I have a lot of stuff to get to today. Several things took place in Mesa and Boca Chica that need to be discussed. Some of them are news, some are stats, and some are just a change of scenery.
Let’s start with news item number 1.
2020 5th round pick Koen Moreno debuted this week. He technically only pitched one inning, but he did face a batter in the second whom he walked. Moreno had 2 Ks, walked 4, had two balks, and was charged with one run. He was quite wild and probably nervous and he will be better for it now that his “technical” debut is done.
Item Number 2
Cristian Hernandez was moved into the leadoff spot in Mesa this week and had himself a hell of a week. The Cubs slotted Moises Ballesteros in behind Hernandez and Pedro Ramirez hit third. Heading into Saturday’s game, the trio was hitting .287, .319, and .313 respectively. They make a nice collection of hitters to start every game. As well, Hernandez’s K rate plummeted in the leadoff slot and his walk rate held steady. As a leadoff hitter, Hernandez hit .412 in his first four games.
Item Number 3
Ismael Mena looks to be in a groove finally. The young OF is now hitting .282 after a horrid start. He is the final piece of the Darvish deal that has yet to make it to Low-A. He will get there to start next year. He is still just 19 and won’t turn 20 until the end of November.
Both the ACL and DSL just finished their third week of baseball yesterday. That’s one-fourth of their season. The Red Team is now at 6-10 while the Blue team is 5-11. Mesa, on the other hand, had a nice week as they jumped to 6-9.
Today is a good day to look at some stats in a table and what we can glean from them. Most stats were as of Saturday morning.
| Player | Level | Stat and Meaning |
| Adan Sanchez | DSL | 10.9 K% – He is just raking it at the plate. Not too concerned about the power right now, just making contact.and not missing the ball or striking out. |
| Oferman Hernandez | DSL | 27% walk rate – This is not sustainable, but he is the most improved player in the DSL hitting .385 this year. His patience at the plate is impressive in a league where most guys come out swinging. |
| Carlos Ramos | DSL | 3 Positions Played – Normally we don’t see this in the lower levels. We might see 2. However, with his bat, he needs to be in the lineup every day with a 210 wRC+ |
| Gabriel Agrazal | DSL | 0.56 – After 16 innings in four starts, he had yet to allow a run until yesterday. Not bad for the 18-year-old who is repeating the DSL this year. |
| Yohan Crispin | DSL | 7 to 1 – That is the ratio of his strikeouts to walks this year. He is 20 and in his second season, but I like that kind of control |
| Freilyn SIlverio | DSL | 17 – That is his age which is rare for the Cubs to go that young on a pitcher as they have tended to go for 18 and 19-year-olds lately. Anyways, the youngster has a 1.13 ERA in 3 starts |
| Melvin Amador | DSL | 44% – That is his ground ball rate. That is not too shabby for an 18-year-old debuting in the DSL. That helps explain the starter’s 1,80 ERA |
| Kenyi Perez | ACL | 0.00 – The 20-year-old has made three starts and has not allowed a run in any of them. He’s thrown 10 innings so far, struck out 16, but walked 10 but somehow did allow any of them to score. |
| Oliver Roque | ACL | .045 – No, that is not his ERA. That is his batting average against. The young righty who I picked to be my breakout pitcher of the year has been used strictly in relief in Arizona with 6.2 IP. He also struck out 10. Not too bad. |
| Moises Ballesteros | ACL | 27 – Once Chris Morel graduated from prospect status this week, Moises Ballesteros joined MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Cubs’ list at 27. When North Side Bound does their lists after July 4, expect to see him a little higher than that on my list! |
