Baseball Prospectus 1996
So the Cubs had to reinvent themselves quickly, especially in the wake of the strike-ruined season and the labor rancor. Without even waiting for the '94 baseball season calendar to expire, they wooed Andy MacPhail from the Twins, granting him more control over baseball operations than any Cubs GM has had since Dallas Green. MacPhail had presided over the Minnesota Twins' rope-a-dope strategy from the mid-'80s through '91, alternating mediocrity with two unforgettable world championship teams. He achieved success with one of baseball's putative small market teams, and since the Cubs haven't had consistent success since the '30s, it seemed like a definite change for the better.
The MacPhail era opened decisively. Tom Trebelhorn has been given credit as an instructor, and really comes across as the new Steve Boros: thoughtful, polite, and absolutely brainwashed about the virtues of "little ball": the stolen base, the bunt, the hit-and-run and general basepath aggression. MacPhail and new GM Ed Lynch fired him. Whether or not the new braintrust has figured out that offensive strategies better suited for the dead ball era don't work in Wrigley Field hasn't been mentioned, but firing Trebelhorn was a step in the right direction. He was immediately replaced with Jim Riggleman.
MacPhail and Lynch then added several second-tier free agents or cheap pickups: Brian McRae, Jaime Navarro, Mike Perez and some longshots like Howard Johnson, Brian Hickerson and Larry Casian. Generally, a group of players you could describe as young veterans. The happy accident of injuries gave the Cubs the opportunity to try a younger rotation: Foster and Trachsel were secure going in, and Bullinger and Castillo were given jobs that probably would have gone to Jose Guzman and Mike Morgan had they been healthy. Already, the makeup of the roster was significantly different.
On the surface, much of what happened at the beginning of the season seemed the same as what had happened in previous years: the team started hot, a Cubs tradition, and endured another infamous June swoon (9-20), a less popular Cubs tradition. Throughout the hot start, there was much talk about a "new attitude in the clubhouse," which is never really news, since baseball fans have heard about "new attitudes" in almost every year their team changes managers. All that remained was the traditional ghastly finish, to cap what could turn out to be a rather ordinary season for the Cubs.
The MacPhail/Lynch team decided to try to bust the jinx; in fact, all season long they went out of their way to try to improve the team: they picked up Todd Zeile for Mike Morgan, Luis Gonzalez and Scott Servais for Rick Wilkins, and Mark Parent down the stretch. As a result the Cubs had a winning record in each month for the rest of the season: July, 14-13, August 15-14 and September 15-13. Not great records, but not the usual collapse either. The team stayed in the wild card hunt into the last week of the season, and for the first time in awhile, Cubs games at the close of the season weren't only important, they were exciting. Compared with the mayo-dull teams of look-alike suburbanite bland boys (Dougie Dascenzo, Joey Girardi, Shawn Boskie, Greggie, Markie...), this team had some flair, with Brian McRae, Sammy Sosa, and a reborn Shawon Dunston providing on-field antics.
What was really important for the Cubs was that this team didn't give up on the season, either on the field or in the front office, and with the new playoff setup, there's no reason to. When only two teams could make it, it would take a lot more work for a team to hope to win, because it would have to expect at least 90 wins to take the division. Now, competing against only three or four other teams, as long as you build a team that can avoid a major breakdown, you can compete, because chances are good that at least one of your division rivals has no real chance and another will break down. If you build a team you can expect to win half of its games, you can hope to get lucky at some stretch during the long season, and that's probably enough for a wild-card berth. That encourages a front office to do what MacPhail and Lynch did this past season: constantly look for smaller deals to improve without giving up much in return, to stay with the pack and hope something exciting happens. The new-look Cubs are an example of the new expanded-playoff reality of baseball: instead of running a franchise through the painstaking tidal flow between trying to build a great team or scrapping the last master plan and rebuilding, you can now shoot for a happy mediocrity, because a team can probably compete in any year. There's no incentive to take a hit over a couple of years to rebuild a new winner or a long-term success, because it might only take a few moves to be just barely good enough to contend for that wild card or win the division in a weak year. If you're a team with a record of failure as historic as the Cubs, shooting for competitive mediocrity represents ambition, or at least an appreciation of what it takes to make the playoffs.
THE FRONT OFFICE: Andy MacPhail runs a close-mouthed organization. He has a pretty good record of assembling talent, and with restricted budgets in Minnesota put solid teams on the field, even in the years the Twins weren't gearing up for a big push. His drafts were solid. Ed Lynch hasn't done enough publically to merit comment one way or another, which is important in itself. There won't be any infighting in this organization, and if there is, you won't hear about it. In their first season and a half, the Lynch-MacPhail team have dabbled in the Rule V draft to find spare pitchers.
MANAGER: Jim Riggleman has been acclaimed as one of the sharper new managers around, and I'm inclined to agree. One of the reasons for the rotation's success in '95 was Riggleman's firm commitment to the five-man rotation and to his five starters. Many teams will actually go with a "four-and-a-half," in which the fifth starter is constantly bumped back for other starters. With the Cubs, there was no conventional-wisdom ace, so during most of the season no one was skipped. Additionally, he should get a lot of credit for bringing Fergie Jenkins in as pitching coach. Fergie commanded respect from the pitchers, and got much of the credit for the rotation's turnaround. Considering the loss of Guzman, Banks, Morgan, and Anthony Young from the '94 rotation, building a new rotation from scratch was not only a good piece of luck (does anyone think that bunch could have done better than the '95 group?), but also a good example of the virtue of patience with starting pitchers. Even when Trachsel or Foster or Bullinger faltered, there was no speculation about replacing them; when asked about Trachsel's season-long troubles, Riggleman made it clear that if the Cubs were going to win games, it would be because Steve Trachsel was going to come around, and he couldn't do that without pitching. Riggleman is particularly fond of the double-switch instead of settling for strict pinch-hitting when the ninth slot is due up, saving his bench for defensive substitutions. This habit also avoids a quick hook for his closer, who he isn't afraid to bring into the game in the eighth. If he has a bad habit, it's the intentional walk; he's led the NL in ordering for the free pass three straight years.
THE MEDIA: The Cubs are the beneficiaries of an unholy trifecta in the local media, being owned by the same corporation that owns WGN-TV, WGN Radio, and the Chicago Tribune. If there's a positive spin to be found on anything going on in Cubbieland, you can count on hearing about it. About the only voices of occasional criticism are venerable Harry Caray late in a one-sided blowout when he's feeling particularly old, low, and bitter, and the cautious observations of Steve Stone to temper old Harry's typical hyperbole.
FREDDIE BENAVIDES 1966 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NAS 333 75 5 1 0 10 7 5 .225 .248 .246 .167 55 15 1991 CIN 63 19 0 0 0 1 1 0 .302 .312 .302 .225 14 5 1992 CIN 175 44 12 1 1 11 0 1 .251 .296 .349 .225 39 16 1993 COL 208 54 7 2 3 6 3 2 .260 .280 .356 .224 47 19 1994 MON 84 16 3 1 0 4 0 0 .190 .227 .250 .151 13 3 1995 IOW 316 74 9 2 4 24 3 3 .234 .288 .313 .211 67 25No matter what Chief Bender says, he'll never grow up to be Kurt Stillwell at this rate. Signed as a minor league FA by the Yankees.
SCOTT BREAM 1971 2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SPO 266 39 3 2 0 11 5 3 .147 .181 .173 **** -8 0 1991 CSC 180 19 1 1 0 12 4 2 .106 .161 .122 **** -22 -4 1992 WLO 401 74 6 3 1 20 8 4 .185 .223 .222 .139 56 12 1993 RCU 397 85 7 3 3 48 15 7 .214 .299 .270 .205 81 30 1994 WIC 335 90 4 1 5 35 13 5 .269 .338 .331 .244 82 37 1995 IOW 83 13 2 0 1 10 1 0 .157 .247 .217 .149 12 3 1995 LVG 294 57 4 1 0 30 7 4 .194 .269 .214 .163 48 13Apparently a really awful shortstop while in the Padres chain, the Cubs moved him to second. He won't be seen in a major league uniform any time soon.
BRANT BROWN 1971 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 PEO 253 55 5 0 3 15 2 2 .217 .261 .273 .182 46 14 1993 DAY 261 74 5 3 4 7 5 3 .284 .302 .372 .239 62 27 1993 ORL 110 33 7 2 3 5 2 1 .300 .330 .482 .281 31 16 1994 ORL 472 112 19 4 4 33 9 8 .237 .287 .320 .213 100 38 1995 ORL 450 112 17 2 6 33 7 3 .249 .300 .336 .226 102 41After a good AFL, he was named the #10 prospect in the league. He's got an excellent defensive reputation, but he can't outhit Matt Franco, let alone Mark Grace, so he isn't really a prospect.
SCOTT BULLETT 1969 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 AUG 392 92 13 3 1 14 20 9 .235 .261 .291 .199 78 27 1991 SLM 154 41 4 2 2 4 8 4 .266 .285 .357 .230 35 15 1992 CAR 524 131 13 3 8 24 24 11 .250 .283 .332 .221 116 46 1993 BUF 409 113 6 4 1 37 35 16 .276 .336 .318 .243 99 45 1993 PIT 55 11 2 1 0 3 3 2 .200 .241 .273 .179 10 3 1994 IOW 525 154 18 2 11 17 27 13 .293 .315 .398 .255 134 63 1995 CHC 150 42 4 6 3 11 8 3 .280 .329 .447 .273 41 22 1996 PRJ 268 81 11 3 6 18 19 6 .302 .346 .433 .280 75 40Larry Himes loved Scott Bullett, so it was something of a surprise that the MacPhail regime didn't take an immediate dislike to him. He's well-suited to the job of a fifth outfielder, since he's a blazing fast pinch-runner, a very good outfielder, and an aggressive hitter who puts the ball on the ground to use his speed. Bullett is essentially everything Chris Gwynn or Gary Varsho wish they could be.
MIKE CARTER 1969 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BLT 455 102 16 2 2 12 22 8 .224 .244 .281 .188 86 28 1992 STO 252 56 6 1 2 7 15 4 .222 .243 .278 .190 48 16 1992 ELP 166 36 3 2 1 14 8 4 .217 .278 .277 .199 33 12 1993 ELP 71 22 2 1 1 3 4 2 .310 .338 .408 .266 19 9 1993 NWO 368 98 13 3 2 16 25 10 .266 .297 .334 .231 85 36 1994 IOW 417 114 15 2 5 13 17 11 .273 .295 .355 .231 96 40 1995 IOW 420 131 12 2 6 15 16 12 .312 .336 .393 .258 108 51Escapee from the Brewers chain, Carter has very little future in the organization with the talent from Orlando and Daytona on the way up.
KEN COLEMAN 1967 2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SAR 123 32 6 1 1 15 3 2 .260 .341 .350 .246 30 14 1992 SAR 307 70 11 2 3 30 9 4 .228 .297 .306 .216 66 26 1993 SAR 33 5 0 0 0 4 1 0 .152 .243 .152 .113 4 1 1993 BIR 132 29 2 0 0 10 2 1 .220 .275 .235 .175 23 7 1994 BIR 192 33 5 1 2 33 3 2 .172 .293 .240 .185 35 12 1995 ORL 401 103 12 2 4 65 19 5 .257 .361 .327 .254 102 49After never really getting a shot as a full-time player in the White Sox chain, he played his way into a regular role as Orlando's leadoff hitter. He can run a little, and he's a very patient hitter, but like a lot of minor league utilitymen, he's best-suited for second. At his age, he'll wind up being a good spare part at AAA at best.
CRIS COLON 1969 3B/1B/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PCH 257 77 8 2 5 6 3 3 .300 .316 .405 .253 65 29 1991 TUL 99 34 2 1 3 1 0 1 .343 .350 .475 .285 28 14 1992 TUL 417 99 13 2 1 16 5 2 .237 .266 .285 .193 80 26 1992 TEX 36 7 0 0 0 1 0 0 .194 .216 .194 .105 4 1 1993 TUL 485 126 16 1 8 12 4 2 .260 .278 .346 .220 107 41 1994 IOW 431 114 19 1 11 12 2 2 .265 .284 .390 .236 102 43 1995 IOW 366 92 12 1 3 17 1 0 .251 .285 .314 .211 77 28In '94, some Cubs fans talked themselves into thinking he might be a legitimate third base prospect. Well, there's no hurt in hoping, but the guy can't hit.
DARRON COX 1968 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CDR 62 14 3 0 0 5 3 1 .226 .284 .274 .203 13 5 1991 CWV 302 59 5 1 2 13 3 2 .195 .229 .238 .148 45 10 1991 CHT 39 6 2 0 0 1 0 0 .154 .175 .205 .063 2 0 1992 CHT 333 78 11 1 2 13 6 2 .234 .263 .291 .195 65 22 1993 CHT 301 56 7 3 2 31 5 2 .186 .262 .249 .174 52 16 1994 IOW 299 76 10 1 2 26 5 2 .254 .314 .314 .226 67 27 1995 ORL 103 27 4 0 3 6 3 2 .262 .303 .388 .243 25 11 1995 IOW 94 21 4 0 1 8 0 0 .223 .284 .298 .203 19 7Crash Davis' caddy in training.
GABE DUROSS 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 GEN 225 46 5 1 3 3 4 2 .204 .215 .276 .163 37 10 1994 PEO 462 110 15 1 4 6 2 2 .238 .248 .301 .188 87 27 1995 DAY 225 45 4 0 3 7 3 2 .200 .224 .258 .157 35 9 1995 ORL 245 59 7 1 2 8 2 1 .241 .265 .302 .198 48 16He did a good job of making sure there wasn't another first baseman on Orlando's roster that could outhit Brant Brown.
MATT FRANCO 1970 1B/3B/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WNS 314 56 6 1 3 31 2 1 .178 .252 .232 .158 50 13 1992 CHR 346 89 14 2 2 23 3 2 .257 .304 .327 .224 77 31 1993 ORL 239 69 10 1 6 23 3 4 .289 .351 .414 .267 64 32 1993 IOW 197 55 13 2 4 15 5 1 .279 .330 .426 .268 53 27 1994 IOW 434 116 22 3 9 48 3 2 .267 .340 .394 .259 112 55 1995 IOW 456 125 21 3 5 36 1 1 .274 .327 .366 .246 112 50 1996 PRJ 505 142 27 3 8 44 2 2 .281 .339 .394 .260 131 63He could be a useful fill-in or utility infielder, and has a pretty good shot of making the team. His best position is first, but he can get by at third or second better than HoJo.
JEFF GARDNER 1964 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TID 503 137 19 3 1 67 6 3 .272 .358 .328 .249 125 57 1991 NYM 37 7 0 0 0 4 0 0 .189 .268 .189 .143 5 1 1992 LVG 420 121 22 3 2 53 5 1 .288 .368 .369 .266 112 55 1993 SDP 405 107 17 7 1 45 2 6 .264 .338 .348 .241 98 43 1994 OTT 194 48 5 1 0 19 5 0 .247 .315 .284 .220 43 17 1994 MON 32 7 0 1 0 3 0 0 .219 .286 .281 .197 6 2 1995 IOW 236 74 5 0 3 22 2 2 .314 .372 .373 .267 63 30He had his chance as Joe McIlvaine's lackey or whatever with the Mets, which earned him the opportunity to follow him to the Padres. Mediocre second basemen are easily replaceable, and Gardner has gotten shots and disappointed people.
DOUG GLANVILLE 1971 Cf YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GEN 154 36 2 0 2 5 7 2 .234 .258 .286 .197 30 10 1992 WNS 492 105 11 2 2 29 19 6 .213 .257 .256 .182 90 28 1993 DAY 237 55 6 1 2 22 11 7 .232 .297 .291 .211 50 19 1993 ORL 295 72 9 2 7 9 12 5 .244 .266 .359 .223 66 27 1994 ORL 483 110 15 1 4 22 18 11 .228 .261 .288 .193 93 32 1995 IOW 418 107 11 1 3 17 17 9 .256 .285 .309 .213 89 34Another Himes favorite and a first-round draft pick, Glanville has been a dramatic failure. About all that can be said of him is that he's rated the best defensive outfielder in the Cubs system. The expectation was that he'd be a leadoff hitter, but he doesn't run well and doesn't get on base.
RUDY GOMEZ 1969 2B/SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GEN 235 39 3 1 0 12 2 2 .166 .206 .187 .089 21 2 1992 WNS 368 68 7 1 0 20 5 3 .185 .227 .209 .130 48 9 1993 DAY 147 31 3 1 0 14 2 2 .211 .280 .245 .179 26 8 1993 ORL 142 42 5 0 1 20 4 2 .296 .383 .352 .268 38 19 1994 ORL 230 50 5 0 2 16 3 4 .217 .268 .265 .181 42 13 1995 ORL 216 38 7 1 1 12 0 0 .176 .219 .231 .134 29 6They may end up naming the utility infielder roster spot at Orlando after him, or at least painting his name onto his spot on the bench.
LUIS GONZALEZ 1968 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HOU 484 135 30 7 16 40 10 6 .279 .334 .469 .276 134 71 1992 HOU 395 108 20 3 13 26 8 7 .273 .318 .438 .261 103 51 1993 HOU 543 166 29 3 14 48 22 9 .306 .362 .448 .285 155 84 1994 HOU 393 112 24 4 7 49 18 14 .285 .364 .420 .273 107 57 1995 HOU 212 59 9 4 6 18 1 3 .278 .335 .443 .267 57 29 1995 CHC 261 77 16 4 6 39 5 5 .295 .387 .456 .291 76 43 1996 PRJ 555 162 32 6 18 54 8 7 .292 .355 .468 .284 158 86Tall and gangly, Gonzalez went from being a clumsy third baseman in the minors to being one of the best defensive outfielders in the game; he gets a great jump and covers the gap quickly, to the point that he had several near run-ins with McRae. He did a solid job subbing for McRae in center for a brief period. His weaknesses are that he isn't consistent against LHPs, his GIDP rate spiked to a career high last season, and he isn't really a prototypical slugging left fielder. Although I like him, the Cubs really shouldn't have re-signed him. Kieschnick is ready right now, Timmons can play some, and Robin Jennings probably deserves a shot at a major league job this spring. With Sosa and McRae on the team, left field was the one slot the team could have offered to its talented young outfielders.
MARK GRACE 1964 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CHC 627 179 28 4 9 70 3 3 .285 .357 .386 .264 166 81 1992 CHC 617 206 40 5 12 77 6 1 .334 .408 .473 .310 192 111 1993 CHC 593 193 33 3 13 70 8 4 .325 .397 .457 .301 178 100 1994 CHC 406 128 20 3 5 48 0 1 .315 .388 .416 .286 116 61 1995 CHC 550 183 43 3 14 64 6 2 .333 .402 .498 .313 172 101 1996 PRJ 608 188 36 2 14 71 4 3 .309 .381 .444 .291 177 96I'm not really a Cubs fan, so I can happily say I really like watching Mark Grace play, and not think about what somebody like Mark McGwire would do in Wrigley Field instead. He's just about as great as a first baseman can get without being a power hitter: a brilliant defender, a very intelligent baserunner, and a tough out. He doesn't get much benefit from Wrigley, since he's slugged better on the road over his career. I'd almost argue he's underrated, because it seems like you're always going to hear more about guys like Gregg Jefferies or Eric Karros than you will about Grace.
TODD HANEY 1966 2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IND 513 152 26 2 2 35 11 7 .296 .341 .366 .253 130 59 1992 IND 201 52 8 0 6 33 1 0 .259 .363 .388 .267 54 28 1993 OTT 505 135 21 2 2 32 11 6 .267 .311 .329 .229 116 47 1994 IOW 303 85 15 1 2 25 9 5 .281 .335 .356 .248 75 34 1994 CHC 37 7 0 0 1 3 2 1 .189 .250 .270 .184 7 2 1995 IOW 327 99 14 2 3 27 3 2 .303 .356 .385 .265 87 41 1995 CHC 73 31 6 0 2 6 0 0 .425 .468 .589 .366 27 17Because he looks like a scrappy second baseman in the Remy-Barrett-Fletcher mold, he gets accused of being that scrappy, heady player who hangs tough while turning the deuce. Unfortunately, he's actually weak on the double play, and always seems to be juggling the ball in the field. He's deserved a shot at a major league job for awhile, because he can hit like just about any average second baseman, but he'll be 30 this year.
JOSE HERNANDEZ 1970 SS/3B/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUL 300 60 11 3 1 16 3 2 .200 .241 .267 .169 51 14 1991 OKL 46 13 0 1 1 3 0 0 .283 .327 .391 .254 12 5 1991 TEX 99 20 2 1 0 2 0 1 .202 .218 .242 .138 14 3 1992 CAN 410 96 13 2 4 30 5 1 .234 .286 .305 .210 86 32 1993 CAN 151 28 3 0 2 8 6 2 .185 .226 .245 .161 24 6 1993 ORL 264 74 4 1 7 16 6 3 .280 .321 .383 .250 66 30 1994 CHC 132 33 2 2 1 9 2 2 .250 .298 .318 .217 29 11 1995 CHC 244 61 9 4 12 13 1 0 .250 .288 .467 .259 63 31I really like Hernandez. At worst, I think he can be Luis Aguayo with a glove, because he can pick it at short. He was sizzling in the second half, hitting .248/.290/.503, which for a shortstop and a #8 hitter is pretty dangerous. He didn't hit a lick at Wrigley this past year (.193/.224/.395). With Sandberg's return, the shortstop job should be a battle between Hernandez and Sanchez, and Sanchez hasn't impressed Riggleman so far. Don't be surprised if Hernandez wins the job during the course of the season.
MIKE HUBBARD 1971 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GEN 187 35 3 1 2 4 2 2 .187 .204 .246 .136 26 5 1993 DAY 242 58 8 2 1 14 6 3 .240 .281 .302 .207 50 18 1994 ORL 358 91 8 1 9 26 5 4 .254 .305 .358 .233 84 36 1995 IOW 255 64 4 2 4 25 7 1 .251 .318 .329 .235 60 26He's sort-of touted by the Cubs, but he's probably a slower version of Scott Hemond. He was an easy out in his short trial with the Cubs, and there isn't a lot of reason to expect he'll be much better. He'll be given every opportunity to win the job backing up Servais in camp.
ROBIN JENNINGS 1972 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GEN 283 68 5 1 4 13 4 2 .240 .274 .307 .205 58 21 1993 PEO 479 121 18 2 2 30 6 5 .253 .297 .311 .215 103 39 1994 DAY 483 124 15 2 10 36 3 6 .257 .308 .358 .233 112 48 1995 ORL 493 136 16 4 14 37 8 9 .276 .326 .410 .256 126 61 1996 PRJ 515 139 22 3 16 43 5 5 .270 .326 .417 .260 134 65The MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He was rated its #6 prospect after winning the batting title and tying for the lead in home runs, and he's got a cannon of an arm. He's expected to move to an outfield corner, but he wasn't a bad center fielder. Apparently, doesn't have much trouble with LHPs. Not a blue-chip prospect, but definitely somebody who can help a team right now.
HOWARD JOHNSON 1961 Bottom of the Bench YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NYM 573 158 32 3 41 78 29 14 .276 .363 .557 .306 175 111 1992 NYM 359 92 17 1 10 58 24 5 .256 .360 .393 .274 98 53 1993 NYM 237 58 8 2 6 42 6 4 .245 .358 .371 .259 61 31 1994 COL 223 44 8 2 8 38 12 3 .197 .314 .359 .242 54 26 1995 CHC 169 34 5 1 6 33 1 1 .201 .332 .349 .239 40 19I was rooting for him all season to win the starting job at third from Buechele, and then just for whatever playing time he could get, but it was pretty apparent he was finished. He can still work the count well, but he'd finally get the payoff pitch and pop it weakly to second. To resurrect his flagging fortunes, he went to winter ball in Venezuela, but he was awful, and probably finished.
KEITH KESSINGER 1967 SS/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CDR 213 35 3 0 1 14 0 0 .164 .216 .192 .101 21 3 1991 FRD 58 9 2 0 0 5 1 1 .155 .222 .190 .110 6 1 1992 CDR 318 62 8 1 3 24 1 0 .195 .251 .255 .169 54 15 1993 CHT 160 43 3 0 3 20 0 2 .269 .350 .344 .245 39 18 1993 IND 119 32 4 0 2 12 0 1 .269 .336 .353 .243 29 13 1993 CIN 27 7 1 0 1 4 0 0 .259 .355 .407 .268 7 4 1994 IND 392 95 14 2 2 32 3 1 .242 .300 .304 .214 84 32 1995 ORL 63 15 4 0 0 5 0 0 .238 .294 .302 .210 13 5 1995 IOW 211 46 7 0 2 24 1 1 .218 .298 .280 .202 43 15Sometimes teams pick people up just for the name.
BROOKS KIESCHNICK 1972 LF/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 ORL 91 28 3 0 2 6 1 1 .308 .351 .407 .267 24 12 1994 ORL 469 119 13 1 12 30 3 3 .254 .299 .362 .232 109 46 1995 IOW 508 148 20 1 19 55 3 3 .291 .361 .447 .281 143 76 1996 PRJ 624 179 38 1 17 41 2 2 .287 .331 .433 .267 167 83Led the American Association in homeruns and showed improved patience this year, despite hitting a hundred points less vs. LHPs. As a left fielder, he wasn't as grisly as anticipated, and showed a strong arm. This offseason, the local media isn't saying boo about him after touting him last winter, and its hard to believe he has much more to show in the minors. He's been mentioned as a part of some multi-player deals, which should leave you wondering why they'd spend to keep Luis Gonzalez around, if it means dumping a legitimate power-hitting prospect.
MARK KINGSTON 1970 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 PEO 228 49 6 1 3 19 1 0 .215 .275 .289 .197 45 15 1994 DAY 375 77 10 1 4 28 1 1 .205 .261 .269 .179 67 20 1995 DAY 171 34 4 0 2 10 1 1 .199 .243 .257 .165 28 8 1995 ORL 201 50 6 0 5 19 0 1 .249 .314 .353 .234 47 20Utility player who also saw some duty at first and as an emergency catcher.
BRYN KOSCO 1967 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HAR 387 87 15 2 10 33 3 1 .225 .286 .351 .223 86 35 1992 HAR 348 75 7 1 6 25 1 0 .216 .268 .293 .194 68 23 1993 HDS 434 104 10 1 15 37 1 3 .240 .299 .371 .233 101 44 1994 NHV 485 108 13 1 16 47 2 1 .223 .291 .353 .225 109 45 1995 IOW 364 90 16 2 13 29 3 2 .247 .303 .409 .248 90 42A year removed from being the All-Star third baseman in the Eastern League. He should pray for a cup of coffee and a pinch-hit appearance or two. Grounds into a lot of doubleplays; Iowa fans must really be missing Phil Stephenson or Doug Jennings these days.
ED LARREGUI 1973 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GEN 273 52 5 1 1 6 5 2 .190 .208 .227 .132 36 7 1992 PEO 484 111 13 1 4 17 7 3 .229 .255 .285 .188 91 29 1993 DAY 327 61 8 3 2 10 2 4 .187 .211 .248 .139 45 10 1994 DAY 286 76 8 1 6 17 5 5 .266 .307 .364 .235 67 29 1994 ORL 111 27 1 1 0 4 2 3 .243 .270 .270 .184 20 6 1995 ORL 425 117 9 1 9 27 4 6 .275 .319 .365 .240 102 44The third man in Orlando's outfield along with Jennings and Valdes, and the one who doesn't get mentioned as a prospect despite being in the same age range.
DAVE MAGADAN 1963 3B/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 NYM 426 118 16 1 6 83 1 1 .277 .395 .362 .273 116 60 1992 NYM 332 106 9 1 5 60 1 0 .319 .423 .398 .298 99 55 1993 FLA 227 65 9 0 4 43 0 1 .286 .400 .379 .279 63 34 1993 SEA 227 62 4 1 2 34 2 0 .273 .368 .326 .254 58 27 1994 FLA 207 55 3 0 1 38 0 0 .266 .380 .295 .248 51 23 1995 HOU 356 121 12 1 4 71 2 1 .340 .450 .413 .313 112 65 1996 PRJ 417 124 12 1 2 64 1 2 .297 .391 .345 .268 112 55There are alot of reasons to like players with high OBPs, but Magadan really puts any faith in it to the test. He runs and fields like a three-legged, and has slightly more power than Eddie Gaedel. If he isn't getting on base, he has no other way to contribute to a team. In Wrigley, he can probably be extremely useful batting second to literally sit on first and wait for Sosa to do something; if he's batting sixth, expect whoever's batting seventh to hit into more doubleplays than you would've thought possible.
AUSTIN MANAHAN 1970 OF/2B/3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 373 62 5 1 6 31 9 5 .166 .230 .233 .149 56 14 1992 CAR 345 72 13 4 5 25 6 3 .209 .262 .313 .200 69 25 1993 RCU 142 33 5 2 1 5 4 1 .232 .259 .317 .205 29 10 1993 WPB 280 63 8 1 5 21 5 2 .225 .279 .314 .210 59 22 1994 RCU 27 7 0 0 0 2 1 1 .259 .310 .259 .202 5 2 1994 ORL 128 33 6 2 1 5 1 1 .258 .286 .359 .226 29 12 1995 ORL 262 51 6 0 3 13 11 4 .195 .233 .252 .168 44 12Not as good as his more famous brother Anthony. The Manahans are pretty far behind the amazing Zambranos in terms of minor league fame or talent.
MANUEL MARTINEZ 1971 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MOD 504 110 19 1 3 12 13 9 .218 .236 .278 .176 88 26 1992 MOD 493 101 10 1 7 18 9 6 .205 .233 .272 .169 84 24 1993 SBR 446 110 13 1 7 20 15 10 .247 .279 .327 .214 96 37 1993 TAC 57 14 1 0 1 3 2 2 .246 .283 .316 .209 12 4 1994 TAC 523 116 16 2 6 23 17 8 .222 .255 .294 .193 101 34 1995 IOW 397 111 13 6 6 20 14 8 .280 .314 .388 .249 99 45Martinez is probably a fine candidate to be a fifth outfielder in the majors: he has a great throwing arm, he can run a little, and he makes a lot of contact, for pinch-hitting.
BRIAN McRAE 1968 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KCR 632 173 27 9 8 22 26 12 .274 .298 .383 .243 154 68 1992 KCR 535 126 24 6 4 40 19 5 .236 .289 .325 .222 119 48 1993 KCR 621 176 25 9 10 32 28 12 .283 .319 .401 .256 159 76 1994 KCR 426 111 16 5 2 47 32 9 .261 .334 .336 .249 106 50 1995 CHC 578 170 32 6 11 46 28 9 .294 .346 .427 .276 159 83 1996 PRJ 653 182 26 10 15 41 38 8 .279 .321 .418 .267 174 88He can be silly on the basepaths at times, and even with the improved patience he swings at almost every first pitch, but he's probably the best center fielder the Cubs have had since Rick Monday. One of the things that really leaps out about the Cubs these days is outfield defense. Almost every observer couldn't help but notice the difference McRae made on defense, and the addition of Gonzalez only made things better. In this case, subjective opinion dovetailed with Defensive Average, as the Cubs outfield wound up with the best DA in the NL as a unit. McRae finished second among regular center fielders in the NL, Gonzalez led the left fielders, and Sosa finished second among right fielders.
MATT MERULLO 1966 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BIR 29 6 0 0 2 1 0 0 .207 .233 .414 .221 6 3 1991 CWS 141 35 1 0 5 8 0 0 .248 .289 .362 .228 32 13 1992 VAN 45 8 0 1 1 0 0 0 .178 .178 .289 .144 6 1 1992 CWS 50 10 1 1 0 1 0 0 .200 .216 .260 .151 8 2 1993 NAS 348 112 17 1 10 26 1 2 .322 .369 .463 .290 101 54 1994 CHR 416 117 13 4 9 20 2 0 .281 .314 .397 .252 105 47 1995 MIN 193 56 9 1 1 11 0 1 .290 .328 .363 .245 47 20He's come aways since he made the Sox roster on the merit of his college roommates' good word, his roommate coincidentally being Jeff Torborg's son. He can't throw, and he doesn't block the plate or do much else well as a catcher other than hit. Signed to a minor league deal with the Cubs, he'll get a very good shot at being Scott Servais' backup in spring training.
HECTOR ORTIZ 1970 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VRO 125 24 1 0 1 3 0 0 .192 .211 .224 .124 16 3 1992 BAK 205 46 5 1 1 11 1 1 .224 .264 .273 .184 38 12 1992 SAN 61 11 2 0 0 10 0 0 .180 .296 .213 .173 11 3 1993 SAN 133 26 2 0 1 8 0 1 .195 .241 .233 .148 20 5 1993 ABQ 43 6 2 0 0 0 0 0 .140 .140 .186 **** -4 -1 1994 SAN 76 8 1 0 0 1 0 0 .105 .117 .118 **** -12 -3 1994 ABQ 89 22 1 0 0 2 0 0 .247 .264 .258 .178 16 4 1995 ORL 301 63 7 1 0 16 1 3 .209 .249 .239 .157 47 12As Nichols' Law of Catcher Defense says, the guy must be a great defensive player, because he can't hit. Hell, he can't even bunt well (managing one last year).
CHRIS PETERSEN 1971 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GEN 255 42 4 0 1 22 4 3 .165 .231 .192 .120 31 5 1993 DAY 474 79 7 1 1 45 11 5 .167 .239 .192 .131 62 12 1994 ORL 379 73 8 2 1 32 6 5 .193 .255 .232 .161 61 16 1995 ORL 386 75 7 2 3 39 5 2 .194 .268 .246 .176 68 20Definitely a minor league shortstop: reliable but unspectacular gloveman, great bunter, some patience, no power. All of that adds up to little future, unless the name is Freddie Benavides or Mike Benjamin.
TODD PRATT 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PAW 216 58 10 0 9 17 1 2 .269 .322 .440 .262 57 28 1992 REA 135 43 4 1 5 20 1 0 .319 .406 .474 .309 42 24 1992 SWB 125 38 7 1 5 26 1 0 .304 .424 .496 .320 40 25 1992 PHI 47 15 2 0 2 4 0 0 .319 .373 .489 .299 14 8 1993 PHI 87 25 5 0 5 5 0 0 .287 .326 .517 .287 25 14 1994 PHI 102 21 5 1 2 12 0 1 .206 .289 .333 .214 22 9 1995 IOW 58 18 0 0 0 4 0 0 .310 .355 .310 .243 14 6 1995 CHC 60 8 2 0 0 6 0 0 .133 .212 .167 .057 3 0A definite disappointment. Pratt was supposed to hit in case Rick Wilkins didn't, and it turned out neither did. Not even the demotion snapped him out of it.
REY SANCHEZ 1968 SS/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 IOW 420 117 14 3 2 27 12 5 .279 .322 .340 .240 101 43 1992 IOW 75 24 1 0 0 4 6 2 .320 .354 .333 .258 19 9 1992 CHC 258 70 15 3 2 12 2 1 .271 .304 .376 .240 62 27 1993 CHC 342 95 5 2 1 16 1 1 .278 .310 .313 .222 76 29 1994 CHC 292 88 5 1 1 21 3 6 .301 .348 .336 .243 71 30 1995 CHC 427 121 18 2 2 14 6 4 .283 .306 .349 .233 100 41 1996 PRJ 521 152 24 2 3 32 10 5 .292 .333 .363 .250 130 59He's moving back to short with Sandberg's return, which is good since Sanchez never mastered being a pivotman on the deuce, and his range will be better used at short. Riggleman definitely was disappointed with Sanchez as the season wore on, as his poor bunting skills and tendency to hit into doubleplays (never mind his impatience) started hurting the offense in the #2 slot. Riggleman finally sat him and said he needed to work on hitting to the right side, and even that didn't help.
RYNE SANDBERG 1960 Famous Person/2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CHC 594 182 29 2 28 87 21 7 .306 .395 .503 .311 185 113 1992 CHC 625 207 33 6 33 73 18 6 .331 .401 .562 .327 204 129 1993 CHC 454 139 14 1 8 38 9 2 .306 .360 .394 .272 123 61 1994 CHC 224 56 7 5 5 23 3 3 .250 .320 .393 .248 56 26 1996 PRJ 454 121 23 2 17 49 11 4 .267 .338 .438 .272 124 65Can he come back even as far as this projection? Cubs fans should be ecstatic if he does this much. Although rightfully disgusted with the Himes regime and apparently coming back because he's got a more stable home life, Ryno's obvious jealousy of this season's success is probably the biggest reason for his coming back. Whether or not he can contribute to the enthusiasm and success of last season's team isn't a given.
SCOTT SERVAIS 1967 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TUC 212 58 3 0 3 9 0 3 .274 .303 .330 .221 47 18 1991 HOU 38 7 3 0 0 4 0 0 .184 .262 .263 .176 7 2 1992 HOU 209 56 6 1 1 12 0 0 .268 .308 .321 .224 47 18 1993 HOU 259 65 9 1 10 22 0 0 .251 .310 .409 .250 65 30 1994 HOU 251 51 13 1 9 10 0 0 .203 .234 .371 .206 52 19 1995 HOU 90 22 7 0 2 9 0 1 .244 .313 .389 .242 22 10 1995 CHC 175 51 10 1 11 22 2 1 .291 .371 .549 .309 54 33 1996 PRJ 400 102 11 1 19 26 0 0 .255 .300 .430 .254 102 48As a hitter, he jerks everything to left coming out of a deep crouch, so maybe Wrigley Field and he are a good match, or maybe he just had his career year at age 27. Enjoys a good defensive reputation, despite not throwing well, for his skills as a gamecaller and plateblocker.
SAMMY SOSA 1969 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 VAN 115 28 3 1 3 13 8 2 .243 .320 .365 .251 29 14 1991 CWS 317 68 10 1 10 13 17 6 .215 .245 .347 .212 67 26 1992 CHC 266 75 6 2 10 21 16 7 .282 .334 .432 .271 72 38 1993 CHC 596 156 22 4 30 39 39 11 .262 .307 .463 .271 161 86 1994 CHC 428 136 15 5 24 26 28 15 .318 .357 .544 .303 130 77 1995 CHC 563 154 19 3 31 57 35 7 .274 .340 .483 .289 162 93 1996 PRJ 634 184 23 7 38 44 40 13 .290 .336 .528 .296 188 111He's a genuinely entertaining player to watch. He has the reputation as a "natural" talent, but nature doesn't make him take two rounds of BP daily. He hasn't figured out what to do with a cutoff man, so he's caricatured as being a dumb player, which isn't fair. When he said in spring training in '94 that he was going to work on taking pitches, there was a lot of snickering, but even without the eleven intentional walks last year, he definitely improved his selection. When watching Sammy play, there are always some theatrics and the element of surprise: from his rapport with the bleacher bums to his fielding miscues to ludicrously bad days like his ridiculous game against Fernando Valenzuela last August, when the old man struck him out three times on pitches that were bouncing to home plate. When someone like Sammy Sosa doesn't have a huge shoe contract or isn't being promoted in ads, and a hobbyist/stiff like Freon Deion is, well, that isn't quite right.
OZZIE TIMMONS 1971 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GEN 300 53 3 0 7 6 2 2 .177 .193 .257 .134 40 8 1992 WNS 314 79 7 1 11 45 7 1 .252 .345 .385 .261 82 41 1992 CHR 123 24 3 0 3 11 2 1 .195 .261 .293 .191 24 8 1993 ORL 364 96 14 1 13 51 5 7 .264 .354 .415 .266 97 50 1994 IOW 437 112 19 1 19 33 0 2 .256 .309 .435 .256 112 54 1995 CHC 171 46 10 1 7 12 3 0 .269 .317 .462 .272 46 24 1996 PRJ 544 150 26 2 24 58 8 6 .276 .346 .463 .279 152 82An "organization guy," as in he'll do anything to please management, including tinker at third this offseason. With Gonzalez, Kieschnick, and Jennings all batting lefty, and Timmons' ability to crush lefties, he's probably the one guy guaranteed to be on the team and getting playing time in left with some regularity.
PEDRO VALDES 1973 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 GEN 257 53 4 0 3 1 2 2 .206 .209 .257 .147 38 8 1992 PEO 114 21 4 0 0 4 0 0 .184 .212 .219 .121 14 2 1993 PEO 235 63 6 1 4 5 1 1 .268 .283 .353 .224 53 21 1993 DAY 227 55 7 1 7 6 2 2 .242 .262 .374 .221 50 20 1994 ORL 365 89 10 3 1 18 2 3 .244 .279 .296 .200 73 25 1995 ORL 429 119 19 2 6 31 3 4 .277 .326 .373 .247 106 47He was rated ahead of Jennings as the #4 prospect in the Southern League, but apparently all anyone can say about him is that he has a picture-perfect swing, which he hasn't put to much use. Line drive power and a good glove, but not really a great prospect.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 38 Rank in MLB: 3rd Rank in NL Central: 2nd
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Telemaco, A 6 5 6 0 6 8 8 3 0 42 A+ Connolly, Matt 4 -3 4 0 7 10 11 5 -1 37 A Twiggs, Greg 3 0 3 0 7 6 6 7 -2 30 C+ Bair, Dennis 0 3 1 0 6 10 3 6 0 29 C Walker, Wade 3 0 6 0 5 7 5 4 -2 28 C Anderson, Mike 8 -3 9 0 4 3 2 3 0 26 D+ Steenstra, K 8 1 9 0 2 4 0 2 0 26 D+ Winslett, Dax 3 0 7 0 3 6 3 4 -1 25 D Ryan, Jason 3 6 6 0 3 3 3 3 -2 25 D Hutcheson, D 6 1 8 0 1 5 1 1 0 23 D- Box, Shawn 3 1 6 0 4 5 3 3 -2 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Hector Trinidad (B) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: None
There were a lot of reasons for Cubs fans to be disgusted with Larry Himes: his perceived callousness and arrogance, or his letting Greg Maddux get away, or allowing great prospects like Dwight Smith to be wasted, or his drafting some very poor position player prospects. But he did stock the farm system with pitching, as the very good staffs in Orlando and Daytona, filled almost entirely with Himes picks, showed.
At the top rung on this list were Kennie Steenstra and Mike Anderson. Steenstra is a college position player and pitcher, a combination Himes usually couldn't resist picking. Wrigley may be a bad match for him, since he's a homer-prone flyball pitcher, but with good control and patience he could turn out to be a solid major league starter. Anderson is a six-year minor league FA and journeyman, and although he could help many teams, isn't really a prospect. The AAA Iowa Cubs pitching staff was overwhelmingly made up of veterans, including ex-major leaguers/ex-prospects like Paul Abbott, Mike Campbell, Mauro Gozzo, Tom Edens, Steve Dixon, Mark Grant and Kevin Morton. Most of them turned in the kind of fairly solid performances which give them further chances, probably in other organizations, as the Himes draftees move up.
AA Orlando had the jewel of the farm system, Amaury Telemaco. He lacks a dominating fastball, but mixes in a great slider and change, and he's still growing. Although probably ready to help the big league squad as a middle reliever right now, he'll be in Iowa. The other main starters on Orlando were David Hutcheson and Jon Ratliff (drafted by the Tigers via Rule V). The other notable pitchers were closer prospect Terry Adams, left-handed reliever Roberto Rivera, and Matt Connolly. Connolly is an interesting story, since he's old for a prospect, but he's a huge man (6'8") and was a scouting find from the independent leagues.
Daytona was a great team in many respects, with the best winning percentage in the minors at any level, but of particular note was the pitching staff, which had four solid prospects in its rotation: Wade Walker, Jason Ryan, Brian Stephenson, and Shawn Box, and added Dax Winslett from the Dodgers during the season. Ryan is probably the best, since he's the youngest, while Stephenson was rated the best control pitcher in the chain. Walker got hammered in the AFL. All are right-handed, and all should progress to Orlando next season. Greg Twiggs made the OPR lists for being extremely effective in his short stint in Daytona's rotation before getting injured in his first season as a starting pitcher.
Dennis Bair was this season's eighth round pick, and looked very good in a half season in the depths of the system. Top '95 draft pick Kerry Wood may have survived his high school pitching coach, but its too soon to tell. The unfortunate Lance Dickson is by all reports still hurt and still trying to come back.
TERRY ADAMS 1973 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 PEO 138.7 172 117 21 102 60 7.59 3 12 11.16 6.62 3.89 1993 DAY 62.7 88 54 6 49 30 7.76 1 6 12.64 7.04 4.31 1994 DAY 76.7 96 49 10 51 53 5.75 3 6 11.27 5.99 6.22 1995 ORL 35.7 29 13 3 19 22 3.28 2 2 7.32 4.79 5.55 1995 CHC 18.0 23 14 0 10 15 7.00 0 2 11.50 5.00 7.50He's considered the closer of the future, and he's compared to Goose Gossage in one of those stock "compare the kid to someone special" scout sound bites. Adams' success this season was because he started to mix a slider effectively with his fastball. He has a very good shot at earning a spot with the Cubs this spring.
JIM BULLINGER 1966 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CHT 130.7 170 81 13 66 104 5.58 5 10 11.71 4.55 7.16 1991 IOW 44.3 53 35 10 23 29 7.11 1 4 10.76 4.67 5.89 1992 IOW 20.7 18 6 0 12 15 2.61 1 1 7.84 5.23 6.53 1992 CHC 85.3 83 55 14 58 41 5.80 3 6 8.75 6.12 4.32 1993 IOW 70.0 67 27 2 45 74 3.47 5 3 8.61 5.79 9.51 1993 CHC 16.3 18 8 1 10 11 4.41 1 1 9.92 5.51 6.06 1994 CHC 99.3 87 37 6 35 74 3.35 6 5 7.88 3.17 6.70 1995 CHC 149.3 159 73 14 66 92 4.40 8 9 9.58 3.98 5.54A converted shortstop, Bullinger has gone from being the team's closer of the future to being one of its better starters. He entered the season gingerly, and the Cubs worried about his arm troubles; he pitched well, was handed a heavier workload, and he broke down again. On his career, he has a 3.08 ERA starting on five or more days' rest, as opposed to posting a 5.93 ERA when he pitches every fifth day. Changing Bullinger's workload and bumping him up a couple of notches in the rotation during the season didn't work. Has a dandy curveball.
BEN BURLINGAME 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GEN 45.0 65 29 8 9 23 5.80 2 3 13.00 1.80 4.60 1992 WNS 145.7 192 88 23 51 59 5.44 6 10 11.86 3.15 3.65 1993 PEO 114.3 150 71 19 33 66 5.59 4 9 11.81 2.60 5.20 1993 DAY 15.3 29 18 6 11 9 10.57 0 2 17.02 6.46 5.28 1994 ORL 130.0 161 97 25 51 74 6.72 4 10 11.15 3.53 5.12 1995 ORL 89.3 119 49 7 44 63 4.94 4 6 11.99 4.43 6.35Burlingame's career is going backwards as the organization examines more popular prospects. He's gone from being a serviceable starter to a useful swingman, hasn't suffered an injury and may well eventually turn up in a few years as more "exciting" people blow out their arms.
MIKE CAMPBELL 1964 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 TUL 100.7 117 74 24 50 76 6.62 3 8 10.46 4.47 6.79 1992 OKL 39.0 46 26 8 13 26 6.00 1 3 10.62 3.00 6.00 1993 LVG 30.0 35 18 8 9 21 5.40 1 2 10.50 2.70 6.30 1994 LVG 129.7 147 56 15 38 117 3.89 7 7 10.20 2.64 8.12 1995 IOW 98.0 105 38 8 34 86 3.49 6 5 9.64 3.12 7.90The same Mike Campbell who got a one-season shot at the Mariners' rotation in 1988. His control has definitely improved with age, and a puny comeback as an effective middle reliever probably isn't out of the question.
LARRY CASIAN 1966 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 POR 48.7 57 27 5 16 24 4.99 2 3 10.54 2.96 4.44 1991 MIN 18.0 31 16 4 7 7 8.00 0 2 15.50 3.50 3.50 1992 POR 58.7 60 17 3 10 44 2.61 5 2 9.20 1.53 6.75 1993 MIN 56.0 57 17 1 12 35 2.73 4 2 9.16 1.93 5.62 1994 MIN 40.0 53 23 7 10 19 5.18 1 3 11.93 2.25 4.28 1995 IOW 12.0 11 4 0 2 9 3.00 1 0 8.25 1.50 6.75 1995 CHC 23.0 24 9 1 16 11 3.52 2 1 9.39 6.26 4.30An example of how warped a reliever's statistics can be, in that he wasn't really much good at getting left-handed batters out (in theory, his job), but he rarely stayed in a game long enough to hurt himself or his team much. His walk rate in '95 wasn't really this awful: six of his fifteen free passes were intentional.
FRANK CASTILLO 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IOW 23.7 24 8 0 6 19 3.04 2 1 9.13 2.28 7.23 1991 CHC 111.3 113 53 7 34 79 4.28 6 6 9.13 2.75 6.39 1992 CHC 204.7 203 102 27 69 154 4.49 10 13 8.93 3.03 6.77 1993 CHC 139.3 163 74 23 43 89 4.78 6 9 10.53 2.78 5.75 1994 IOW 63.7 61 29 11 10 63 4.10 3 4 8.62 1.41 8.91 1994 CHC 23.0 25 11 3 5 20 4.30 1 2 9.78 1.96 7.83 1995 CHC 186.7 187 69 21 54 134 3.33 12 9 9.02 2.60 6.46I've been a Frank Castillo believer for years, so I was very pleased to finally see him get his first extended time in the rotation since '92. Castillo's career has been a kind of litmus test for the organization, to see which managers were dumb and which weren't: he was never highly considered coming up through the chain, and he had a reputation of fragility. Lefebvre broke him in and used him well, and Tom Trebelhorn made it clear he had no use for him. It was to Jim Riggleman's credit that Castillo was given another chance.
FRED DABNEY 1968 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SAR 86.7 117 65 19 50 57 6.75 3 7 12.15 5.19 5.92 1992 BIR 96.7 144 71 15 49 73 6.61 3 8 13.41 4.56 6.80 1993 NAS 60.3 71 42 10 22 45 6.27 2 5 10.59 3.28 6.71 1994 CAN 53.7 60 24 6 21 36 4.02 3 3 10.06 3.52 6.04 1995 ORL 16.3 13 9 0 11 8 4.96 1 1 7.16 6.06 4.41 1995 IOW 53.3 75 43 9 33 32 7.26 1 5 12.66 5.57 5.40Lefthanders can pitch for food without having to worry about starving.
ROB DIBBLE 1964 Publicity Stunt YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CIN 81.7 70 30 6 26 133 3.31 5 4 7.71 2.87 14.66 1992 CIN 70.0 50 25 5 33 123 3.21 5 3 6.43 4.24 15.81 1993 CIN 41.0 32 27 10 43 51 5.93 2 3 7.02 9.44 11.20 1995 CWS 13.7 7 7 1 25 17 4.61 1 1 4.61 16.46 11.20 1995 MIL 11.7 9 8 1 18 11 6.17 0 1 6.94 13.89 8.49The White Sox signed him half-hoping he'd scab for them, and when he made it clear he wasn't too interested in scabbing, the organization cited this as another example of Dibble's "bad attitude." Nevertheless, the Sox said he just needed time to iron out his control problems. They were wrong. The Brewers picked him up, saying they'd spotted a flaw in his delivery, easily corrected, which would solve his problems. They were wrong. When a player has to publicly deny he isn't the second coming of Brad "the Animal" Lesley, it should tell you which way his career is going. He'll be an NRI for the Cubs this spring.
STEVE DIXON 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 STP 59.7 64 41 11 27 42 6.18 2 5 9.65 4.07 6.34 1992 ARK 45.7 46 18 4 19 53 3.55 3 2 9.07 3.74 10.45 1992 LOU 18.3 21 11 0 20 16 5.40 1 1 10.31 9.82 7.85 1993 LOU 65.0 60 36 10 35 62 4.98 3 4 8.31 4.85 8.58 1994 LOU 58.0 53 23 4 31 61 3.57 3 3 8.22 4.81 9.47 1995 IOW 39.3 39 18 5 21 37 4.12 2 2 8.92 4.81 8.47Not much of a prospect, but the Cubs need LHPs, so he may get a look in '96.
TOM EDENS 1961 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 POR 150.0 163 75 10 64 98 4.50 8 9 9.78 3.84 5.88 1991 MIN 32.3 38 15 2 10 22 4.18 2 2 10.58 2.78 6.12 1992 MIN 75.0 72 25 1 35 69 3.00 5 3 8.64 4.20 8.28 1993 HOU 48.3 49 18 4 20 22 3.35 3 2 9.12 3.72 4.10 1994 HOU 49.7 55 21 3 17 39 3.81 3 3 9.97 3.08 7.07 1995 IOW 39.3 42 19 3 19 27 4.35 2 2 9.61 4.35 6.18
RICK FORNEY 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 KNE 109.7 146 53 10 25 65 4.35 5 7 11.98 2.05 5.33 1993 FRD 145.3 202 87 13 82 123 5.39 6 10 12.51 5.08 7.62 1994 BOW 154.7 187 111 27 63 100 6.46 5 12 10.88 3.67 5.82 1995 BOW 90.3 122 69 21 43 62 6.87 3 7 12.15 4.28 6.18 1995 ROC 15.0 20 9 2 7 11 5.40 1 1 12.00 4.20 6.60Big, wild Rule V pick out of the Orioles organization, he'll get an extended look in long relief in the same fashion as Tanyon Sturtze did in '95.
KEVIN FOSTER 1969 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SUM 90.3 75 48 9 80 69 4.78 4 6 7.47 7.97 6.87 1992 WPB 63.0 64 34 11 41 53 4.86 3 4 9.14 5.86 7.57 1993 JAX 61.3 61 37 5 33 59 5.43 2 5 8.95 4.84 8.66 1993 SWB 67.3 73 35 9 33 53 4.68 3 4 9.76 4.41 7.08 1994 ORL 18.3 10 4 3 3 18 1.96 2 0 4.91 1.47 8.84 1994 IOW 32.3 30 16 7 15 35 4.45 2 2 8.35 4.18 9.74 1994 CHC 80.3 70 27 7 36 77 3.02 6 3 7.84 4.03 8.63 1995 CHC 166.7 155 82 33 67 145 4.43 9 10 8.37 3.62 7.83Another converted position player, Foster gets a lot of sympathy locally for being from Evanston. He's an extreme flyball pitcher who works on spotting his fastball and leaves it high too often. He wasn't especially hurt by Wrigley, and he pitched much better over the last two months of the season as the Cubs took their shot at the wild card.
MARK GRANT 1964 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 JAX 31.0 29 12 4 5 18 3.48 2 1 8.42 1.45 5.23 1992 CLG 24.3 32 13 3 3 11 4.81 1 2 11.84 1.11 4.07 1992 SEA 79.3 101 35 5 21 50 3.97 5 4 11.46 2.38 5.67 1993 COL 14.0 20 14 4 7 8 9.00 0 2 12.86 4.50 5.14 1993 HOU 10.7 12 4 0 5 6 3.38 1 0 10.12 4.22 5.06 1995 IOW 66.7 65 31 7 12 38 4.18 3 4 8.78 1.62 5.13It seems longer than ten years ago that Mark Grant was a highly-touted prospect with the Giants, and the key to the 1987 trade with the Padres that brought the Giants Kevin Mitchell. Although he probably could still pitch some, and has developed very good control with age, he's probably done.
DOUG HARRAH 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WEL 41.7 67 30 9 6 29 6.48 1 4 14.47 1.30 6.26 1992 SLM 124.7 169 94 18 52 67 6.79 4 10 12.20 3.75 4.84 1993 SLM 104.3 137 64 20 33 57 5.52 4 8 11.82 2.85 4.92 1993 CAR 23.7 43 28 5 10 14 10.65 0 3 16.35 3.80 5.32 1994 ORL 75.7 86 50 8 23 38 5.95 2 6 10.23 2.74 4.52 1995 ORL 64.3 75 34 7 39 42 4.76 3 4 10.49 5.46 5.88Flopped as a starter in the Pirates' chain. He's had two good years as a middle reliever in Orlando, which should be good enough for bus fare to Iowa.
DAVID HUTCHESON 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 PEO 80.0 91 35 5 32 53 3.94 5 4 10.24 3.60 5.96 1994 DAY 152.0 157 65 15 37 85 3.85 9 8 9.30 2.19 5.03 1994 ORL 18.3 14 11 4 9 11 5.40 1 1 6.87 4.42 5.40 1995 ORL 156.0 223 104 30 53 89 6.00 5 12 12.87 3.06 5.13He works high in the strike zone, and even pitching in Florida's dead air, managed to surrender 23 homeruns, second in the Southern League.
CHRIS JOHNSON 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ELP 60.3 79 42 7 38 34 6.27 2 5 11.78 5.67 5.07 1991 HAR 50.3 73 31 4 28 36 5.54 2 4 13.05 5.01 6.44 1992 HAR 131.7 183 88 19 49 83 6.02 5 10 12.51 3.35 5.67 1993 ORL 24.3 34 14 1 17 11 5.18 1 2 12.58 6.29 4.07 1994 ORL 36.0 41 20 4 10 25 5.00 2 2 10.25 2.50 6.25 1995 ORL 65.3 85 42 10 27 42 5.79 2 5 11.71 3.72 5.79Basically gets kept around because he's 6'8", and a team is always willing to believe that somebody that tall must have "mound presence."
DOUG JONES 1958 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CSP 34.3 31 14 5 4 28 3.67 2 2 8.13 1.05 7.34 1991 CLE 62.3 82 31 6 16 53 4.48 3 4 11.84 2.31 7.65 1992 HOU 111.3 101 29 8 19 104 2.34 9 3 8.16 1.54 8.41 1993 HOU 84.0 106 43 8 24 70 4.61 4 5 11.36 2.57 7.50 1994 PHI 53.7 56 14 2 6 39 2.35 4 2 9.39 1.01 6.54 1995 BAL 45.3 63 29 5 14 48 5.76 2 3 12.51 2.78 9.53How many guys survive on an "assortment" of changeups? His wanderings seem to be the product of getting hammered if he sits still, organizational distrust of relievers with no power pitch, or his way of adjusting to hitters catching up with him. Since he gets a lot of groundballs, I think he can survive in Wrigley, and I'm inclined to believe that anybody who had anything to do with Phil Regan last year was snakebit. Watching he and Dibble in the same pen will be nothing if not disconcerting.
KEVIN MEIER 1966 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SHV 125.0 186 97 27 32 67 6.98 3 11 13.39 2.30 4.82 1992 ARK 157.7 205 92 27 49 87 5.25 7 11 11.70 2.80 4.97 1993 LOU 128.7 164 86 22 47 99 6.02 4 10 11.47 3.29 6.92 1994 CSP 88.0 120 56 16 27 65 5.73 3 7 12.27 2.76 6.65 1995 IOW 10.0 20 13 6 4 7 11.70 0 1 18.00 3.60 6.30 1995 ORL 60.7 68 31 9 16 45 4.60 3 4 10.09 2.37 6.68Scab.
KEVIN MORTON 1969 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PAW 92.3 103 43 12 26 78 4.19 5 5 10.04 2.53 7.60 1991 BOS 84.7 98 43 9 39 51 4.57 4 5 10.42 4.15 5.42 1992 PAW 130.0 183 94 25 64 65 6.51 4 10 12.67 4.43 4.50 1993 MEM 66.7 96 48 13 32 48 6.48 2 5 12.96 4.32 6.48 1994 NOR 130.0 144 80 14 72 70 5.54 5 9 9.97 4.98 4.85 1995 IOW 87.3 109 55 15 48 48 5.67 3 7 11.23 4.95 4.95Lou Gorman thought he was a prospect, and see what that got them both? Morton has never overcome his wildness, and he doesn't really beat any type of batter consistently to succeed in relief or be more than a middling AAA starter.
SCOTT MOTEN 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 FTW 126.3 169 102 18 69 89 7.27 3 11 12.04 4.92 6.34 1994 FTM 88.3 89 31 5 41 55 3.16 6 4 9.07 4.18 5.60 1995 NBR 71.0 69 38 13 37 36 4.82 3 5 8.75 4.69 4.56Snatched off waivers from the Twins and immediately added to the 40-man roster, presumably in the spot that first-round draft pick Jon Ratliff held. Picking up Moten left Ratliff unprotected in the Rule V draft, where he was picked, so we'll see if the gamble was worthwhile.
ROD MYERS 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 APP 23.0 27 15 1 30 19 5.87 1 2 10.57 11.74 7.43 1993 ROK 78.7 81 29 7 17 42 3.32 5 4 9.27 1.94 4.81 1993 MEM 60.3 78 46 12 36 34 6.86 2 5 11.64 5.37 5.07 1994 MEM 65.3 53 26 6 35 46 3.58 4 3 7.30 4.82 6.34 1995 OMA 46.0 54 24 5 21 36 4.70 2 3 10.57 4.11 7.04Another addition to the all-points bulletin the Cubs have put out on anyone resembling a relief pitcher. Has already failed as a starter, and hasn't found control as a reliever.
JAIME NAVARRO 1967 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MIL 230.3 248 102 19 70 130 3.99 13 13 9.69 2.74 5.08 1992 MIL 241.3 269 112 16 63 123 4.18 13 14 10.03 2.35 4.59 1993 MIL 210.0 263 115 20 67 130 4.93 9 14 11.27 2.87 5.57 1994 MIL 88.0 123 61 8 31 71 6.24 3 7 12.58 3.17 7.26 1995 CHC 199.0 203 72 19 57 127 3.26 13 9 9.18 2.58 5.74Now here was a comeback. On the season, 21 of 29 were quality starts. Speculation is that the turnaround is because of improved conditioning, but getting away from Phil Garner may have something to do with it as well. Riggleman was very good at letting Navarro get his rest between starts.
MIKE PEREZ 1965 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LOU 44.3 54 33 8 24 36 6.70 1 4 10.96 4.87 7.31 1991 STL 16.7 21 11 2 8 8 5.94 1 1 11.34 4.32 4.32 1992 STL 92.7 79 25 6 34 52 2.43 7 3 7.67 3.30 5.05 1993 STL 71.7 65 21 5 22 61 2.64 6 2 8.16 2.76 7.66 1994 STL 30.7 49 25 5 10 20 7.34 1 2 14.38 2.93 5.87 1995 CHC 70.7 75 29 6 28 49 3.69 4 4 9.55 3.57 6.24Perez was a worthwhile gamble for the Cubs: he was coming off of his worst year, where he really hadn't pitched much, and he doesn't strictly rely on a fastball. He's something of an "old-fashioned" middle reliever in that he's a better pitcher over an inning or two than he is just coming in with men on base, because he takes awhile to warm up.
MATT PETERSEN 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 ERI 72.0 82 49 20 40 26 6.12 2 6 10.25 5.00 3.25 1993 KNE 129.3 169 104 32 49 76 7.24 3 11 11.76 3.41 5.29 1994 BRV 72.7 74 41 8 33 53 5.08 3 5 9.17 4.09 6.56 1994 PME 76.0 82 53 16 44 51 6.28 2 6 9.71 5.21 6.04 1995 ORL 82.3 131 79 24 45 51 8.64 2 7 14.32 4.92 5.57Somebody must see something, or this guy is an argument for why teams should employ fewer minor leaguers.
ROBERTO RIVERA 1969 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CGA 43.0 62 23 3 11 22 4.81 2 3 12.98 2.30 4.60 1991 KIN 10.0 12 8 3 1 6 7.20 0 1 10.80 .90 5.40 1992 KIN 81.3 102 43 12 12 41 4.76 4 5 11.29 1.33 4.54 1993 KIN 32.0 53 32 7 5 22 9.00 1 3 14.91 1.41 6.19 1993 CAN 13.0 25 9 0 3 5 6.23 0 1 17.31 2.08 3.46 1994 PEO 17.0 30 12 2 3 9 6.35 1 1 15.88 1.59 4.76 1994 ORL 41.7 58 20 2 14 27 4.32 2 3 12.53 3.02 5.83 1995 ORL 64.3 63 24 6 12 29 3.36 4 3 8.81 1.68 4.06His out pitch is supposed to be his changeup, so he may not be the best left-handed setup man for Doug Jones. Batters may get too used to pitches in the low 70s.
OTTIS SMITH 1971 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PTS 91.0 126 76 16 46 50 7.52 2 8 12.46 4.55 4.95 1992 CMB 85.7 101 60 13 46 63 6.30 3 7 10.61 4.83 6.62 1992 SLU 59.3 76 44 16 27 30 6.67 2 5 11.53 4.10 4.55 1993 SLU 120.0 161 77 17 54 71 5.78 4 9 12.07 4.05 5.32 1993 NOR 17.0 23 13 4 11 10 6.88 1 1 12.18 5.82 5.29 1994 ORL 112.0 175 66 7 29 56 5.30 4 8 14.06 2.33 4.50 1995 ORL 100.0 138 62 13 43 44 5.58 4 7 12.42 3.87 3.96 1995 IOW 19.7 37 25 4 15 12 11.44 0 2 16.93 6.86 5.49Both the Cubs and the Mets have tried pushing him into AAA, and he just doesn't want to go.
KENNIE STEENSTRA 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 GEN 18.7 17 9 2 4 7 4.34 1 1 8.20 1.93 3.38 1992 PEO 80.0 104 42 10 21 43 4.72 4 5 11.70 2.36 4.84 1993 DAY 76.3 74 34 8 13 49 4.01 4 4 8.72 1.53 5.78 1993 ORL 93.0 113 49 7 27 49 4.74 4 6 10.94 2.61 4.74 1994 ORL 145.3 185 74 16 50 73 4.58 7 9 11.46 3.10 4.52 1994 IOW 12.0 26 19 3 4 10 14.25 0 1 19.50 3.00 7.50 1995 IOW 163.7 196 91 18 56 94 5.00 7 11 10.78 3.08 5.17Iowa's best starting pitcher, after you sift through all of the old men on the staff. He's progressed well enough, and would probably be an OK #4 or #5 starter if asked. The Cubs aren't saying boo about him.
TANYON STURTZE 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MAD 149.0 165 101 19 61 58 6.10 5 12 9.97 3.68 3.50 1992 MOD 133.3 173 85 13 76 98 5.74 5 10 11.68 5.13 6.62 1993 HUN 152.3 179 101 24 94 90 5.97 5 12 10.58 5.55 5.32 1994 HUN 94.0 122 49 7 48 55 4.69 4 6 11.68 4.60 5.27 1994 TAC 59.7 78 35 5 36 27 5.28 3 4 11.77 5.43 4.07 1995 IOW 81.3 121 68 20 46 47 7.52 2 7 13.39 5.09 5.20A Rule V selection from Oakland that the A's didn't want back. Scouting reports talk about his 90+ fastball, without mentioning it has no movement at all. Sturtze was given a shot as a middle reliever in the AFL this year, and he didn't embarrass himself; still, he's not a prospect.
DAVE SWARTZBAUGH 1968 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PEO 32.3 22 15 2 17 20 4.18 2 2 6.12 4.73 5.57 1991 WNS 83.7 99 40 6 46 53 4.30 4 5 10.65 4.95 5.70 1992 CHR 155.3 164 102 25 74 95 5.91 5 12 9.50 4.29 5.50 1993 ORL 63.0 54 34 9 20 48 4.86 3 4 7.71 2.86 6.86 1993 IOW 82.3 92 50 16 47 69 5.47 3 6 10.06 5.14 7.54 1994 ORL 74.0 86 48 13 24 62 5.84 3 5 10.46 2.92 7.54 1994 IOW 18.3 25 18 7 15 14 8.84 0 2 12.27 7.36 6.87 1995 ORL 28.0 22 13 3 8 32 4.18 1 2 7.07 2.57 10.29 1995 IOW 45.0 38 12 1 21 37 2.40 4 1 7.60 4.20 7.40A reasonably effective reliever, good fastball. The expectation is that he might be good enough to take Turk Wendell's roster spot. As you can see, he was a starter, hit the AA wall, and has regrouped as a reliever.
BOB TAYLOR 1966 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SJO 9.0 19 8 0 3 9 8.00 0 1 19.00 3.00 9.00 1991 SHV 62.0 74 38 10 30 58 5.52 2 5 10.74 4.35 8.42 1992 SHV 55.3 71 27 3 21 44 4.39 3 3 11.55 3.42 7.16 1992 PHX 28.3 34 13 3 9 28 4.13 1 2 10.80 2.86 8.89 1993 PHX 134.7 152 67 19 50 95 4.48 7 8 10.16 3.34 6.35 1994 PHX 92.7 95 49 17 33 81 4.76 4 6 9.23 3.21 7.87 1995 IOW 55.3 48 22 4 32 47 3.58 3 3 7.81 5.20 7.64Iowa's closer, signed as a six-year minor league free agent from the Giants. You won't hear a word about him having a future with the Cubs.
AMAURY TELEMACO 1974 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 PEO 130.0 157 83 19 60 86 5.75 5 9 10.87 4.15 5.95 1994 DAY 72.7 68 39 10 25 49 4.83 3 5 8.42 3.10 6.07 1994 ORL 58.7 69 38 11 25 43 5.83 2 5 10.59 3.84 6.60 1995 ORL 140.7 138 77 20 48 130 4.93 6 10 8.83 3.07 8.32The top pitching prospect in the system, Telemaco is just growing into his frame. His out pitch is a slider, while mixing in a developing changeup and an average fastball (only Baseball Weekly claims he throws over ninety, as opposed to Baseball America or the Cubs).
STEVE TRACHSEL 1971 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GEN 12.7 14 5 1 6 4 3.55 1 0 9.95 4.26 2.84 1991 WNS 68.0 90 54 8 18 50 7.15 2 6 11.91 2.38 6.62 1992 CHT 178.7 214 93 31 42 113 4.68 8 12 10.78 2.12 5.69 1993 IOW 163.3 177 70 19 48 136 3.86 9 9 9.75 2.64 7.49 1993 CHC 19.7 16 9 5 3 15 4.12 1 1 7.32 1.37 6.86 1994 CHC 145.0 133 50 15 56 111 3.10 10 6 8.26 3.48 6.89 1995 CHC 159.3 182 95 26 77 116 5.37 6 12 10.28 4.35 6.55Trachsel went from being an early favorite to become the staff ace to the fifth starter within the season. What went wrong? Last year's obvious breakdown was that he lost a lot of his effectiveness against left-handed batters. If you look at the platoon splits between '94 and '95, that's the most basic difference: vs. LHBs:
'94 : .212/.284/.324, 6 homeruns '95 : .254/.343/.444, 13 homerunsThis while his numbers against right-handed batters remained essentially the same. Maybe his forkball wasn't forking right. He was also significantly worse during the second half. If he doesn't get this back under control, he not only can't win in Wrigley (3-16 on his career), he isn't doing a good job of getting anybody out.
TURK WENDELL 1967 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 GRN 135.7 158 57 8 52 97 3.78 8 7 10.48 3.45 6.43 1991 RIC 19.3 21 11 3 16 17 5.12 1 1 9.78 7.45 7.91 1992 IOW 23.7 17 8 3 16 12 3.04 2 1 6.46 6.08 4.56 1993 IOW 142.7 152 78 11 50 110 4.92 6 10 9.59 3.15 6.94 1993 CHC 22.3 24 12 0 9 16 4.84 1 1 9.67 3.63 6.45 1994 IOW 162.0 152 56 14 29 117 3.11 11 7 8.44 1.61 6.50 1994 CHC 14.3 22 17 4 10 9 10.67 0 2 13.81 6.28 5.65 1995 CHC 59.7 74 33 9 25 50 4.98 3 4 11.16 3.77 7.54Not to be a spoilsport, but he only does his wacky stuff like jumping the foul lines during games, since he walks on the white line all through warmups without noticing. I may be one of the last people who believes he can pitch, but his slider really is something, he gets a lot of grounders, and I don't think he's well-suited to short relief.