Luis Mops the Flores at Fitch Park

Luis Flores drilled two doubles and scored two runs, leading one squad of EXST Cubs to a 3-0 shutout of the other squad of EXST Cubs in a six-inning Extended Spring Training intrasquad game played at Fitch Park Field #3 this morning.  



One of the better defensive catchers in the Cubs minor league system, Flores is on an injury rehab assignment at Fitch Park after suffering a conscussion at Minor League Camp last month, and he looks to be about ready to rejoin the Daytona Cubs whenever the Cubs decide to move him up. He certainly is a man among boys at Fitch Park.


Today’s intrasquad game featured the U. S. debut of five more Dominican pitchers who were called up to Fitch Park from the Cubs Dominican Academy in Boca Chica, including 20-year old 6’2 lanky LHP Willengton Cruz, 19-year old stocky RHP Rafael Diplan, 21-year old RHP Santo Rodriguez, 22-year old RHP Jean Sandoval, and 20-year old RHP Yilver Sanchez.


The five newbees join RHP Ramon Garcia, LHP Luis Villalba, and RHP Starling Peralta, INF Gregori Gonzalez, and OF Eduardo Gonzalez, who arrived last week, and catchers Johan DeJesus, Brian Inoa, and Hector Suarez who reported to Minor League Camp in March. Peralta, INF Gioskar Amaya, 3B-1B Wilson Contreras, SS Marco Hernandez, and OF Oliver Zapata are back at Fitch Park after making their U. S. debuts at AZ Instructs last year, while all of the others are making their U. S. debuts this year.


Peralta, W. Cruz, Y. Sanchez, Sandoval, and Villalba were the “Big 5” starting rotation for the Dominican Summer League Baseball City Division Champion DSL Cubs #1 last season (the 2010 DSL Cubs #1 had the best record of the 34 teams that play in the DSL, while DSL Cubs #2 AKA "Bad News Cubs" had the worst record), and of the five Dominican hurlers who threw today, W. Cruz really stood out. He has some nasty stuff.


Here is today’s abridged box score:


NOTE: Luis Flores was SQUAD “B” DH #1 and batted 1st in the bottom of the 1st, 2nd, and 4th innings


SQUAD “A” LINEUP:
1. Vismeldy Bieneme, DH #1: 0-2 (K, K)
2. Marco Hernandez, SS: 0-2 (K, P-1)
3. Wilson Contreras, 3B: 1-2 (P-4, 1B)
4. Dong-Yub Kim, 1B: 0-2 (1-3, 5-3)
5. Blair Springfield, LF: 0-1 (K, BB, PO)
6. Johan DeJesus, C: 1-2 (1B, F-8)
7. Oliver Zapata, CF: 0-2 (1-3, P-2)
8. Eduardo Gonzalez, RF: 1-2 (5-3, 1B)
9. Gregori Gonzalez, 2B: 0-2 (L-6, 6-4-3 DP)
10. Hector Suarez, DH #2: 0-1 (K)
11. Max Kwan, DH #3: 0-1 (F-9)


SQUAD “B” LINEUP:
X. Luis Flores, DH #1: 2-3 (2B, 2B, K, 2 R)
1. Kyung-Min Na, CF: 1-2 (1B, 4-3, CS)
2. Pin-Chieh Chen, 2B: 1-2 (1B, K, RBI)
3. Xavier Batista, LF: 0-1 (FC, BB, SB)
4. Reggie Golden, RF: 1-2 (1B, K, SB)
5. Jesus Morelli, DH #2: 0-2 (K, L-4)
6. Yaniel Cabezas, C: 0-2 (5-3, F-8)
7. Wes Darvill, SS: 0-1 (5-3 SH, F-8, RBI)
8. Dustin Harrington, 3B: 0-1 (5-3)
9. Dustin Geiger, 1B: 0-1 (L-7)


SQUAD “A” PITCHERS:
1. Santo Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R (2 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 19 pitches (12 strikes), 1/0 GO/FO
2. Rafael Diplan: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 20 pitches (13 strikes), 4/1 GO/FO
3. Jean Sandoval: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 24 pitches (14 strikes), 0/3 GO/FO


SQUAD “B” PITCHERS:
1. Luis Liria: 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 28 pitches (21 strikes), 3/2 GO/FO
2. Willengton Cruz: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 19 pitches (12 strikes), 0/2 GO/FO
3. Yilver Sanchez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 GIDP, 1 PO, 22 pitches (13 strikes), 3/2 GO/FO


ERRORS: NONE


SQUAD “A” CATCHERS DEFENSE:
Johan DeJesus: 1-3 CS


ATTENDANCE: 5


WEATHER: Sunny & breezy with temperatures in the 80’s


 

Tags: 
Extended Spring Training
EXST Cubs
Luis Flores
Submitted by Arizona Phil on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 3:51pm
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Comments

Submitted by tim815
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:16pm

Golden a steal. Good to see he's running.

Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:31pm

Submitted by tim815 on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 3:16pm.
Golden a steal. Good to see he's running.

===========================

TIM: 6.4 on the Richter Scale, and part of downtown Mesa had to be evacuated.

Submitted by QuietMan
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 6:17pm

AZ Phil, does Golden look any trimmer now than when he reported to camp a month ago?

Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 6:41pm

Submitted by QuietMan on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 5:17pm.
AZ Phil, does Golden look any trimmer now than when he reported to camp a month ago?

===================================

Q-MAN: He appears to have lost some weight, but he needs to lose more.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:30pm

Brian Schlitter has been returned to Cubs by commissioners office. Waiver claims voided because of past injury.

no, you pay for his surgery and rehab.

Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:46pm

Submitted by Rob G. on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 3:30pm.
Brian Schlitter has been returned to Cubs by commissioners office. Waiver claims voided because of past injury.

no, you pay for his surgery and rehab.

=======================================

ROB G: But on the bright side, now the Cubs can use Schlitter's roster slot for a post-season roster exemption.

I can see it now... Trey McNutt is added to the Cubs 2011 post-season roster, taking Sclitter's slot.... McNutt wins three games to help beat the Phillies (one of the two MLB clubs that claimed Schlitter off waivers) in the NLCS, and then wins two more games to beat the Yankees (the other MLB team that claimed Schlitter before the Phils got him) in the World Series.

Now THAT would be justice. THAT would be righteous. THAT would be very unlikely.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 6:40pm

"The Yankees had him, he passed their physical, he went to camp with the Phillies, he passed theirs," Hendry said. "Basically the rules are that when you run [a player] through [waivers], you want him to be completely healthy. We''re happy to get him back, to be honest with you."

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:33pm

Randy Wells played catch today according to Muskrat.

Submitted by jacos
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 4:37pm

Hopefully not with Castro

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 5:12pm

Iowa:
won 5-2 over Memphis. T. Diamond goes 6 IP, 7 K, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB

J. Gaub seems to be pitching decent enough to this point, 2 IP, 3 K today, 2.16 ERA overall

Smokies:

Rusin pitching

Daytona:
Watkins 2B, Cerda 3B, Ha CF, Bour DH, Castillo CF, Burgess RF, Opitz 1B, Lake SS, Macias LF, RHP Struck vs RHP Pettibone

Peoria:
Szczur CF, Silva RF, Rohan 1B, Borges DH, Gibbs C, Fitzgerald LF, Alcantara SS, Soto 3B, LePage 2B, Simpson RHP followed by LHP Eric Jokisch

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 7:55pm

"Gaub seems to be pitching decent enough . . ."

I know he has trouble with walks, but the funny thing is, Gaub's "decent enough" is 17.1 Ks per 9 innings, which is why the Cubs find it hard to say goodbye to him.

Re-edit: 15 K's in 8.1 innings after today.

Submitted by Ryno
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 6:14pm

Sam Fuld is just ridiculous.

Submitted by springs
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 8:48pm

Perhaps we should try to acquire Fuld straight up for Matt Garza.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 9:08pm

with 2 outs, takes out Marshall to bring in Marmol to face the righty.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:01pm

The day after not using Wood because we didn't have a lead...

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 1:02pm

You don't save a closer at home in extra innings, because you can never put him out there with a lead.

It's an interesting situation, because by the end of the tenth, the home team has used its closer and the road team has not. Advantage: visitor.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 3:06pm

Huh?

Submitted by Ryno
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 4:15pm

I think he means when you are in extra innings at home, you'll never have to 'close out' a game. So the question becomes: when and if do you use your closer.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 4:26pm

nobody here was talking about saving a closer, okay well I wasn't. It worked and all but no reason to play matchups with Sean Marshall, he's perfectly damn good versus righties and Marmol is hardly automatic. Why risk bringing in Marmol and getting him on a wild day?

Submitted by The Joe
on Wed, 04/20/2011 - 4:39am

Not a day goes by in which I don't use wood.

(ok, month)

Submitted by JoePepitone
on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 12:17am

From one Joe to another, I appreciate your sense of humor.

Submitted by The Joe
on Thu, 04/21/2011 - 1:18am

Thank you!

Go Joe(s)!

Submitted by jacos
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 9:34pm

fly fat ass, fly!!

Submitted by Charlie
on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 10:11pm

Hey Phil, I'd love to hear your take on two young prospects, one of whom I know you've already written about a number of times. I wonder what you think of Jae-Hoon Ha so far, what his potential seems to be and what he'll need to do to continue to advance and eventually see the majors. I also wonder what you think of Arismendy Alcantara, a very young shortstop prospect I don't remember reading much of anything about.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 1:07pm

I give the real Phil twelve hours and then I dive in.

My opinion of Alcantara is that he's hitting .194 and he dropped a popup yesterday that was costly for Simpson.

Submitted by big_lowitzki
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 4:14pm

My opinion of Alcantara is that he's hitting .194 and he dropped a popup yesterday that was costly for Simpson.

I have heard that reading the box scores of 8 games is a perfect method determine how good a player is.

Submitted by Arizona Phil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 4:11pm

Submitted by Charlie on Mon, 04/18/2011 - 9:11pm.
Hey Phil, I'd love to hear your take on two young prospects, one of whom I know you've already written about a number of times. I wonder what you think of Jae-Hoon Ha so far, what his potential seems to be and what he'll need to do to continue to advance and eventually see the majors. I also wonder what you think of Arismendy Alcantara, a very young shortstop prospect I don't remember reading much of anything about.

========================================================

CHARLIE: Arismendy Alcantara is an acrobatic and athletic shortstop with a plus-arm and plus-range. Although he has the versatility to play 2B and 3B, he is one of the few Cubs minor leaguers currently playing shortstop who actually projects to stay there. He also has above-average speed and above-average pop for a guy his size.

Alcantara was DSL Cubs #1 MVP in 2009 at age 17, when he hit 283/315/402 with 11 doubles, eight triples, and three HR in 65 games. I saw him quite a bit this time last year at Extended Spring Training, when he hit 197/266/299 with two doubles, two triples, two HR, 6/5 SB/CS, and 9/20 BB/K in 37 games (137 PA). Although he struggled at the plate at EXST (mainly because he kept trying to hit HR), he was assigned to Boise and ended up hitting 275/349/415 as an 18-year old surrounded by a lot of college draft picks.

He beat-out Elliot Soto and Wes Darvill for the Opening Day starting SS gig at Peoria with a strong 2011 Minor League Camp, but he has struggled so far with the Chiefs. Given his age (he turned 19 last October), he could end-up back at Boise once the short-season leagues begin play in June.

As for Jae-Hoon Ha, he was the last cut the last week of Minor League Camp from the AA Tennessee Smokies roster. I had him at #11 on my post-2010 Cubs Top 15 Prospects list (with an automatic move up to #8 after the Garza trade), but after seeing him in Minor League Camp, I would now rate him at #5.

Here is what I wrote about Jae-Hoon Ha last fall in my Top 15 Prospects post (and I wouldn't change anything):

AZ PHIL: Ha was a catcher in HS, but was moved to the outfield after he signed with the Cubs in 2008 ($225K bonus). Then the Cubs moved him back to catcher at Instructs post-2009 and the experiment continued at Minor League Camp and Extended Spring Training (EXST) 2010, but it just didn’t work. Ha was moved back to OF and was promoted to Peoria at mid-season 2010 after hitting 350/376/575 at EXST. Moving from behind the plate to the outfield was like getting out of jail for Ha, as the Korean teenager hit 317/334/468 for the Chiefs while playing a stellar RF. He has a plus-arm and plus-bat speed with HR power, he has above-average speed and is a good base stealer, and (like Brett Jackson and Brandon Guyer) he plays an athletic outfield with absolutely no fear. He was moved to CF at Instructs post-2010 and made several outstanding catches as he displayed the range and defensive skills necessary to man the position. One area of concern with Ha is a tendency to double-clutch throws from the outfield (he had the same problem as a catcher), and the other is that he is a “hacker“ (a hyper-aggressive hitter who rarely walks). Ha will probably play CF at Daytona in 2011 and hit somewhere in the middle of the D-Cubs order.

Submitted by Charlie
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 5:04pm

Thanks, Phil! Great info, as always.

Submitted by QuietMan
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:06am

The Nov. 20 game was such a financial and marketing success that Cubs and Northwestern officials have talked about putting an annual Wrigley Field game on the calendar, sources told the Tribune.

But that won't happen until the Cubs renovate their ballpark. Once it secures funding, the team hopes to create space for a regulation 100-yard field by manipulating walls in at least one dugout area.

The field could meet regulations if the Cubs knock down the wall by the third-base dugout and shift the field 10 feet to the west.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/...

Submitted by Paul Noce
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 11:58am

I'd rather see the Cubs play Northwestern in a yearly hybrid basefootball game...

"Ground ball up the middle for Koyie Hill, oh, he's nailed by a linebacker!"

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 1:17pm

The Cubs have really suffered by having Koyie Hill on the roster so far.

He's been in three games. In one of them, he pinch hit in the 9th inning of a game they were losing 11-2. The other two, he started and they won, including a road game against Arizona where his batterymate was a pitcher they called up from Iowa when Wells went down.

What a loser!

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 3:17pm

Read post #33.

Also Hill won the Cashner start, which had nothing to do with Wells going down and Cashner's xFIP for the game was 4.18, so not only does he add 5 MPH's to catcher's fastballs (by calling more fastballs), he also helps the pitcher get the ball hit right at players.

He's also made an error, allowed a 100% success rate by opposing base runners while slugging .125, so based on your own logic (post #30), he should be released or sent down.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 5:55pm

He started for Cashner and Coleman, the two inexperienced guys. It was Cashner's first ML start. That's Hill's job, not hitting. Any fool can see that he can't hit.

Submitted by big_lowitzki
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 6:03pm

He can't play defense either.

Submitted by Ryno
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 9:12am

Starlin Castro!

Submitted by The E-Man
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 9:25am

Thanks PHIL as always.

Can someone please remind me why Sammy Fuld, as a lefty, was not allowed to compete for a job against the likes of Reed "I'm Done" Johnson, and Fernando "Pinch Runner Only" Perez?

Was him being "thrown in" to the Garza the key to the deal happening as Bruce Levine stated on his show (as Carl Crawford left)?

I mean if Garza was a #1 I'd be ok with it. But 5 guys, most of whom will be major leaguers to varying degrees, plus one potential impact pitcher?

Who is this Jim Hendry guy anyway?

Submitted by Ryno
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 9:47am

I agree with you it was a weird trade, but I disagree with the hand wringing. Matt Garza is a very good pitcher and is almost ace quality.

Submitted by springs
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 9:59am

I agree that Garza has ace-like stuff at times. But I don't think his production over his career made him almost ace quality...if he had the same production and was 31, he wouldn't be nearly as valuable. Garza's value, IMO, is based on a projection of future ace performance, based on his stuff and his development over the last few years.

I do agree with you that this is a good trade for a team that was a good starting pitcher away from being a WS contender. Unfortunately, the trade was made by the Cubs.

One update on my dislike for the trade: Other than Fuld, nobody is performing overly well. Guyer has fallen from a good start to .267/.327/.422 in avg/obp/slg with 14 K in 45 AB. Chirinos is 4 for 35 with 10 K. Archer is 0-1 with a 4.15, with 11 hits and 6 BB (and 7 K) in 8.2 ip. Lee is doing well, but he has only played in 2 games (3 for 7, with a BB, K, and SB).

At least with respect to Guyer and Chirinos, it is possible that Hendry traded them at the height of their value. Of course, it is April 19th, so judging any stats right now as long term projections is rather short-sighted.

Submitted by Ryno
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 10:28am

Yeah, you are probably right about that. Still, I would say, despite being 0-2 6.27, that Garza has probably been the Cubs best starter- right up there with Z -so far this season. Why? Because:

Exhibit A:
25 strikeouts in just under 19 IP

Exhibit B:
.474

When opposing batters aren't striking out against him, they are hitting .474 BABIP... which is just ridiculous. Higher than even Starlin Castro's or Sam Fuld's BABIP this year.

So, I don't mean to bicker senselessly about the degree to which Garza does not suck, but I do think it's fair to say Garza has 'looked good' this year the way he is spotting his fastballs & sliders and it's fair to say opposing batters might have been really lucky so far.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:16pm

Exhibit C LD% 34.5%
Exhibit D HR/FB 0.00%

A lot of that high BABIP was due to just throwing fat pitches to the Pirates who smacked them into line drives, instead of taking him out of the park.

Submitted by crunch
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 11:46am

"Was him being "thrown in" to the Garza the key to the deal happening as Bruce Levine stated on his show"

so far, everyone in the trade has been rumored as being key at one point or another. =p

chin was the rumored "must-have-key-super-star-piece"...when it first went down it was (obviously) archer...the only person who hasn't had a turn yet is chicken pox kid.

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:17pm

Actually, that was the one thing they were really looking for, a shorstop of the future - Prufor was the target from the Rangers.

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 12:14pm

fwiw, Fuld was on XM this morning and the GM there told him (and very well could have been blowing smoke up his ass) that he had been trying to acquire him for awhile.

Fuld - unlike Theriot for example - had nothing but good things to say about the Cubs organization, but is obviously happy that he's somewhere that he can get some playing time.

Submitted by VirginiaPhil
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 1:51pm

Mike Wellman has been hawking Fuld's wares for a while, and should be the least surprised of any of us to see Fuld succeeding somewhere else. Here are a couple of examples from MW's posts last season. The first is from a 6/25 piece entitled "The I [for Invisible] Cub."

Maybe Jim Hendry just came to Des Moines to escape the heat of the Chicago media. Maybe he dropped in to chat behind closed doors with the trim and ambitious Ryne Sandberg, though if/when Chicago comes calling Ryno back, the call probably won't come in the person of Hendry. In any case, big Jim's reason for being here almost certainly isn't to get a closer look at Sam Fuld, the scrappy leadoff hitter and center fielder. Hendry's mind is made up about Fuld, I imagine, which is tough luck for Sam.

He'd run into, if not through, a brick wall for the chance to stick in the big leagues. The problem is he's about the same height as Hack Wilson [listed at 5' 10" which means Eddie Gaedel wasn't a dwarf after all] without the pipes and the power.

Two nights ago he ended consecutive innings by throwing a tagging runner out at the plate and making a circus catch. Both times he trotted in to standing ovations.

Last night he went 4-4. Did you see that, Jim?

Plus he's smart. The guy holds an economics degree from Stanford. Maybe he could help the front office out with some payroll reduction strategies and cost-benefit analyses.

I want there to be a spot for players like Fuld. He plays at full tilt, like a winner. He's Fukudome without the bloated contract and personal hitting coach in many respects, except that he would have been hustling on the bobbled grounder that Kosuke trotted out yesterday.

Any team can use what Fuld supplies. Especially the one that flew over Des Moines on its way from Seattle to Chicago last night.

This one is dated 7/22:

I've said it before and I'll say it again. If you watch Sam Fuld on a regular basis you'd want him on your side. Tuesday night he had two doubles in game one of a twinbill. In game two he homered before making spectacular catches for the first and third outs in the 7th and last inning to nail down the I-Cubs' sweep. His sidekick is Darwin Barney who is very near the PCL lead in both hits and at-bats and has nudged his BA just north of .300 again. Fuld is the much faster of the pair. The other night Barney stole 2nd when he, or Sandberg, picked a good off-speed pitch to run on, and got up and kept right on going to 3rd before another pitch was thrown when he noticed the 3rd baseman was playing back and the pitcher wasn't paying him any attention whatsoever. But then he was thrown out at home after tagging up on a fly ball to fairly deep CF. He wasn't dogging it and I can't believe he was winded after his dashes around the middle bases. I know they both project as bench players but a good bench is a good thing. My guess is that both of them are Sandberg's type of player and would have a spot on a roster he put together in Chicago next year...

I just thought the timing was odd. The Cubs keep Fuld for six years until he's 29, and then when they've let Nady go to open up a roster spot for an outfielder, and when they need a leadoff hitter, that's when they let him go. In the Cubs' defense, they were counting on Brett Jackson, and, shorter term, Perez (not so defensible).

Submitted by jacos
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 2:53pm

or Colvin

Submitted by The Real Neal
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 3:45pm

Maybe the Cubs were counting on the walls at Wrigley to continue to be made out of brick?

Submitted by Rob G.
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 3:28pm

http://mlb.sbnation.com/2011/4/19/2120824/the...

anyway, he'd have maybe 11 AB's with the Cubs if he managed to make the team out of spring training, which probably wouldn't have happened since they probably wanted a RH bat. He'd also probably be on the DL cause brick walls and disregard for injury don't go well together.

He is damn fun to watch in the field though.

Submitted by jacos
on Tue, 04/19/2011 - 4:07pm

Like an episode of Jackass

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