Featured Photo of Josh Rivera by John Antonoff (@Baseballinfocus)
This week found me continuing my Cubs minor league baseball tour with a stop in Peoria, IL to see the South Bend Cubs take on the Peoria Chiefs. I had the opportunity to watch Cade Horton pitch 4 innings of no hit baseball and witness an impressive team victory for South Bend on Thursday night. So, in two consecutive Cubs minor league games I attended, I saw the organization throw 11 straight innings of no-hit ball – Marino Santy’s 5-inning rain shortened no-hitter for Myrtle Beach, and Cade Horton and Max Bain combined to throw 6 innings of no-hit ball for South Bend.
The big news for the Arizona Complex League this week was the addition of a number of the members of the 2023 draft class to the roster. Eight players were added (technically nine, but Ethan Flanagan is listed as being out for the season with an injury) and they made an immediate impact. In Saturday’s game, seven of the starting nine position players were selected in the 2023 draft.
Some Highlights from the Week:
- The draft picks came out smoking hot! Matt Shaw was 4-8 with a pair of walks, two stolen bases and eight total bases in his first 3 games played as a professional. Josh Rivera matched those numbers going 4-11 with 9 total bases. Both Shaw and Rivera also slugged their first pro home runs! Brian Kalmer and Drew Bowser each went 3-9 with a pair of RBI’s Bowser did have 5 K’s on the week, so that will be something to keep an eye on.
- Tyler Duffey was in the Cubs organization through early June, but exercised an opt-out in his contract. He then resigned with the team a few weeks later and has been working out with the ACL team to get back into game shape and rhythm. He threw 1 inning apiece in 2 games this week, allowing 1BB, no hits and had 1 K across the two appearances. It looks like he’s close to being ready to make a return to one of the affiliates as soon as there’s an opening.
- Tony Sanchez has been pitching in the ACL all summer and has been one of the team’s most reliable relievers. He had a strong outing on Monday night going 3 IP, giving up 1 ER on a home run, with 6 strikeouts versus the Guardians.
Comings & Goings:
Additions to the Roster: Shane Greene and Tyler Duffey both saw action after signing/re-signing with the organization; 2023 Draft Picks Drew Bowser, Brian Kalmer, Yahil Melendez, Josh Rivera, Matt Shaw, Carter Trice, Brett Bateman and Zyhir Hope were activated and added to the ACL roster.
Departures from the Roster: Lizardo Ruiz was released.
A Look Ahead:
The Cubs will take on the A’s and Guardians at home, and travel to the Angels, White Sox and the Giants. Most weeks, the team has Wednesday off, but they will have an off-day on Saturday this week.