(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Chicago Cubs Weekly Farm Report (5/31/22): Velázquez, Several Other Prospects Litter MLB Roster

Photo of Greg Huss Greg HussMay 31, 2022

It feels like worlds are colliding right now as we are watching all the new faces get called up to the majors. The Chicago Cubs are short on players, whether it’s because they are hurt or simply bad at baseball, which has forced the front office’s hand. The 40-man roster is littered with prospects and, whether they are ready for their MLB debuts or not, they are being used as the only option right now.

It is likely the 40-man will be cleared quite a bit by the time the trade deadline passes, which just means we will get to see even more prospects gracing the field in Chicago. It really is the best time to be a Cubs fan if you are also a prospect hound. Winning would be nice too, but I guess we will take what we can get.

Affiliate Records

  • Triple-A Iowa: 1-5 this week, 23-24 overall
  • Double-A Tennessee: 2-4 this week, 25-20 overall
  • High-A South Bend: 4-2 this week, 27-18 overall
  • Single-A Myrtle Beach: 4-2 this week, 32-13 overall

Trends and Notes

  • The biggest news of the past week actually involves the big league squad as Nelson Velazquez, Matt Swarmer, and Anderson Espinoza were all promoted to Chicago. All three made their debuts during the doubleheader on Monday.
  • Velázquez has taken the Cubs system by storm over the last 14 months. In that time, he has unofficially finished second for Cubs MiLB Player of the Year, won the Arizona Fall League MVP, and really broken out in the power department. This a player that will be all over the Statcast sheets thanks to his huge exit velocities and mammoth home runs. But you will also see a strikeout rate that will hover around 35-40%.
  • Swarmer is a fun story of a minor league vet finally earning his opportunity. The 28-year-old righty with a big leg kick is having a monster season for Iowa as he sports a 2.08 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 39 innings. His go-to pitch will be a real downer of a slider.
  • Espinoza is quite the story as well. He’s a former top 20 prospect in all of baseball as a teenager in the Red Sox organization, but he went over four full seasons without appearing in a competitive baseball game after a couple Tommy John surgeries and the missed minor league season due to COVID. The fact that Espinoza made his big league debut is nothing short of a miracle and seeing him perform admirably was as fun as could be.
  • Other promotions on the farm include Bailey Horn making his way up to Double-A, Sheldon Reed replacing him in South Bend, and Angel Hernandez filling that bullpen slot in Myrtle Beach.
  • The Pelicans set the franchise record for consecutive wins when they brought home number 12 earlier in the week. That is especially impressive for a team littered with guys who are way younger than league-average. This Birds team has been this impressive thanks to being downright more talented than their opponents. Pete Crow-Armstrong was a big reason for that and his early-season exploits have now earned him a promotion to South Bend.

Standout Players

  • Kevin Alcantara (A-): 24 AB, 10 hits, home run, double, 7 RBI
  • James Triantos (A-): 23 AB, 10 hits, double, 8 runs
  • BJ Murray (A-): 19 AB, home run, 3 doubles
  • Yohendrick Pinango (A+): 25 AB, home run, 2 doubles, 8 RBI, 8 runs
  • Owen Caissie (A+): 23 AB, home run, 2 doubles, 7 RBI
  • Jake Slaughter (A+): 21 AB, home run, double, 6 walks, 6 RBI, 6 runs
  • Levi Jordan (AA): 15 AB, 5 hits, 2 home runs, double, 6 RBI
  • Jared Young (AAA): 21 AB, 8 hits, 3 doubles
  • John Hicks (AAA): 15 AB, 5 hits, home run, triple
  • Luis Rodriguez (A-): 8.1 IP, 0 hits, 3 runs, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
  • Luis Devers (A-): 5.0 IP, 3 hits, 0 runs, 3 walks, 7 strikeouts
  • Daniel Palencia (A+): 6.0 IP, 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
  • Manny Espinoza (A+): 5.2 IP, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
  • DJ Herz (A+): 5.0 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts
  • Jordan Wicks (A+): 5.0 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
  • Sheldon Reed (A+): 4.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks, 3 strikeouts
  • Eduarniel Nunez (A+): 3.1 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts
  • Javier Assad (AA): 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
  • Brendon Little (AAA): 3.2 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts
  • Cayne Ueckert (AAA): 3.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 earned runs, 1 walk, 3 strikeouts

Season Leaders

Pitchers (min. 24 IP)

ERA

  1. DJ Herz – 1.67
  2. Manny Espinoza – 1.70
  3. Luis Rodriguez – 1.93

WHIP

  1. Manny Espinoza – 0.81
  2. Matt Swarmer – 0.95
  3. DJ Herz – 0.96

Strikeout Rate

  1. Eric Stout – 39.0%
  2. Riley Martin – 39.0%
  3. Luis Rodriguez – 34.2%

Opp. OPS

  1. DJ Herz – .445
  2. Manny Espinoza – .456
  3. Matt Swarmer – .515

Hitters (min. 100 PA)

OPS

  1. Levi Jordan – 1.099
  2. Robel Garcia – 1.046
  3. PJ Higgins – 1.011

Home Runs

  1. Nelson Velazquez – 12
  2. Robel Garcia – 12
  3. Alexander Canario – 11

Strikeout Rate

  1. Levi Jordan – 11.8%
  2. Darius Hill – 11.9%
  3. Dixon Machado – 13.0%

Walk Rate

  1. Chase Strumpf – 17.7%
  2. Jacob Wetzel – 15.1%
  3. Robel Garcia – 14.8%

The Highlights

Photo of Greg Huss Greg HussMay 31, 2022
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