More On The Vogelbach Trade

Suddenly, Taylor Davis is valuable, again. Within the last few days, I've been wondering which member of the Cubs 40 Man roster is most in danger. Triple-A catcher Davis was the default player most likely to get designated. Suddenly, Cubs fans are being re-introduced to the importance of having a third catcher on the 40 Man roster. Victor Caratini will be on the shelf for awhile. Davis will take his place. The roster moves upcoming will be as real as before, with less wiggle room. This is why

Alex Lange was tossed in the second inning. You might want to read this. Photo Credit Larry Cave- Myrtle Beach Pelicans The Tennessee Smokies have played five games. In four of them, the starting pitched went five innings, combining to allow a single run. The temptation for some might be to (realistically or sarcastically) say "Call them up." In actuality, that would be foolish and counter-productive. Pitchers, by their very nature, are "ready for a particular level of advancement". In the

Why is Dakota Mekkes still in Iowa? There's a reason for that. (Photo Credit Dylan Heuer/Iowa Cubs) Mekkes pitched another two scoreless innings in Iowa on Tuesday. Dillon Maples was less successful. Mekkes has been better than every league he's opposed, yet he languishes in Iowa, instead of joining the Cubs bullpen, which has struggled mightily this season. The reason he's still in Iowa is numbers-based, but the numbers aren't his. The 40 Man roster in MLB exists to prevent MLB teams from

During spring training, the Cubs sent hard-throwing reliever Stephen Ridings to Kansas City to add Donnie Dewees back to the Cubs pipeline. The trade made sense to me, for both sides, from the start. Teams rarely make "minor league player for minor league player" trades. Open a beverage, as I walk through why this is one of the rare ones that "works". The Cubs selected Dewees in the Second Round in the 2015 Draft. Dewees' first full-season as a professional was split 70/30 between South Bend

A win, two losses, and some rain. Photo credit Rikk Carlson Today's is a bit of a reminder. Not all process is visible. The South Bend Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans are less advanced than the Iowa Cubs and Tennessee Smokies. This is a bit self-evident, as the upper-level sides should be. However, the A-Ball sides have more players "a level above where they probably belong" than the older sides. The Cubs "obtained as minor league free agents" players to plant in the upper-level sides to

Photo Credit Larry Cave Myrtle Beach Pelicans When Jon Lester's spot comes around in the rotation again, what should the Cubs do to cover his spot? As much as he might argue that he'd be able to pitch, sending an injured pitcher to the mound isn't advisable. It would seem that sending him to the newly renamed Injured List might be advisable. If so, who would be the best roster maneuver? Mike Montgomery is injured, as well. You're welcomed to have an opinion on Tyler Chatwood. Perhaps you'd

Oh so close..... The I-Cubs bullpen pitched through a delay. The minor leagues are what they are. They are a process of development for talent of players, regardless the player's level of experience or port of call. They serve as a mechanism to get players from where they are, to ready to help a major league club, if they have the skill and motivation. However, success at the lower levels doesn't guarantee success in "the bigger cities". It does provide a mechanism to reach that border. The

Matt Swarmer won his return to Triple-A Nashville. Much of my looks at the system will be about "who did what". As I'm very much about education, some of the tangents will be as important as the recaps. Right now, many Cubs fans are frizzing out about the minor league bullpen. Understandably so. "Can he pitch?" is a part-true part-sarcastic line of questioning. Pitching at the MLB level is very difficult.Developing a pitcher to be MLB-good takes years, in all but the most fortunate situations.

Cam Sanders was the starter for the only winner in the pipeline tonight. After winning three of four on the opening night, the full-season squads look to keep it going on Friday. Per Arizona Phil, Jen-Ho Tseng, Adbert Alzolay, and Alec Mills (all on the 40 Man roster) are on the Triple-A injured list. Until lifted from the list, none can be designated for assignment. Also, per league rules, Carl Edwards can't be sent to Iowa until Sunday. On to the pipeline. Iowa Duane Underwood started, and