Weekend Quick Hits: Opening Day Starter, Roster Cuts & More

Here's the latest from Cubs Spring Training!

• According to a tweet from Patrick Mooney, the Cubs have named Ryan Dempster their Opening Day starter. Matt Garza will be the number two.
  
• The Cubs made some additional roster cuts today. Brett Jackson, Anthony Rizzo, Jim Adduci, Andrean Cardenas, Jay Jackson and Bobby Scales were all sent to Fitch Park.
• Tim Kurkjian of ESPN caught up with Dale Sveum.
• Sveum's main message this spring has been preparation. In the interview with Kurkjian, Sveum indicated that Chris Volstad will be in the rotation as the number four starter. Sveum said that the last spot it still up for grabs, but Jeff Samardzija has been very impressive.
  
• David DeJesus is the one guy on the Cubs who has a track record of leading off.
  
• Carrie Muskat tweeted that Sveum said it was tough to send Jackson down because he is ready now.
• Marcos Mateo left yesterday's Cactus League game against the Rangers with a right arm injury. He was expected to have an MRI/arthogram last night.
• Ron Villone is taking over as the Peoria Chiefs pitching coach this season. Tom Pratt has left the position after recently being diagnosed with brain cancer.
• Andy Sonnanstine was assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa yesterday. He was removed from the 40 man roster.
• Muskat tweets that Paul Maholm will be the fifth starter. Sveum will name the third and fourth spots on March 28. It looks as if Chris Volstad and Jeff Samardzija will take those two spots.
• Travis Wood has been off track this spring, so his next appearance will be in either a minor league game or a simulated game.
  

Here is the Cubs lineup for today's game against the Rockies.
1. David DeJesus, RF
2. Ian Stewart, 3B
3. Starlin Castro, SS
4. Bryan LaHair, 1B
5. Geovany Soto, C
6. Marlon Byrd, CF
7. Reed Johnson, LF
8. Darwin Barney, 2B
9. Jeff Samardzija, P

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted on Everything Cubs as always!

Cubs Caravan Week Events

Yesterday we took our first look at the 2012 Cubs Convention here on Everything Cubs Blog. We will continue to have full coverage as we lead up to next weekend. We can start to piece together the list of attendees for the Convention based on those that will be attending the Cubs Caravan next week.

On a side note, be sure to vote on our new poll up on the right sidebar. We ask what the biggest need is for the 2012 Chicago Cubs. Feel free to add your thoughts to our comments section as well.

The Cubs Caravan is set for next weekend. Cubs players, front offices members, broadcasters and coaches will visit schools in the Chicagoland area once again this season. The full list of schools that the Caravan, which takes place on Wednesday and Thursday of next week, will be stopping at has not yet been announced.

However, we do know that the Caravan will include the fifth annual luncheon on Wednesday (Jan. 11) from 11am to 1pm at Harry Caray's Italian Steakhouse. Tickets for the event are available for $150. Theo Epstein, Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod will all be a part of the luncheon, which will be hosted by Cubs TV broadcaster Len Kasper.

On Thursday night (Jan. 12), The Ryan and Jenny Dempster FAmily Foundation is hosting an event at D'Agostino's Pizza and Pub. The event will last from 6:00 to 10:00 with the price of adult tickets set at $100. Dempster continues his efforts to strike out 22q. Kerry Wood, Ted Lilly, Koyie Hill, Andrew Cashner and Justin Berg all attended last year.

Friday of next week will feature the Wood Family Foundation Winter Warm-up at Harry Caray's Tavern in Navy Pier. This event will last from 8:30 to 11:30, so many players will head there after the opening ceremonies of the Cubs Convention that evening. Theo Epstein, Ryan Dempster, Marlon Byrd, Matt Garza, Andrew Cashner, Geovany Soto, Starlin Castro, Randy Wells, Welington Castillo, Darwin Barney, James Russell, Ernie Banks and Rick Sutcliffe are all expected to attend Wood's charity event. I'd expect that full list to take part in the Convention as well.

The Cubs Caravan will also make its annual stop in Peoria, where Tony Campana, Chris Carpenter, Brett Jackson, Josh Vitters, Matt Szczur and Casey Colemen will all be featured. Again, expect all of those young players at the Convention next week. Chris Bosio (pitching coach), Dave McKay (first base coach) and Jamie Quirk will be at the Peoria Chiefs fan fest event as well. Tickets, which include autographs, photos and food, are $15 with doors opening at 3:30 next Thursday.

Brian Noonan and David Kaplan indicated at the end of their Cubs Corner broadcast today that they will be hosting their annual Friday night WGN Sports Night show from the Convention.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted as we countdown to Cubs Convention Weekend!

Road to Wrigley Photos

The Peoria Chiefs beat the Kane County Cougars in the third annual Road to Wrigley game last night. Check out a full recap on my Down on the Farm Report on ChicagoCubsOnline.com tomorrow, but for now enjoy some photos.

More pics on the CCO report tomorrow as well!

Game Preview: Road to Wrigley 2010

Match Up
Peoria Chiefs VS Kane County Cougars
First Pitch: 7:05pm CT
Location: Wrigley Field

About the Road to Wrigley
This will be the third annual minor league baseball game held at Wrigley Field. The Chiefs and Cougars met in the first ever event which took place in 2008. Last year, the Triple-A Iowa Cubs hosted the Las Vegas 51s in a Sunday afternoon affair. The Road to Wrigley is designed to give minor league players in the Cubs organization a taste of the big league ballpark. In 2008, the game was called in the 9th inning of a tied contest due to rain. It would later be picked up back at O'Brien Field in Peoria and the Chiefs went on to win.

Chiefs Season to Date
Overall, the Chiefs have a winning record at 41-39, but they finished third in their division in the first half. The Chiefs are the Low Class-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and they are a part of the Midwest League. So far, their second half has been dreadful as a 3-8 record puts them in last in the 8-team Western division. Last night, Peoria's game against the Clinton LumberKings was rained out.

Cougars Season to Date
Kane County is the Class A affiliate of the Oakland A's. They are 38-43 overall but their second half mark is 6-6. That puts them just 1.5 games out of first, even though they have four teams ahead of them. The Cougars are coming off an 11-2 win over Beloit yesterday back in Kane County.

Peoria Players to Watch
Hak-Ju Lee is the most talked about prospect who is playing with the Chiefs. He is their starting short stop and lead-off man. Lee will play in the MLB Futures Game on Sunday at Angel Stadium. First baseman Justin Bour (9 homers, 51 RBIs) hits for power and is a force in the middle of the Peoria lineup. Outfielder Greg Rohan is the only Chief hitting over .300 as he checks into action tonight at .301. Also keep an eye on D.J. Fitzgerald, Logan Watkins, Matt Cerda, and 2010 draft pick Elliot Soto.

Chiefs Starting Pitcher: Rob Whitenack, RHP
Rob enters this start, his 16th of the year, with a record of 6-6 and an ERA at 5.95. In his last outing he went only 3 innings in Kane County on July 2 before being removed. Whitenack allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and four walks before he was chased and handed the loss. His best start of the year came against Lansing on June 9 when he went five shutout innings. Whitenack was drafted by the Cubs in the 8th round of the 2009 draft.

Cougars Starting Pitcher: Ian Krol, LHP
Ian enters this start, also his 16th of the year, with a sparkling 1.83 earned run average. he is 6-2 and limits opponents to a .204 batting average. Krol was selected by the A's in the 7th round of the 2009 draft out of high school. As a present for his 9th birthday, he got the throw out the first pitch at a Cougars game!

Affordable Prices
For fans, the Road to Wrigley is a major league experience for minor league prices. Tickets are still available and start at just $5 and the best seats in the house cost just $17. Parking is just $2 and concession prices are also reduced.

Family Fun
Mascots from both teams will be at the ballpark, contests will be held on the field in between innings, and even The Famous Chicken will be at Wrigley! Also, kids 14 and younger can go on the field during batting practice and run the bases after the game.

Weather Forecast
It's 84 and "fair" right now in Chicago, and but there is a chance of rain tonight. The hour-by-hour forecast shows rain starting at 5:00 and lasting through the night. There is a 60% chance of scattered thunder storms during the ballgame.

Radio Broadcast
If you can't make it out to the game, you can always tune in on www.peoriachiefs.com or on 96.5 FM ESPN Radio locally in Peoria. The voice of the Chiefs Nathan Baliva will be at the mic!

Up Next
This is the first of a three game series between the two clubs. That set will finish up at O'Brien Field on Thursday (7:00 start) and Friday (6:30 start).

I'll have a full recap of the action posted on the blog tomorrow!

The Down on the Farm Report 7/3/10

With all my other writings on the Cubs system, I haven't had much of a chance to update this site on Cubs prospects yet this season. Now that the present isn't looking so great, it's a perfect time to look to the future! If you are not aware yet, I tweet about the Cubs minor league system. Go to www.twitter.com/cubsfarmupdates. Also, I write a Down on the Farm Report twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays) over at www.ChicagoCubsOnline.com.

Now let's get into how the future Cubs are doing, level by level.

AAA-Iowa Cubs
Overall Record: 43-37
Place in Division: 3rd, 0.5 GB of first
Leading Hitter: Matt Camp, .302
HR Leader: Jason Dubois, 11
RBI Leader: Micah Hoffpauir, 54
Best OBP: Bobby Scales, .389
Best ERA: Thomas Diamond, 2.53
Best WHIP: Jay Jackson, 1.10
Most Wins: Casey Coleman, 7
Most Ks: Thomas Diamond, 87
Saves Leader: Brian Schlitter, 12- promoted to MLB
AAA-All Stars (July 14): Pitcher Thomas Diamond and SS Darwin Barney
Futures Game: Manager Ryne Sandberg will serve as a coach for the World Team

AA-Tennessee Smokies
Overall Record: 48-32
First Half Finish: First Place, clinched playoff birth
Second Half Record: 6-5
Place in division: 2nd, 1 GB
Leading Hitter: Tony Campana, .321
HR Leader: Russ Canzer/Ty Wright (promoted to AAA), 10
RBI Leader: Ty Wright, 51- promoted to AAA
Best OBP: Blake Lalli, .383
Best ERA: Hung-Wen Chen, 2.96
Best WHIP: Austin Bibens-Dirkx, 1.01
Wins Leader: Hung-Wen Chen, 8
Ks Leader: Craig Muschko, 8
Saves Leader: David Cales, 10
Southern League All-Star (July 12) Starters: Blake Lalli, Robinson Chirinos, and Tony Campana
Southern League All-Star Reserves: Steve Clevenger, Ty Wright (replaced on roster, callup)
Southern League All-Star Pitchers: Austin Bibens-Dirkx, Hung-Wen Chen, David Cales, and Ryan Butcher
MLB Futures Game: Outfielder Brett Jackson will play for U.S. team, manager Bill Dancy will be a coach for team U.S.A.

Class-A Advanced Daytona Cubs
Overall Record: 39-40
First Half Finish: 5th, 7 GB
Second Half Record: 5-4
Place in Division: Tied for 2nd, 2 GB
Leading Hitter: Brett Jackson, .316 promoted to AA-Tennessee
HR Leader: Brett Jackson, 6
RBI Leader: DJ LeMahieu, 51
Best OBP: Brett Jackson, .420
Best ERA: Chris Archer, 2.86
Best WHIP: Chris Rusin, 1.07
Win Leader: Chris Archer, 7
K Leader: Chris Archer, 82
Saves Leader: Luke Sommer, 6
FSL All-Stars: (played in the game on June 12): Jackson, Rafael Dolis, Aaron Shafer

Class-A Peoria Chiefs
Overall Record: 41-36
First Half Finish: 3rd, 5.5 GB
Second Half Record: 3-5
Place in Division: Tied for 6th, 3 GB
Leading Hitter: Greg Rohan, .290
HR Leader: Justin Bour, 8
RBI Leader: Greg Rohan, 50
Best OBP: Matt Cerda, .370
Best ERA: Su-Min Jung, 3.74
Best WHIP: Jeffry Antigua, 1.37
Wins Leader: Trey McNutt/Rob Whitenack, 6
Ks Leader: Try McNutt, 70 promoted to Daytona
Saves Leader: Jordan Latham, 10
Midwest League All-Stars (June 22): Hak-Ju Lee, Logan Watkins, Matt Cerda, & Trey McNutt
Futures Game (July 11): Hak-Ju Lee, World Team

Updates from this year's draft picks, the Boise Hawks, and the Mesa Cubs next time!

Quick Hits: Road to Wrigley, Len & Bob in the Bleachers, and More

• The annual "Road to Wrigley" game will take place the Friendly Confines for the third consecutive year. The Peoria Chiefs, the Cubs' Class-A affiliate, will play there for the second time. They once again meet the Kane County Cougars in a rematch of the 2008 Road to Wrigley game. The Iowa Cubs played in the game last year against the Las Vegas 51s. The Famous Chicken will join the mascots of both clubs for on the field entertainment during the game, which will take place on July 7 at 7:05 CT.
• Carrie Muskat reports that the Cubs will not be making a trade any time soon.
• Ryan Theriot sat out today with a hamstring injury. It is not serious and Ryan is expected to be back at second base on Friday when the Cubs open a series against the Pirates.
• Muskat also reports that the Cubs think Starlin Castro will settle in fine at short stop for the Cubs.
• Len Kasper and Bob Brenly are going to broadcast from the bleachers on Sunday against the Pirates. The game will be on the WGN-TV at 1:20.
• Jim Hendry had nothing but good things to say about manager Lou Piniella today according to Bruce Miles.
• The Chiefs' not only announced that they will be playing at Wrigley, but they also decided that they'll retire Greg Maddux's jersey on June 11. The Cubs legend, Maddux, will attend the event with his family.

That's it for now, but I'll keep you posted!