Majors: Organization Reports: Chicago Cubs: 2009

The Cubs' J.R. Mathes Has Shown He Knows How To WIn
Nov. 3, 2009
All J.R. Mathes does is wait patiently . . . and win. The 27-year-old lefthander has been in the Cubs system for six seasons and racked up double-digit victories in four of them. [...] Continue Reading »

Colvin Gets Unexpected Call To The Majors
Oct. 16, 2009
Tyler Colvin was dining with his grandparents in Knoxville after his team, Double-A Tennessee, was eliminated from the Southern League playoffs when an unexpected phone call arrived. [...] Continue Reading »

Robinson Earns Iowa Team MVP Honors, But Not A Promotion
Oct. 2, 2009
Chris Robinson had a pretty nice season. The Triple-A Iowa catcher was named team MVP. The 25-year-old then left Des Moines for Italy, where he played for Team Canada in the World Cup. [...] Continue Reading »

Cubs Final Report
Sep. 17, 2009
Starlin Castro was the top position player in the Cubs' farm system. [...] Continue Reading »

Barney Takes Heady Approach In Triple-A
Sep. 8, 2009
It was time to start thinking. Almost like a chess player. Rather than panic and make some mechanical changes, Darwin Barney decided to stick to what he was doing and take a more cerebral approach to the plate. [...] Continue Reading »

Cubs' Snyder Back In The Saddle
Aug. 24, 2009
On paper, it appeared Triple-A Iowa outfielder Brad Snyder didn't miss a beat after spending more than two months on the disabled list with a fractured left wrist. [...] Continue Reading »

Cales Proud To Be A Cub
Aug. 7, 2009
Daytona pitcher David Cales grew up a White Sox fan. But in the past couple of years, he has taken a liking to the Cubs. After all, they drafted him in the 24th round of the 2008 draft and he swiftly signed a deal. [...] Continue Reading »

Jeff Stevens Makes Wrigley Debut, Tries To Win Over Cubs Fans After DeRosa Trade
Jul. 27, 2009
When an injured Mark DeRosa and the Cardinals came to town to open a four-game set at Wrigley Field, one of the three former Indians was called up from Triple-A Iowa. Righthander Jeff Stevens, 25, made his major league debut and pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning. [...] Continue Reading »

Cubs Midseason Report
Jul. 10, 2009
Jeff Vorva selects midseason award winners for the Cubs system, designating prospects in the Best Player, Biggest Leap Forward and Biggest Disappointment categories. [...] Continue Reading »

Wrigley's Own
Jun. 10, 2009
On Aug. 2, 2007, the Cubs dropped a 10-6 decision to Philadelphia on a steamy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Starting pitcher Sean Marshall was tagged for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings and Will Ohman gave up three runs in the ninth. It wasn't a good day for lefties. Most fans left Wrigley Field in disgust. But a 19-year-old kid named Brett Jackson left in awe. The California native liked the Cubs before that but became a big fan after his first trip to Wrigley. [...] Continue Reading »

Comings And Goings
Jun. 8, 2009
The end of May saw a whirlwind of roster activity between the parent club and Triple-A Iowa. On May 27, the Cubs made six roster moves. The headliner was bringing up Jake Fox after he hit .424/.503/.886 with 17 home runs, 50 RBIs and 40 runs in 151 at-bats. [...] Continue Reading »

Tipping The Scales
Jun. 1, 2009
After 11 years of toiling in the minor leagues, it appeared 31-year-old second baseman Bobby Scales got the biggest break of his life. He was finally going to make it to the majors on April 30. [...] Continue Reading »

A Tale Of Two Blakes
May. 15, 2009
A couple of guys named Blake started the season on fire for Double-A Tennessee. First baseman Blake Lalli and righthander Blake Parker got off to hot starts and impressed the Kodak crowd during the first home series on April 16 when Lalli doubled home a pair of runs and Parker closed the game in a come-from-behind, 4-2 victory against Birmingham. [...] Continue Reading »

All In The Family
May. 1, 2009
Former major leaguer Jack Perconte has had battles with pitchers all of his life. But there is one pitcher Perconte has gotten to know pretty well and kind of likes. [...] Continue Reading »

Last Arms Standing
Apr. 17, 2009
In the end, David Patton and Angel Guzman survived a tough cut for the final two spots in the Cubs bullpen. [...] Continue Reading »

Arms Race
Apr. 3, 2009
As spring training headed into its final couple of weeks, the Cubs had a few minor league pitchers who were either giving officials pause or reason to beam about the future. [...] Continue Reading »

First Impression
Mar. 20, 2009
If righthander Andrew Cashner was wide-eyed for his first spring training, he certainly didn't show it. [...] Continue Reading »

Catching Some Eyes
Mar. 6, 2009
When it comes to hitting, everything's Jake with Cubs prospect Jake Fox. When it comes to defense? That's still a work in progress. [...] Continue Reading »

Getting A Shot
Feb. 19, 2009
While there are no guarantees Richie Robnett will make the club in 2009, the Cubs did pick up a player whose scant time in the Chicago area produced postseason excitement an hour west of Wrigley Field. [...] Continue Reading »

Open Invitation
Feb. 9, 2009
The Cubs always seem to invite an interesting group of non-roster players to spring training, and this year is no exception, with a Japanese veteran providing the most intrigue. [...] Continue Reading »

Fresh Faces
Jan. 26, 2009
On New Year's Eve day, the Cubs made a flurry of moves when they signed free agent infielder Aaron Miles and hours later traded popular infielder Mark DeRosa to the Indians for three pitching prospects. [...] Continue Reading »

Lou's Successor?
Jan. 9, 2009
One Chicago television sports anchor proclaimed that Ryne Sandberg's Dec. 17 promotion to manage Double-A Tennessee meant that he would become the next Cubs manager when Lou Piniella hangs it up. [...] Continue Reading »

Fun In The Sun
Dec. 30, 2008
One might say the BeachBoys had "Fun, Fun, Fun" winning the Hawaii Winter Baseball championship on Nov. 16. [...] Continue Reading »