Cubs in Winter Ball Update

Dominican Winter League
Jake Fox, whom the Cubs traded to Oakland on Thursday, has been played for Licey in the DWL. So far he's hitting .296 in 7 games with 1 HR and 7 RBIs. Fox just joined Licey for the second half of their season.

Starlin Castro, the Cubs top prospect in the organization, has been struggling since joining the DWL. He started his winter playing for Mesa of the Arizona Fall league, but now he's joined Escogido in the Dominican now. So far in 8 games he's hitting .182 with 2 RBIs. In the AFL, he tore it up hitting .376 in 26 games.

Nelson Perez, a Class A Cub prospect has been playing with Toros all winter. Perez played with Peoria of the Midwest League during the regular season and hit .251 in 120 games. The outfielder has played in 26 DWL games so far, and has a batting average of .293 with 2 homers and 6 runs batted in. Perez is a left handed batter.

Here are the current Domician League standings:
1. Escogido: 23-15
2. Licey: 22-16, 1 GB
3. Toros: 21-17, 2 GB
4. Aguilas: 18-20, 5 GB
4. Gigantes: 18-20, 5 GB
6. Estrellas: 13-25, 10 GB

Mexican Pacific League
Many Cubs have played for Mexicali all season long. Jeff Samardzija started 5 games to get some work in before returning to Indiana. He had a 2.25 ERA and a record of 2-0.

Jeff Stevens recently joined the Mexicali bullpen. During the 2009 regular season, Stevens pitched in 11 games for the Chicago Cubs along with 42 at AAA, all in relief. He had a record of 1-3 with a 2.03 ERA at AAA Iowa and was 1-0 with a 7.11 ERA with the big league club. So far this winter, his ERA is high once again currently at 5.40 in his 7 games with Mexicali. He is 0-2 and has recorded 2 saves. Stevens came to the Cubs organization last offseason in the trade that sent Mark DeRosa to Cleveland.

Brian Schlitter has pitched in 18 games out of the Mexicali pen. He has a ERA of 3.79 in 18 games. During the regular season, he pitched with Tennessee posting a 4.38 ERA in 59 games. Schlitter came to the Cubs organization in 2008 in the deal that sent Scott Eyre to the Phillies.

Outfielder Matt Camp has been hitting well for Mexicali. He has a batting average of .337 in 47 games with 1 homer and 24 RBIs. During the regular season he hit .283 in 99 games at AAA Iowa and .298 in 14 games at AA. The Cubs are at-risk of losing Camp in the Rule 5 Draft because they chose not to protect him.

Brad Snyder also played for Mexicali. He may not return the Cubs next season because he is a minor league free agent.

Thomas Diamond, a pitcher that the Cubs recently picked up from Texas, is 2-0 with a microscopic ERA of 0.64 in 3 starts for Mexicali since joining their rotation when Samardzija departed.

James Adduci, an outfield prospect, is the lone Cub who has played in the Mexican Pacific League for for a team other than Mexicali. James has appeared in 13 games for Hermosillo. He's hitting .244 with 2 home runs and 6 RBIs. Adduci had a great regular season, hitting .300 in 131 games for Tennessee. Adduci came to the Cubs in a trade with the Marlins for Zach McCormick in September of 2006. He was a Southern League All Star this season.

MPL Current Standings:
1. Hermosillo: 9-4
2. Culiacan: 8-5, 1 GB
2. Navajoa: 8-5, 1 GB
4. Mochis: 7-6, 2 GB
5. Obregon: 6-7, 3 GB
6. Guasave: 5-8, 4 GB
6. Mexicali: 5-8, 4 GB
8. *Mazatlan: 4-9
*first half winner

Venezuelan Winter League
Cub short stop Andres Blanco has been playing infield for Magallanes of the Venezuelan Winter League for most of the winter. He has an average of .294 with 2 homers and 25 RBIs. In addition, Blanco has 14 steals. In 2009, he played 53 games with the Chicago Cubs and hit .252 with 12 RBI. Blanco will be in the infield mix in Spring Training, vying for a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Robinson Chirinos has been a teammate of Blanco's for Magallanes this winter. He is hitting .333 in 37 games. Chirinos, a catcher, spent most of 2009 in the Florida State League, He hit .300 for Daytona in 69 games.

J.R. Mathes pitched with Caracas earlier this off season. The AAA prospect went 1-2 with an ERA of 5.08 in 6 starts.

First baseman Blake Lalli has joined Caribes for the second half of their season. He is hitting .292 in 7 games so far with a home run and 4 RBIs. Lalli spent all of this past season with the Smokies of AA hitting .314 with 52 RBIs in 118 games. He is a left handed batter who was signed by the cubs as a non-drafted free agent in 2006.

Current VWL standings:
1. Magallanes: 31-16
2. Caracas: 30-16, 0.5 GB
3. Zulia: 26-22, 5.5 GB
4. Margarita: 25-23, 6.5 GB
5. LaGuaira: 23-25, 8.5 GB
6. Lara: 20-28, 11.5 GB
7. Aragua: 19-28, 12 GB
8. Caribes: 16-32, 15.5 GB

Don't forget to visit my Cubs Farm Updates Twitter for the latest from the Cubs in Winter Ball!
That's it for this week's winter ball reports, I'll have some rumors and more later!

Cubs in Winter Ball Stats

It's Thursday, so here's the latest stats from Cubs playing in Winter Leagues:

• Andres Blanco, VWL: .289 AVG, 1 HR, 16 RBI, 24 Games
• Michael Brenly, AFL: .385 AVG, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 5 Games
• Matt Camp, MPL: .328 AVG, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 28 Games
• Welington Castillo, AFL: .357, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 8 Games
• Starlin Castro, AFL: .387 AVG, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 20 Games
• Robinson Chirinos, VWL: .356 AVG, 5 HR, 15 RBI, 21 Games
• Mario Mercedes, DWL: .500 AVG, RBI, 5 Games
• Nelson Perez, DWL: .381 AVG, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 15 Games
• Brad Snyder, MPL: .330 AVG, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 27 Games
• Kevin Soto, VWL: .125 AVG, 6 Games
• Josh Vitters, AFL: .364 AVG, 4 RBI, 13 Games
• Andrew Cashner, AFL: 2-2, 4.32 ERA, 5 Games
• Thomas Diamond, MPL: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 Games
• John Gaub, AFL: 1-1, 11.74 ERA, 8 Games
• Blake Parker, AFL: 2-1, 5.40 ERA, 9 Games
• James Russell, AFL: 0-1, 1.59 ERA in 9 Games
• Brian Schlitter, MPL: 1-0, 4.30 ERA, 14 Games

A few more things:

• The Mesa Solar Sox are in second place in the AFL East, 1.5 Games back of Phoenix. Mesa's record is 12-12.
• Last Saturday the West out-slugged the East 8-7 in the Arizona Fall League All Star Game. Click here for my full recap.
• Follow my Cubs Farm Updates Twitter.
• I'll continue to have a weekly winter ball report on Thursdays!

The Cubs In Winter Ball

Brenly Joins AFL
Michael Brenly, son of Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly, has joined the Mesa Solar Sox to do some catching in the Arizona Fall League. Brenly launched a 2-run homer yesterday to lead Mesa to an 8-5 win, and he has 2 hits so far in today's game against Peoria. Brenly is replacing catcher Welington Castillo on the team. He spent most of 2009 with the Peoria Chiefs.

Samardzija Done in Mexico
Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija has finished his assignment with the Mexicali team in the Mexican Pacific League. Jeff started 5 games, going 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. "The Shark" is hoping to start for the Cubs next year, and the injury to Ted Lilly could give him a chance to start the year in the rotation.

Diamond to hit the Winter League Diamond
In early September the Cubs claimed right handed pitcher Thomas Diamond off of waivers from the Texas Rangers. Thomas was the Rangers' first pick in the 2004 First Year Player Draft. Tomorrow, Diamond will head to Mexico, where he will take Samardzija's spot on Mexicali's roster. He is just getting healthy from a Tommy John surgery he had in March of 2007. Diamond pitched in the Arizona Instructional League at Fitch Park earlier this fall. He is hoping to earn an invitation to Cubs Spring Training.

AFL Rising Stars
Saturday is the Arizona Fall League "Rising Stars" game. Starlin Castro and Josh Vitters are the two Cub farm hand position players who are on the AFL East roster. Andrew Cashner was named to the team, but will not be able to play in the game, so he will be replaced by fellow Cub minor leaguer Blake Parker. Parker, a left handed pitcher, played for Tennessee and Iowa in 2009. The game will be televised on the MLB Network Saturday night.

Castro Scares Cubs
Top prospect Starlin Castro jammed his finger diving into a base early in the week, but he was not badly injured and returned to the Solar Sox lineup today. STAR-lin is leading the league in hitting at .425.

Cubs Organization Looks at Future
The entire Cubs organization, in Mesa for their annual meetings, was in attendance today to watch some young Cubs play as the Mesa Solar Sox hosted Peoria at HoHoKam Park. The Solar Sox stomped on Peo Javelinas in the game by a score of 8-1. All 4 Cubs pitchers that are playing in the AFL got into the game. Andrew Cashner got the start, and ended up with the win. He worked 4 scoreless frames. James Russell pitched a 1, 2, 3 fifth inning. He was followed by John Gaub, he allowed 0 runs on a hit, and Blake Parker, who yielded 1 run on 2 hits. On the hitters side of things, Brenly and Castro each went 2-4, while Josh Vitters did not play.

Blanco Continues to Play Well
Cubs infielder Andres Blanco has had a great winter season so far for Magallanes, of the Venezualan Winter League. Andres has a .303 batting average in 18 games. The Cubs people are happy to see him hitting well, because they know he can play good defense. Blanco will go to Spring Training competing for infield jobs with Ryan Theriot, Jeff Baker, Mike Fontenot, Aaron Miles, and anyone else the Cubs add this winter. Robinson Chirinos, Cubs minor league catcher, is hitting .410 in 16 games for Magallanes.

Other Winter Ball Tidbits

• Nelson Perez is hitting .405 in the Domican Winter League for Toros. He has played in 12 games.
• Matt Camp is hitting .351 and Brad Snyder is batting .333 with 4 homers and 19 RBIs. Both are playing for Mexicalli.
• J.R. Mathes is 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA in the VWL.
• Welington Castillo is done in the AFL, he finished with a .357 batting average and 2 RBIs in his 4 games.

I will have a recap of the AFL Rising Stars game up on Sunday, and I will have my next full winter ball report next Thursday!

The Latest From the Cubs in Winter Ball

Castro Tearing it Up
Cubs short stop prospect Starlin Castro has really opened some eyes in the Arizona Fall League. Posts all over the internet in the past week read headlines like Starlin a Future Star? or Castro looks Sharp in Arizona. The fact of the matter is that Castro has been doing this for some time now. He's hitting .522 with 4 RBIs for the Mesa Solar Sox in 7 games. This season, making the jump from Daytona to Class AA Tennessee proved to be no problem, as he hit .288 in 31 games for the Smokies after hitting .302 in 96 games with the D-Cubs. Next year, on March 24, this kid will turn 20 years old. He's earning himself an invite to Spring Training, and if he produces there we could see him at AAA and even become a part of the Cubs bench in 2010 or 2011.

Castillo the Next Cubs Catcher?
If Geovany Soto has another down season, I don't think the Cubs are going to be as patient with the young backstop this time around. If Geo is not hitting by June or July, Koyie Hill will get most of the catching duties the rest of the season. And if the Cubs decide to in a different direction in 2011, then Welington Castillo could be the answer. Castillo is hitting .455 in just 3 games with Mesa, and already has a home run in just 11 ABs. Welington spent the entire year at AA, and if this guy can get his bat going (hit just .232 in 95 games), we know he can catch at the big league level in the near future.

The Shark in Mexico
Jeff Samardzija was hit hard a little bit in his last outing as he allowed 4 runs on 4 hits. However, none of the runs were earned, so his ERA stays at 1.38 in 3 Games. He is not the lone Cub on Mexicalli, as he is joined by farmhands Brian Schlitter, Matt Camp, and Brad Snyder. Camp has done a lot of lead-off hitting and plays center field. He is hitting .378 with a homer, 7 RBIs, and 6 SB so far in 10 MPL games. Brad Snyder, another outfielder, has been hitting clean up and is batting .297, 2 HR, 7 RBI. He missed a lot of the 2009 season with a wrist injury, but after coming back he hit .278 with 14 HR and 44 RBIs in 69 games at AAA-Iowa.

Mesa Solar Sox
The Mesa Solar Sox team includes farm hands from the Cubs as well as the Angels, Marlins, Twins, and Red Sox this year. They have gotten off to a little bit of a slow start, as they are 3-5, in last place in the AFL East. Phoenix is 6-2 and second place Scottsdale is just ahead of Mesa at 4-4. Besides Castillo and Castro, there are a few other Cubs playing in the AFL:

• Josh Vitters: .400 AVG, 5 games, 2 RBIs.
• Andrew Cashner: 0-1, 13.50 ERA, 1 Games
• John Gaub: 1-0, 9.00 ERA, 2 Games
• Blake Parker: 3.60 ERA in 3 Games
• James Russell: 0-1, 3.60 ERA in 3 Games
• Brian Schlitter: 5.14 ERA, 3 Saves in 7 Games

Blanco Getting Some Work in

Cubs shortstop Andres Blanco has hopes of becoming a everyday player for the Cubs in the near future. He was a key piece to the bench for much of 2009, and could be right back in that role in 2010. If Fontenot, Baker, or Theriot have an injury or struggle, he will find himself getting a lot of playing time. Blanco is in Venezuela playing for Magallanes. In 8 games he's hitting .265 with 7 RBIs. He's been playing mostly second base, which makes me wonder if that is because that is the open spot on his team or if it is because the Cubs want to see if he can play second everyday. Will Blanco have a chance to win a starting job in Spring Training?

Other VWL Updates

• J.R. Mathes is 0-1 with a 5.27 ERA in 3 starts for Caracas.
• Jonathan Mota is hitting .350 in 7 games for Aragua.

Perez in DWL

The Dominican Winter League has gotten underway, and so far the only Cub to get into game action was Nelson Perez, who's hitting .500 in 3 ABs for Toros so far. This season, the left handed hitting outfielder hit .251 in 120 games for Peoria with 11 home runs and 65 RBIs. According to different DWL rosters, guys like Carlos Zambrano, Aramis Ramriez, Esmalin Caridad, Alfonso Soriano, and more are listed to play. However, we have not seen any of these guys in game action yet or heard about them playing from any other Cubs sources.

Remember, Cubs Farm Updates Twitter has daily updates. We will be posting every Thursday all offseason long to let you know what's up in Winter Ball.

Cubs in Winter Ball, Rumors, and More

Well, here's the latest Cubs rumors from yesterday and today.

• Buster Olney says that the Cubs have maxed out their spending this winter.
• Bruce Levine and others have been saying that the Bradley deal should be done around the first of the year, so we'll see what happens soon, I expect the Cubs to make at least 1 more move before the convention.
• Interesting article I found about Jim Hendry's first round picks.
• Jason Stark says that the Dodgers have contacted Adam Dunn. The Cubs, Nationals, Mariners, and Orioles all also have interest.
• Stark adds that the Cubs have believed to be his top choice before the Dodgers entered the mix.
• The Dodgers also have interest in Bobby Abreu. They seem to be interested in a lot of the same guys as the Cubs.
• Former Cub Micheal Barrett has agreed to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training with the Blue Jays.

Some guys in the Cubs system have been playing Winter Baseball in Venezuela, the DR, and Mexico. I decided to check in on some of their stats:

Andres Blanco (VWL)- .280, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 58 Games

Ronny Cedeno (VWL)- .278, 4 HR, 24 RBI, 46 Games

Jake Fox (DWL)- .353, 3 HR, 31 RBI, 3 Games

Sam Fuld (VWL)- .333, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 55 Games

Felix Pie (DWL)- .304, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 20 Games

Jose Ascanio (traded to FLO) VWL- 3-1, 7 SV, 3.10 ERA, 29 IP

Angel Guzman (VWL) - 2-1, 5.54 ERA, 26 IP

Rich Hill (VWL)- 1-2, 6.86 ERA, 21 IP

Carlos Marmol (MWL)- pitched 2 innings allowed 0 runs

J.R. Mathes (VWL)- 2-3, 3.86 ERA, 32.2 IP

The main thing in noticed is that both Rich Hill and Felix Pie have struggled.

I got this Pat Hughes and Ron Santo CD for Christmas and would recommend it if you enjoy listening to Pat and Ron on radio. It plays lots of their funny moments and I enjoyed. Click Here for the link.

Cubs Trivia Answer from Sat.: Only 2 Cubs remain from '03; Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano.

I'll keep you posted.