrible no matter how good or bad he hits for 2 months at the end of the season. You just hope he continues drawing the base on balls and has a little more power. Donald Veal: 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R (5 ER), 2 BB, 4 K, WP, HB. 3 of the 4 hits he allowed were doubles. Not exactly encouraging. His season numbers still aren't bad, but not bad isn't exactly good either. He won't make it as a starter in the bigs walking 4.5 per 9 IP. His stuff definitely suggest he'll get somewhere with it though. He won't turn 24 until mid-Sept., so there's a little wiggle room for him to develop a little more control, but it's unlikely. Jose Ceda:1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, WP. He's unbelievable. He also could be an offensive lineman-in-training if he doesn't watch his weight (6'4", 275 lbs.), which makes me wonder what the Brewers would give us for him. Corey Hart and J.J. Hardy? If the A's aren't done selling, I see Dana Eveland and Joe Blanton going to the Brewers as well. Marquez Smith: 2/5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 GIDP. First 4 games @ Daytona: .385/.467/.615. He hasn't played 2B yet in Daytona. Darwin Barney: 1/4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 K. Tony Thomas: 1/3, 2 K, 1 S, 1 SB. Has a VERY severe reverse platoon vs. LHP this season, posting a meager .171/.227/.243 vs. LHP in 70 AB this season, with solid a .301/.346/.467 line vs. RHP. Has batted 8th when he's played against lefties for a month or so now and leads off vs. RHP. Just turned 22 on 07/10. James Adduci: 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB. Batting .300/.385/.372 in 320 AB of a good representation of a Theriot-esque OF @ Daytona this year. Steven Clevenger: 3/5, 1 R, 1 RBI. Batting .303/.390/.370 in 165 AB of a good representation of a Theriot-esque C @ Daytona this year (he was demoted from Tenn earlier this season). Marco Carillo: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 6/13 GO/AO. Having a solid season @ Daytona as a 21 y.o.: 3.17 ERA, 96.7 IP, 75 H, 39 R, 8 HR, 27 BB, 56 K, 0.76 GO/AO ratio. Not great peripherals, but still young enough to show some improvement. Control has improved significantly this year. Jovan Rosa: 1/5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K. Still doing well as a 20 y.o., hasn't walked as much in the last month as previously, but still very good. Julio Castillo: 5 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K, 9-2 GO/AO. Good outing from a player who went straight from the DSL to Peoria a few weeks ago and hasn't missed a beat. Josh Vitters: 1/5, 1 R, 2 K. Deserves a promotion, but is still just 18 until the end of August. A player the Cubs shouldn't be afraid to promote aggressively. Hopefully starts next season @ Daytona as a 19 y.o. and perhaps one of the 5 youngest players there. Josh Harrison: 3/5, 1 R, 2 RBI, CS. Reminds me a lot of Tony Thomas, in that he made some adjustments before the college season and tore up the league after some lesser work previous seasons. He's hitting well at Boise and probably won't get promoted until next year. Ryan Keedy: 2/4, 1 3B, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. At .316/.422/.421 in 76 AB on the season, he hasn't shown much power as yet, but is certainly getting on base. Can't really say much of anything about college guys in short season leagues, because most of them have already faced tougher competition than this. John Contreras: 1/3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K. A 22 y.o. getting his first taste of professional baseball in the U.S.A., having played in the DSL previously, and tearing it up. 58 AB, .362/.391/.724, 5 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 3 BB, 12 K. Obviously he's taken well to it. Nelson Perez: 2/4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K. A player AZ Phil's a fan of, but hasn't played much ball for all of the talent he supposedly posesses. Did pretty poorly last year in this league, and is destroying it this year. Hopefully will be finally ready for a full season league at 21 next year. Yohan Gonzalez: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K. 18 y.o. who pitched well (although sparingly) for the DSL last year. Generates lots of groundballs(2+ GO/AO ratio both seasons). Ramon Garcia: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 7/7 GO/AO. Must have been on a pitch count, because that's the only explanation I can think of for pulling him after 6 innings of putting up all zeroes. At 16 and with a chance to be pitching in the States next year at 17, there's obviously a lot of promise. Roneidy Mejia: 1.3 IP, 1 H, 0 R (1/1 inherited runners scored), 2 BB, 1 K, W. The entire DSL Cubs2 pitching staff is under 20, meaning we could be seeing much more of these guys if they pitch well. As can be expected of a young team, they don't have the best record (15-22), but that they are out there competing as one of the youngest teams in the DSL is encouraging.

07/11/2008 Cubs Minor League Performances

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:18:06 -0500

The Games: Iowa @ Albuquerque, W, 6-2 Tenn @ West Tenn, L, 4-10 Clearwater @ Daytona, W, 1-3 Kane County @ Peoria, W, 3-5 Eugene @ Boise, L, 4-1 AZL Cubs has no record for the scheduled game @ AZL Rangers. Not sure if it was postponed, but none of the AZL games played yesterday have had their box scores posted @ milb.com. Record is currently 9-6, and they're 2 games out of 1st. DSL Cubs1 @ DSL Orioles, W, 12-3 DSL Cubs2 @ DSL Giants, L, 10-11 Performances: Felix Pie: 2/4, 1 2B, 2 R, 1 RBI, HBP, E (6, fielding). Batting .257/.307/.433 @ Iowa this season, .333/.360/.479 last 10 games. Current 8 game hit streak. Jason Dubois: 2/4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R. Batting .342/.451/.829 with Iowa this season. Micah Hoffpaiur: 3/5, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 K. Batting over .400 since his demotion. Mitch Atkins: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 4 K, 2 HR. First game after promotion to Iowa. Tyler Colvin: 0/3, 1 BB, 1 K, CS. Batting .240/.309/.383. Patience nice, everything else, not so much. Batting .278 last 10 games. Blake Lalli, DH: 1/4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K. Blake Lalli, P: 1 IP, 1 H, 2 K. Yep, this game was out of hand in the top of the 9th and he pitched an inning. He was the only Tenn pitcher on the night to not give up a run. Wellington Castillo: 1/3, 1 K. Batting .321/.411/.551 in 78 AB @ Tennessee this year. Tony Thomas: 1/2, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 PO, S. Batting .273/.321/.420 @ Daytona. League-wide OPS in the FSL is .701, so he's still above league-average, just not a lot. Marquez Smith: 2/4, 1 RBI, 1 K. Second game with Daytona. Batted .295/.370/.508 in a .250/.322/.370 context league with Peoria. Someone to keep an eye on for sure, although he was pretty old for Peoria (23). Darwin Barney: 2/4, 2 2B, 1 R. Batting .251/.313/.343. May not ever make it to the bigs with his bat, but his glove is good, so if he can improve a little, may be a useful utility player in the future. Hung-Wen Chen: 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 10-7 GO/AO, got jobbed out of the win by a piss-poor offensive effort. Jovan Rosa: 2/4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 K. Batting .294/.351/.416 as a 20 year old in the .692 OPS MWL. Rebel Ridling: 1/3, 1 RBI, 1 K. Batting .333/.375/.750 since promotion to Peoria (12 AB, 2 2B, 1 HR, 4 K) Audy Santana: 5 IP, 6 H, 2 R(2 ER), 3 BB, 4 K, 1 HR. 3.65 ERA on the season in 49.1 IP. Josh Vitters: 0/4, batting .319/.376/.495 in Boise this season. Not sure how it will play this season, but last year the NWL was a .730 OPS league. I hope they promote him to Peoria for the July 29 game @ Wrigley to showcase him. Josh Harrison: 1/4, 1 R, 1 BB. Batting .295/.443/.410 @ Boise. Developing an allergy to LHP (.071/.235/.143 in 14 AB), hard to say if it will take or not. I'll do some more tomorrow. Not sure how often I'll be able to update these, but for now, once a week maybe as often as I can do this. We'll see though. Thanks for reading.

10 Worst MLB Trades in Recent Years

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:44:08 -0500

Today, the Oakland A's traded ace Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs for four minor leaguers. At first glance, I thought Oakland and Billy Beane got fleeced - c'mon, Billy, you couldn't land Felix Pie? No Josh Vitters? You couldn't hold out until the Rays were forced to overpay to keep the magic going? I mean, as an Angels fan, I think this is great...but still, what gives? But then reason set in - it might seem like Oakland got the short end of the stick, but Beane rarely disappoints. So I guess we need to wait and see how this one pans out. But this got us thinking - what were some of the worst MLB trades in recent years? We've given (most of) these ones time to pan out, and they were flat out awful..........

Minor League Report 06/20/08

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:30:57 -0500

AAA New Orleans (38-38) 12 @ Iowa (43-32) 8 Hitters: Felix Pie: 1/4, 2B, R, 2 RBI, BB, K Jason DuBois: 2/4, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB, K Josh Kroeger: 2/5, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI Pitchers: Rich Hill: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, 0-1 GO-FO, 45-23 P-K, E (pickoff), I'm convinced it's either entirely mental, or he's going to have his arm fall off soon. Either way, he's not contributing to Chicago anymore this season. Jesus Estrada: 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 4-2 GO-FO, !37-30 P-K!, I'm calling it now, Estrada and Ceda will be in the majors at some point this year, giving the Cubs the scariest guys with pink backpacks quite possibly ever. AA Mobile (2-2) 6 @ Tennessee (2-2) 2 Hitters: Tyler Colvin: 1/3, 2B, BB Jake Fox: 1/3, RBI, BB Kyle Reynolds: 1/1, 2B, 'RBI, BB, lost his starting 3B job to… Josh Lansford: 0/3, well that was certainly worth it, huh? Wellington Castillo: 0/4, K, Avg. drops to .317 with Tennessee. Pitchers: James Russell: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 2 HR, 6-7 GO-FO, E (missed catch) Rocky Roquet: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1-5 GO-FO A+ Daytona (1-1) 11 @ Brevard County (1-1) 3 Hitters: Tony Thomas: 2/5, 2B, 3-R HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, K Blake Lalli: 3/5, 3-R HR, R, 3 RBI, K Russ Canzler: 1/5, 3-R HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, E (missed catch) Mark Reed: 2/4, 2 RBI, BB Darwin Barney: 0/4, 2 R, BB, K, SB Pitchers: Billy Muldowney: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, HB, 7-6 GO-FO Jeremy Papelbon: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1-1 GO-FO A Beloit (2-0) 5 @ Peoria (0-2) 1 Hitters: Marquez Smith: 1/1, 2B, left game after 2 innings due to hamstring tightness Luis Bautista: 1/3, HR, R, RBI, BB, K, E (fielding) Jovan Rosa: 1/4, 2B, K, E (throw) Josh Donaldson: 1/4, E (throw) Cliff Andersen: 3/3, 2B, BB Pitchers: Hung-Wen Chen: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 7-5 GO-FO, hard-luck loss Craig Muschko: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 5-1 GO-FO A- Eugene (2-2) 6 @ Boise (2-2) 7 Hitters: Josh Vitters: 2/5, 3B, 2 R, K Kyler Burke: 0/2, 2 R, 2 BB, K, SB, HBP Rebel Ridling: 1/2, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB Ryan Keedy: 2/4, R, 2 RBI Marwin Gonzalez: 1/4, 3 RBI, K, SB Michael Brenly: 1/3, 2B, BB, K Pitchers: James Leverton: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 7-2 GO-FO Harol Tolentino: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 3-2 GO-FO, W AZL AZL Cubs don't start until Sunday. Notes: Nelson Perez will play for them again unfortunately. I'd hoped he'd play with Boise or Peoria this season. He's already 20 years old. He batted .253 and slugged .413 last season for AZL, so his power is definitely real. Larry Suarez likely won't join the team immediately if at all, even though he's on the roster. He played for them last year and struggled a little bit, and was probably headed for Peoria or Boise until TJS. He's still only 18. Oswaldo Martinez is a Mexican the Cubs signed and saw a little action last year. He was really good for the AZL Cubs. He's 19 now, and had a 22/2 K/BB ratio last season. He's only 6'0" tall, so short for a pitcher. DSL DSL Cubs1 (11-6) 4 @ DSL White Sox1 (8-9) 5 Hitters: Nelson Pierre: 2/5, 2 R, RBI, K, SB Robert Bautista: 0/1, R, 2 BB, SB Pitchers: Edilmar Infante: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, HB, 10-7 GO-FO Roeldwin Reyes: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 5-0 GO-FO, BS, allowed 2 inherited runners to score DSL Cubs2 (8-10) 14 @ DSL Yankees (9-9) 5 Hitters: Manuel Pestana: 4/6, 2 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, 18 y.o. Miguel Salazar: 1/4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 19 y.o. Carlos Morales: 3/5, 3B, 3 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 19 y.o. Pedro Ramirez: 2/5, 2B, 3B, R, 3 RBI Jesus Morelli: 2/3, R, 2 BB, CS/PO, 18 y.o. Gregorio Robles: 2/4, 3B, R, RBI, 17 y.o. Vismeldy Bieneme: 1/4, R, RBI, 2 K, 18 y.o. Pitchers: Ramon Reyes: 3 IP, 2 H 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 0-4 GO-FO, 19 y.o. Enyelberth Pena: 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 HR, W, 17 y.o.

Insert title here

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:53:03 -0500

Bill James recently published The 10 Commandments of Sabermetrics (subscription required) on his site. I'm not going to list all 10 as it wouldn't be fair to Bill James, but I would like to talk about a few of them and see how the Cubs are doing with regards to that specific Commandment. 1) Thou Shalt not Bunt. The Cubs rank 5th in the NL with 32 sacrifice bunts. NL average is 29. I'm willing to bet this is partly a sample size issue though. Last year the Cubs had the fewest sac bunts in the NL with 48 while the NL average was 65. The Cubs have had more runners on base so maybe not. 19 of the 32 sac bunts have been by the Cubs 5 starters (Dempster has 10). I'm not sure how that compares to the rest of the league, but Lou generally doesn't like to bunt so my guess is if you take out the pitchers the Cubs look like they're following the first Commandment. 4) Thou shalt not steal at anything less than a 70% success rate. The Cubs are stealing bases at a success rate of 70.8%. They've stolen 45 and been caught 19 times. If you take out Ryan Theriot whose green light should be turned to red, the team is at 75% rate (33 for 44). Theriot is at 61.9%. Overall the Cubs live up to this commandment as well. 5) Thou shalt make no idol of the light-hitting middle infielder. Fail. Miserably. 8) Thou shalt make no effort to ride the hot hand, for the hot hand is but a shape in the wind. Lou, like most every manager, has a tendency to ride the hot hand until whatever production you got from that hot hand has been eliminated. 9) Place thy faith not in veterans, when youth be available to ye. Fail. Reed Johnson and Jim Edmonds over Felix Pie. Jason Marquis over Sean Marshall. 10) Thou shalt not pass freely thy opponent's number eight hitter, nor his cleanup hitter, nor his left-handed pinch hitter, nor any hitter that is thy opponent's. The Cubs rank 10th in the NL having allowed 20 intentional walks. 22 is the NL average. They've done well here, but could improve.

KENNY WILLIAMS COMEDY HOUR

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:30:02 -0500

by T, The Angry T

I am certain that White Sox GM Kenny Williams wanted to let the upcoming series with the Cubs come and go without having to make comments about the Cubs. I am sure he was tricked into making comments like:

"The unfortunate thing for me is it's a shame that a certain segment of Chicago refused to enjoy a baseball championship being brought to their city. The only thing I can say is, 'Happy anniversary' (referring to the 100 anniversary of the Cubs' last world series)."

Damn those crafty reporters, always tricking Kenny into making outlandish and ridiculous comments about anyone and everything, like this for instance:

(on whether he would ever take a job with the deep-pocketed, free-spending Cubs)

"That would be a betrayal," Williams said before a long pause. "God, I would really, really have to need the job. Oh, wow, really need the job."

At this point, Kenny went into a stand-up routine on his feelings on the Cubs, which began with, "It's tough to tell who is under more pressure right now, Neil Cotts to get someone out or the elastic waistband on Lou Pinella's pants. He closed with "Boy that Felix Pie is in a slump huh? It looks like he is trying to hit with Ron Santo prosthetic leg. Too Soon? You been a great group of writers, I'll be in the front office all year, make sure to tip you vendors.

Thanks Ken, but if I want funny, I'll stick with Paula Poundstone.

Cubs Organizational Wrap-up for 06/18/08

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:51:09 -0500

Iowa: New Orleans (37-36) 3 @ Iowa (41-31) 5 Hitters: Patterson: 0/4, 3K Pie: 1/4, 2 K, SB Broussard: 2/3, 3 R, HR, RBI, BB Dubois: 2/4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, 1 K McGehee: 2/4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, E Pitchers: Hart: 2.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 HR, 3-4 GO-FO, 50-28 P-K, left with injury Carrasco: 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 68-41 P-K, 9-1 GO-FO, W Pignatiello: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K, 27-18 P-K, 2-1 GO-FO, H Tennessee: Mobile (0-1) 7 @ Tennessee (1-0) 5 Hitters: Colvin: 1/4, 1 K, E Deeds: 2/4, 2 2B Fox: 1/2, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, SF, Castillo: 1/3, 1 R, 1 BB Pitchers: Caridad: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR, 12-6 FO-GO Daytona: Palm Beach (42-27) 2 @ Daytona (34-35) 9 Hitters: Thomas: 3/5, 2 R, 1 K Wright: 3/4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB Clevenger: 0/2, 2 RBI, 1 BB, SF Canzler: 1/1, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, Pinch ran for Clevenger in 7th, stayed in game as 1B Lalli: 2/4, 1 R, 1 BB Pitchers: Maestri: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 10 K, 7-1 GO-FO Campusano: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 3-2 GO-FO Blackford: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 1-2 GO-FO Peoria: Still on their All-Star Break, they'll resume play June 19. Blake Parker got the win in for the West Division in their All-Star game, pitching 1.2 IP with 1 BB and 4 K. Pretty good outing. His outing was one-upped by his teammate Tim Smith (Texas org.), who clubbed the game winning home-run in the top of the 10th. Parker came in during the bottom of the ninth with 2 men on with one out and shut the door and struck out the side in the 10th to close it out. Jovan Rosa was DH and went 2/3 with a 2B and 2 R. Boise: Eugene (0-1) 9 @ Boise (1-0) 4 Hitters: Jake Opitz(21 y.o. SS): 1/4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI Ryan Sontag(22 y.o. LF): 1/3, 2 R, 1 BB Josh Vitters(18 y.o. 3B): 2/4, 2 RBI, 1 K, E Kyler Burke(20 y.o. OF/1B):1/4, 1 R, 1 K, SB, GIDP, OF Assist Rebel Ridling(22 y.o. 1B): 2/4, 1 RBI, 1 K Pitchers: Mark Pawelek(21 y.o. LHP): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3-1 GO-FO, HB AZL Cubs: June 22 is the start of the season. Their roster is slowly starting to fill up. DSL Cubs1: DSL Cubs1 (9-5) 6 @ DSL Diamondbacks (5-9) 2 Hitters: Jose Vigay(19 y.o. C):3/4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K, PB Alexander Mejia(20 y.o. OF):2/4, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 K Pitchers: Quezada:1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, WP, 1-1 GO-FO John Rodriguez(17 y.o. RHP):4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 4-3 GO-FO, W Pichardo:2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, WP, 4-1 GO-FO, H DSL Cubs2: DSL Marlins (7-8) 8 @ DSL Cubs2 (5-10) 4 Hitters: Carlos Morales(19 y.o. MI/OF):2/4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 K Manuel Pestana(18 y.o. OF): 1/4, 1 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K Vismeldy Bieneme(18 y.o. SS): 1/3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K Pitchers: Starling Peralta(17 y.o. RHP): 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR, 4-3 GO-FO I never hope a player is truly injured, as you never want to wish the ruin to someone else's livelyhood. Today, though, I would like to say that if Jim Edmonds is has turf toe and is injured for a month, and Reed Johnson's back injury is more serious than stated, I would not be unhappy to see the Cubs turn to Felix Pie or Eric Patterson to fill the void in CF. Given a month or so of consistent starts, I've always felt that Felix Pie could 'figure it out' and hit at the major league level. here's hoping that opportunity occurs soon, with this team or any other. As for Eric Patterson, he's been ready, he's just waiting for an opportunity.

Cubs Organizational Wrap-up for 06/18/08

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:51:09 -0500

Ten Things to Look for in the Month of May: National League

Sun, 11 May 2008 23:08:45 -0500

April baseball is a lot of fun, the new season is still exciting and fans get wrapped up in emerging story-lines. Among these, Florida Marlins sit atop the National League East, beating out the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies; the Chicago Cubs, on the brink of their 100th seasons without a World Series, are looking poised to make a run; and the Colorado Rockies are looking lost despite winning the NL pennant in 2007. Here are ten things to look for in May.

AccuScore: The Need for Speed

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 14:01:09 -0500

Guys like Carl Crawford are taken in the high rounds because of their ability to steal bases and hit for a high average. Guys like Joey Gathright are sitting on the waiver wire because, despite their stolen bases, their average is much lower. AccuScore fantasy expert Tim Williams takes a look at the difference between Gathright and Crawford to your fantasy team, and discovers that Crawford's average doesn't justify his high price tag.

Reed Johnson signs with the Cubs

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:16:51 -0500

Not much surprise here the Chicago Cubs signed Reed Johnson, who was recently released by the Toronto Blue Jays. Johnson is expected to platoon in center field with Felix Pie, as he has a .308 career average against lefties compared to Pie's .111 avg. The deal is for 1-year, $1.3 million, and the Cubs wasted no time getting him in the lineup. He started in center field during today's game against the San Francisco Giants. What does this mean for Marlon Byrd?

Gabbard, Rangers Fall Short In 7-6 Loss To Cubs

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:55:58 -0500

The continued struggles of southpaw Kason Gabbard; the Rangers finalize a minor league contract with native Texan John Patterson.

The market for Reed Johnson

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:34:15 -0500

Now that the Toronto Blue Jays have released OF Reed Johnson, their is a group of teams that are showing interest. Currently, Johnson is on waivers so not technically able to sign with any team. It's fully expected that he clears thou as his current contract calls for him to make $3.275 million. Fairly steep for a back-up platoon outfielder. Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com lists the Cubs, Red Sox, Rays and Rangers as teams showing interest. Here are some reasons why each team may go after him.

Cubs outfielder Pie exhibiting signs of severe separation anxiety

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:21:03 -0500

PHOENIX, AZ â€" The Cubs are facing some major personnel decisions in the next few weeks, and one of the biggest questions deals with whether they ought to install Felix Pie as their permanent center fielder and leadoff man. Unfortunately for the Cubs, that decision may ultimately be made for them by a troubling off-the-field problem.

Manually reduced testicles ala mode

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 19:40:05 -0500

Feilx Pie has been beating Sam Fuld for the starting centerfield job in Chicago all Spring. Meanwhile, some unlucky trainer has been beating the odds and keeping Pie in the lineup with a twisted testicle, beating the affliction by "manually reducing" the problem according to reports. The beatings could only go on for so long and Pie will have the "personal problem" - according to Lou Piniella - fixed surgically by sewing his testicle to his scrotum wall. Speaking of balls to the wall, that is how Pie has been playing all Spring - locking up the Cubs starting CF role by batting .321 with 2HRs and a number of great plays in the OF. Beat that Sam Fuld!