Royals Latest Victims of Angel-Cub Detente

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 09:58 pm

Victor Caratini (Cubs) and Shawon Dunston Jr (Cubs) ripped run-scoring singles and Wade Wass (Angels) contributed an RBI double, leading the Angels/Cubs co-op squad to a 4-2 victory over the Royals in Arizona Advanced Instructional League play this afternoon on Field #2 at the Papago Sports Complex in Phoenix, AZ. 

The game was halted by mutual consent after seven innings of play. 

Cubs infielder Jason Vosler was moved-up to the "advanced" instructs squad from the "basic" squad prior to the game. 

Here is the box score from today's game (Cubs players highlighted in bold and underlined):

ANGELS/CUBS LINEUP:
1. Johnny Giavotella, 2B: 1-4 (1B, 1-U, F-7, P-2, R)
2. Kody Eaves, 3B: 0-4 (P-1, K, K, 4-6-3 DP)
3. Victor Caratini, DH-C: 1-3 (1B, 4-3, 3-U, RBI)
4. Dan Vogelbach, 1B: 0-2 (P-6, 3-U, BB, PO) 
5. Jeffrey Baez, RF: 1-3 (K, 1B, 6-3, R)
6. Charcer Burks, CF: 1-3 (F-9, 1B, K, R)
7. Shawon Dunston Jr, LF: 1-3 (F-9, 1B, K, R, RBI)
8a. Wade Wass, C-DH: 1-2 (K, 2B, RBI)
8b. Andrew Daniel, PH: 0-0 (BB)
9. Jason Vosler, SS: 1-2 (1B, 3-U, BB, SB)

ROYALS LINEUP: 
1. Humberto Arteaga, 2B-DH: 2-4 (K, 6-3, 1B, 1B, RBI)
2. Orlando Calixte, SS: 1-3 (BB, K, F-9, 1B)
3. Elier Hernandez, RF: 0-4 (6-4 FC, L-6, K, P-4)
4a. Wander Franco, 3B: 0-2 (4-3, F-9)
4b. Gabriel Cancel, 3B: 0-1 (1-3)
5. Anderson Miller, CF: 0-2 (BB, F-9, 4-3, R, SB) 
6a. Chad Johnson, C: 1-1 (BB, 1B)
6b. Colton Frabasilio, C: 1-1 (1B)
7. Chase Vallot, DH #1:1-3 (2B, E-5, F-7, RBI)
8. Samir Duenas, 1B: 0-3 (F-8, K, F-8)
9a. Roman Collins, LF: 0-1 (5-2 FC) 
9b. Christhian Vasquez, LF: 0-1 (4-3, BB, R)
10. Austin Bailey, DH-2B: 1-3 (6-3, 1B, 1-3) 

ANGELS/CUBS PITCHERS: 
1. Garrett Nuss: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 3 BB, 1 K, 4/1 GO/AO, 38 pitches (22 strikes) 
2. Victor Alcantara: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GO/AO, 11 pitches (8 strikes) 
3. Tyler Carpenter: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, 0/2 GO/AO, 24 pitches (14 strikes) 
4. Michael Jensen: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K, 1/1 GO/AO, 22 pitches (17 strikes) 
5. Steve Perakslis: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 2/1 GO/AO, 12 pitches (7 strikes) 
6. James Pugliese: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 0 K, 1/2 GO/AO, 22 pitches (13 strikes)

ROYALS PITCHERS:
1. Eric Skoglund: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, 0/4 GO/AO, 26 pitches (17 strikes) 
2. Pedro Fernandez: 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 R (3 ER), 0 BB, 2 K, 4/1 GO/AO, 37 pitches (26 strikes) 
3. Jacob Bodner: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 PO, 1/0 GO/AO, 10 pitches (6 strikes)
4. Josh Staumont: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 GIDP, 2/1 GO/AO, 28 pitches (13 strikes)

ANGELS/CUBS ERRORS: 1 
3B Kody Eaves: E-5 (fielding error allowed batter to reach base safely) 

ROYALS ERRORS: NONE 

ANGELS/CUBS CATCHERS DEFENSE: 
Wade Wass: 0-1 CS 

ROYALS CATCHERS DEFENSE: 
Chad Johnson: 0-1 CS 

WEATHER: Sunny & cloudless with temperatures 105+  

ATTENDANCE: 22 (mostly scouts) 

 

Tags
AZ Advanced Instructional League
Cubs Minors
Shawon Dunston Jr
Victor Caratini
Jason Vosler

Comments

Submitted by Hagsag on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 09:03 pm

AZ Phil, give me your thoughts on Jeff Baez chances of making it to the Bigs.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 09:22 pm

HAGSAG: Jeffrey Baez has a good chance to make it to MLB, but I doubt that it will be with the Cubs.

Baez is a very raw five-tool player, but he has flaws that are apparent (and a bit frustrating) when you watch him over a period of time. 

He has the same body-type you see in an NFL running back. Looking at him you wouldn't think he's fast, but he is. He also has HR power that has not been fully developed. He has the speed and range to play CF and the arm to play RF, but despite the range and arm, he isn't a very good defender in the outfield.   

And while he is a good base-stealer, he also tends to run into outs on the bases. 

I suspect he will be traded sooner rather than later (possibly as the PTBNL in the Austin Jackson deal, if the deal is finalized after the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft). 

Submitted by Mornington Crescent on Thu, 09/24/2015 - 09:46 pm

Padres win again. Elimination number now at 1.

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Submitted by Cubster on Fri, 09/25/2015 - 09:26 am

If I'm not mistaken, the Magic Number at 1 means that the worst case scenario is that the Cubs have clinched a play-in game before the one game wild card. (well, the end of the world before that would be the absolutely worst case scenario). It's Magic.

Submitted by Tito on Fri, 09/25/2015 - 09:21 am

AZ Phil, what are your thoughts on him? I saw him at Kane County after he was dealt to the Cubs and while it was obviously a very small sample size, it did look like he could swing the bat. How is he defensively? Is he any kind of prospect at all?

[ ]

Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 09/25/2015 - 09:56 am

TITO: Acquired by the Cubs in the deal that sent James Russell and Emilio Bonifacio to Atlanta last sesson, Victor Caratini started off slowly at the plate this past season at Myrtle Beach, but he got better & better each month. 

He has been rakin' left-handed in BP and squared the ball up very well (again facing RHP and hitting LH each time) in the first two "advanced" instructs games, but I'm not sure if his RH side is quite as well-developed.  

He was a C-1B-3B in college so his defense behind the plate needs polish, but he is a hard worker, has a plus-arm, and he seems to really want to be a catcher. Patience will be required.  

Caratini will be Rule 5 Draft-eligible after next season, so he will be a player to watch in 2016. I would think he will almost certainly move up to AA and replace Willson Contreras as the #1 catcher at Tennessee, and it wouldn't be that big of a surprise if he has a break-out season in AA next year.

I would say as things stand right now he probably projects as an offensive-first switch-hitting C-1B-3B in the big leagues, the type of versatile player Joe Maddon seems to prefer. 

Submitted by jacos on Fri, 09/25/2015 - 09:25 am

AZ Phil- In your expert opinion, which minor leaguers do you see helping the MLB team next year? Thanks.

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Submitted by Arizona Phil on Fri, 09/25/2015 - 09:46 am

JACOS: In terms of position players, I don't think there will be another Bryant, Russell, or Schwarber coming up next season.

Matt Szczur is out of options, so if he isn't traded, he will likely be the 4th OF (at least at the beginning of the season). 

3B Christian Villanueva had a nice year offensively at AA and AAA in 2015 (though his defense wasn't as good as in previous seasons), and (like Szczur) he is out of minor league options in 2016. Villanueva has yet to make it to the big leagues and is blocked by Bryant and/or Baez, and so he would seem to be a likely trade condidate during the off-season or Spring Training.  

Arismendy Alcantara will likely be booked on the Chicago-Des Moines Shuttle as a switch-hitting IF-OF super-sub in 2016, and he could even make the Opening Day 25-man roster (taking the job filled by Jonathan Herrera in 2015) with a strong Spring Training, especially if either Castro or Baez is traded for a starting pitcher during the off-season. 

Catcher (and Cubs 2015 Minor League Player of the Year and Southern League batting champion) Willson Contreras is a lock to get added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster in November. He will almost certainly spend most if not all of 2016 at Iowa honing his skills, but if he continues to progress he could be a factor in 2017 (David Ross is a FA post-2016). 

1B Dan Vogelbach will almost certainly be added to the 40-man roster by the 11/20 deadline (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015), and (if he isn't traded) he will be the starting 1st baseman at Iowa in 2016, available for a call-up if anything happens to Anthony Rizzo and/or (as happened with Kyle Schwarber in 2015) maybe as the DH in interleague games. But Vogelbach is likely to get traded sooner rather than later. 

2012 1st round draft pick Albert Almiora Jr should be ready for a move up to AAA in 2016, and he will be Rule 5 Draft-eligible after next season, so he could get called up maybe sometime in the last half of the 2016 season (although probably more-likely when rosters expand in September). I believe offensively he will eventually be something like Darwin Barney circa 2012 (250/300/350) with not a lot of walks but with a high-contact rate, strong "situational baseball" skills, and occasional power out of the 8th (or 9th) slot in the batting order, and with Gold Glove skills defensively in CF.

Switch-hitting 3B Jeimer Candelario is now likrly to be added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster in November (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015), but he will likely be at AA for most (if not all) of the 2016 season and then at AAA in 2017.  So Candelario would replace Christian Villanueva and the departed Mike Olt as the Cubs #1 3B prospect starting next season, although (like Villanueva and Olt) he is presently blocked by both Bryant and/or Baez. 

OF Billy McKinney (acquired along with Addison Russell from Oakland in the Samardzija/Hammel trade) is a quality left-handed hitting prospect with corner OF skills (much better in LF than RF), but he suffered a season-ending knee injury at AA Tennessee in August, so it remains to be seen if he'll be ready at the start of the 2016 season. He is a similar type player (offensively) as Chris Coghlan (albeit without Coghlan's defensive versatility), and he could be Coghlan's eventual replacement (Coghlan is a FA post-2016).  

So it's more likely that rookie Cubs pitchers will be the ones having impact in 2016, rather position players.  

Of course RHP Dallas Beeler and LHP Eric Jokisch are already on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster, and both have had some (limited) opportunities to start in the big leagues over the past couple of years. Beeler is injured right now, but Jokisch is pitching for the Angels./Cubs co-op team in the AZ Advanced Instrutional League (he threw 6.1 IP and 70 pitches in a start on Wednesday) while staying ready for a possible call-up to Chicago. But neither are projected as likely future MLB starters (at least not with the Cubs), and one or both could even get dropped from the 40 if slots are needed during the off-season. 

RHP Carl Edwards Jr could fill the "utility" staff role currently handled by Travis Wood, Trevor Cahill, and Clayton Richard (Cahillis a FA post-2015, and Wood and Richard are likely to be non-tendered). Right now Edwards throws too many pitches-per-inning to be a starting pitcher and he walks too many hitters to be a reliable late-inning reliever, but he has plus-stuff and so he could be really good in the niche that was carved-out by Wood, Cahill, and Richard in 2015. 

RHSP Pierce Johnson is a virtual lock to be added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster in November (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible post-2015), and depending on how he pitches in the AFL and Spring Training, he could find himself at the front of the line in the Iowa starting rotation in 2016. If so, he could get called up to Chicago at some point during the season - IF (big if) - he stays healthy and pitches well at AAA.  

RHSP Ryan Williams (Cubs10th round draft pick out of East Carolina in 2014 and 2015 Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year) will almost certainly get an NRI to Spring Training, and then get assigned to the Iowa starting rotation by Opening Day. Williams is a lot like Kyle Hendricks, in the sense that his stuff is considered marginal, but he really knows how to pitch. If he gets AAA hitters out as he did at AA in 2015, he could get called up if there is an opening in the Cubs MLB starting rotation at some point next year. 

RHSP Duane Underwood Jr is probablty the Cubs top starting pitcher prospect, but he has his 2015 season interrupted by a right elbow UCL sprain that did not require TJS. He is healthy now and is with the "advanced" instructs squad so he can pick up some of the innings he lost while on the DL during the season, and if he can stay healthy he will likely be the #1 starter at AA Tennessee in 2016, and could possibly move quickly. (Underwood is eligible for selection the Rule 5 Draft post-2016, so a September call-up wouldn't be a surprise).

RHP Jonathan Martinez (acquired from the Dodgers for Darwin Barney in 2014) was a solid starter at Myrtle Beach in 2015  and should be right behind Underwood in the 2016 starting rotation at AA Tennessee. Martinez does not have Underwood's ceiling, but he does project as an MLB pitcher (at this point, most-likely back of the rotation or middle-relief). Martinez is Rule 5 Draft eligible this year, so it's possible that he could get selected.    

One other starting pitcher to keep an eye on in 2016 as far as a possible contributor to the big club is RHP Brad Markey, who  has followed the path of RHP Zack Godley (traded to Arizona on the Miguel Montero trade), as a college pitcher who was used by the Cubs initially as a reliever, before lighting it up as a starter at Hi-A the last half of 2015. Markey will likely be in the AA Tennessee starting rotation at the beginning of the season, and (like Godley this year) he could conceivably find himself in the big leagues sometime in the latter half of 2016. 

Iowa RHSP Carlos Pimentel (PCL Pitcher of the Year) and AA Tennessee RHSP Felix Pena are two starting pitchers who will be minor league free-agents post-2015. The Cubs probably would like to keep both of them around as rotation starters at Iowa in 2016, but it might require an MLB 40-man roster slot or two to do that if one or both of the pitchers declines to sign a 2016 minor league successor contract. 

As far as bullpen arms are concerned, RHRP Corey Black (acquired from the Yankees for Rafael Soriano in 2013) has electric stuff (a 96 MPH fastball, a plus change-up, and a power slider), but he struggles mightily to throw his fastball for strikes, making his "chase" pitches less effective. As a result, he is "on the bubble" as far as whether he will be added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster post-2015 (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible this year).

27-year old Cuban RHRP Armando Rivero (signed by the Cubs for a $3M bonus in 2013) could finally see the big leagues in 2016 (he is Rule 5 Draft eligible after next season). Rivero was a closer in Serie Nacional (the Cuban "major league") prior to signing with Cubs, and he features  a 94-MPH four-seamer and a splitter/slider drop pitch as his "chase" pitch, but he has struggled to throw strikes.   

AA Tennessee closer RHRP P. J. Francescon throws a low-90's sinker and a decent breaking ball. He scored a slot with the Mesa Solar Sox in the AFL, and a good showing there could get him a look in Spring Training with the big club. Also, Francescon is Rule 5 Draft eligible this year, and (like Andrew McKirahan this time last year),he could get drafted if he has a strong AFL and is not added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster. 

Submitted by Hagsag on Sat, 09/26/2015 - 09:11 am

Thanks Phil. I am always interested in my buudy Daury Torrez' future. He is draft eligible this year too.

Cubs MLB Roster

Cubs Organizational Depth Chart
40-Man Roster Info

40 players are on the MLB RESERVE LIST (roster is full), plus three are on the 60-DAY IL

26 players are on the MLB ACTIVE LIST, plus three are on the 15-DAY IL, one is on the 10-DAY IL, and ten are on OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT to minors  

Last updated 6-3-2023
 
* bats or throws left
# bats both

PITCHERS: 12
Adbert Alzolay
Javier Assad
Jeremiah Estrada
Michael Fulmer
Kyle Hendricks
* Brandon Hughes
Mark Leiter Jr 
Julian Merryweather
* Drew Smyly
* Justin Steele 
Marcus Stroman
Jameson Taillon 
Hayden Wesneski

CATCHERS: 3 
Miguel Amaya
* Tucker Barnhart 
Yan Gomes

INFIELDERS: 7
Nico Hoerner
* Miles Mastrobuoni 
* Matt Mervis
Christopher Morel
* Edwin Rios 
Dansby Swanson
Patrick Wisdom

OUTFIELDERS: 4 
# Ian Happ
Trey Mancini 
Seiya Suzuki
* Mike Tauchman

OPTIONED: 10
Keven Alcantara, OF 
Ben Brown, P 
Alexander Canario, OF 
Brennen Davis, OF 
Ryan Jensen, P 
Caleb Kilian, P  
Nick Madrigal, INF 
Michael Rucker, P 
Keegan Thompson, P 
Nelson Velazquez, OF

10-DAY IL: 1 
* Cody Bellinger, OF 

15-DAY IL: 2 
Brad Boxberger, P 
Nick Burdi, P  
* Justin Steele, P 

60-DAY IL: 3 
Codi Heuer, P 
Ethan Roberts, P
Adrian Sampson, P 

 



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Rule 5 Draft 
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