Majors: Organization Reports: Chicago Cubs: 2011
Castillo's Arm Intrigues Cubs
Dec. 19, 2011
Theo Epstein is taking a long-term view of the Cubs while also trying to construct a roster that has a chance to win in 2012. He says the first goal will always trump the second, and that could be put to the test with the handling of Lendy Castillo. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Lake Looks To Catch Up With Old Friend
Nov. 22, 2011
A few years ago, Junior Lake and Starlin Castro were being developed side by side, almost in lockstep. They rotated back and forth between shortstop and second base, and created debate with the Cubs organization about which player was the better prospect. [...] Continue Reading »
Epstein Balances Traditional And Advanced Approaches
Nov. 15, 2011
Theo Epstein's arrival will bring an increased commitment to player development and scouting. It could also change the kind of players that the Cubs seek through the draft and in Latin America, with an emphasis on strong fielders and disciplined hitters. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Easterling Chose Baseball Over Football
Oct. 28, 2011
Taiwan Easterling was a top wide receiver at Florida State. He seemed headed to a possible NFL career. But Easterling made an abrupt about-face last summer. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Clevenger Finds A Home Behind The Plate
Oct. 14, 2011
Were the Cubs paying back the catcher's spot when they moved Steve Clevenger there? They had struck gold in moving Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells from behind the plate to the mound. Now it seems that they will also reap dividends in moving the lefthanded-hitting Clevenger from shortstop to catcher. [...] Continue Reading »
DeVoss' Approach Impresses Cubs
Sep. 30, 2011
The free-swinging Cubs may have found a man to turn the tide. Zeke DeVoss, a switch-hitting outfielder taken in the third round of June's draft out of Miami, was an on-base and baserunning sensation in his introduction to pro baseball. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Final Report
Sep. 16, 2011
Phil Rogers selects end-of-season award winners for the Cubs system, selecting the Best Player, Best Pitcher and a player to keep an eye on. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Spend Big For A Brighter Future
Sep. 6, 2011
At the end of his second year as Cubs owner, Tom Ricketts financed an unprecedented wave of spending on amateur talent. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Trying To Look Forward With McNutt, Simpson
Aug. 18, 2011
Trey McNutt takes one step forward, another back, while it has been pretty much all downhill this season for Hayden Simpson. [...] Continue Reading »
No Rest For Cubs' Matt Szczur
Aug. 4, 2011
Matt Szczur is one of those guys who can do just about anything. The one thing he doesn't do is let his body rest, and he's feeling the strain four full months into his first full season as a baseball player. [...] Continue Reading »
Clevenger Forces His Way Into Cubs' Catching Picture
Jul. 22, 2011
A shortstop when he was drafted, Steve Clevenger long ago completed the transition to catcher. It shouldn't take much longer for him to complete the climb to Wrigley Field. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Midseason Report
Jul. 12, 2011
Picking out the Best Player, Biggest Leap Forward and Biggest Disappointment in the Cubs farm system so far in 2011. [...] Continue Reading »
Jae-Hoon Ha's Tools Impressing Cubs
Jun. 27, 2011
The Cubs never had any doubt about the boldness of Jae-Hoon Ha. As a highly regarded catcher, he turned down a chance to be a star in his native Korea to chase success in North America, signing with the Cubs in 2008 as he was finishing high school. [...] Continue Reading »
Javier Baez's Bat Attracts Cubs
Jun. 6, 2011
The clock may be ticking on the Jim Hendry regime, but the Cubs still refused to make the expedient move, drafting for need. They bypassed a number of highly regarded college pitchers to select 18-year-old Javier Baez, a shortstop from Arlington Country Day High School in Jacksonville, Fla. [...] Continue Reading »
It's Not Just About Size For Cubs' Tony Campana
May. 26, 2011
Tony Campana is either stubborn or hard of hearing. The little center fielder has a skill set far bigger than his stature, and he used it to reach the majors less than three years after being drafted in the 13th round out of Cincinnati. [...] Continue Reading »
Learing English A Big Part Of Cubs' Castillo's Progress
May. 12, 2011
Welington Castillo has never been given anything in his career. Nothing changed this spring but Castillo made the most of a chance to start a game here and to pick up an inning behind the plate there. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Don't Want To Rush Young Arms
Apr. 28, 2011
Midway through spring training, the Cubs seemed set for starting pitching. But a chain reaction triggered by Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner winning the last two spots in the big league rotation left general manager Jim Hendry searching for starters in April. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Barney Just Finds A Way
Apr. 14, 2011
Darwin Barney was goaded into making a grand arrival for a morning workout on the Cubs' final Sunday in Arizona. He ran onto the field, turned a cartwheel and did a backward flip in the air. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Rubi Silva Gets U.S. Career Off To Flying Start
Apr. 1, 2011
Speed is among the tools that prompted the Cubs to give a $1 million bonus to Cuban center fielder Rubi Silva. They're finding out he is also a quick learner, which is helping him get his North American career off to a running start. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Have Found A Hitter In LeMahieu
Mar. 18, 2011
When the Cubs selected D.J. LeMahieu, they knew there were probably some players available with better tools. But they also knew that the Louisiana State shortstop could hit. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Jackson Tries To Hit Way Into Picture
Mar. 4, 2011
Brett Jackson isn't expected to receive serious consideration for a major league job this spring. But he hopes to make the kind of impression Tyler Colvin did a year ago. [...] Continue Reading »
Darvill, Geiger Give Cubs More Options At Third
Feb. 18, 2011
Whenever Aramis Ramirez departs, Chicago will have no shortage of internal options to replace him at third base. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Give Szczur 1.5 Million Reasons To Play Baseball
Feb. 3, 2011
Like Jeff Samardzija before him, former Villanova wide receiver and running back Matt Szczur is bypassing the NFL draft to pursue a career with the Cubs. Forgive the Cubs if they hope the comparisons end there. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Break From Recent History In Garza Deal
Jan. 21, 2011
With limited payroll flexibility, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry rolled the dice in unprecedented fashion on Jan. 8, sending righthander Chris Archer, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and three other prospects to the Rays for righthander Matt Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and 22-year-old lefthander Zach Rosscup. [...] Continue Reading »
Gonzalez Emerges As Competition For Cubs' Barney
Jan. 7, 2011
Shortstop Darwin Barney has been tracking toward the big leagues since he pulled on a uniform at Oregon State. [...] Continue Reading »
Castillo's Arm Intrigues Cubs
Dec. 19, 2011
Theo Epstein is taking a long-term view of the Cubs while also trying to construct a roster that has a chance to win in 2012. He says the first goal will always trump the second, and that could be put to the test with the handling of Lendy Castillo. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Lake Looks To Catch Up With Old Friend
Nov. 22, 2011
A few years ago, Junior Lake and Starlin Castro were being developed side by side, almost in lockstep. They rotated back and forth between shortstop and second base, and created debate with the Cubs organization about which player was the better prospect. [...] Continue Reading »
Epstein Balances Traditional And Advanced Approaches
Nov. 15, 2011
Theo Epstein's arrival will bring an increased commitment to player development and scouting. It could also change the kind of players that the Cubs seek through the draft and in Latin America, with an emphasis on strong fielders and disciplined hitters. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Easterling Chose Baseball Over Football
Oct. 28, 2011
Taiwan Easterling was a top wide receiver at Florida State. He seemed headed to a possible NFL career. But Easterling made an abrupt about-face last summer. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Clevenger Finds A Home Behind The Plate
Oct. 14, 2011
Were the Cubs paying back the catcher's spot when they moved Steve Clevenger there? They had struck gold in moving Carlos Marmol and Randy Wells from behind the plate to the mound. Now it seems that they will also reap dividends in moving the lefthanded-hitting Clevenger from shortstop to catcher. [...] Continue Reading »
DeVoss' Approach Impresses Cubs
Sep. 30, 2011
The free-swinging Cubs may have found a man to turn the tide. Zeke DeVoss, a switch-hitting outfielder taken in the third round of June's draft out of Miami, was an on-base and baserunning sensation in his introduction to pro baseball. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Final Report
Sep. 16, 2011
Phil Rogers selects end-of-season award winners for the Cubs system, selecting the Best Player, Best Pitcher and a player to keep an eye on. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Spend Big For A Brighter Future
Sep. 6, 2011
At the end of his second year as Cubs owner, Tom Ricketts financed an unprecedented wave of spending on amateur talent. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Trying To Look Forward With McNutt, Simpson
Aug. 18, 2011
Trey McNutt takes one step forward, another back, while it has been pretty much all downhill this season for Hayden Simpson. [...] Continue Reading »
No Rest For Cubs' Matt Szczur
Aug. 4, 2011
Matt Szczur is one of those guys who can do just about anything. The one thing he doesn't do is let his body rest, and he's feeling the strain four full months into his first full season as a baseball player. [...] Continue Reading »
Clevenger Forces His Way Into Cubs' Catching Picture
Jul. 22, 2011
A shortstop when he was drafted, Steve Clevenger long ago completed the transition to catcher. It shouldn't take much longer for him to complete the climb to Wrigley Field. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Midseason Report
Jul. 12, 2011
Picking out the Best Player, Biggest Leap Forward and Biggest Disappointment in the Cubs farm system so far in 2011. [...] Continue Reading »
Jae-Hoon Ha's Tools Impressing Cubs
Jun. 27, 2011
The Cubs never had any doubt about the boldness of Jae-Hoon Ha. As a highly regarded catcher, he turned down a chance to be a star in his native Korea to chase success in North America, signing with the Cubs in 2008 as he was finishing high school. [...] Continue Reading »
Javier Baez's Bat Attracts Cubs
Jun. 6, 2011
The clock may be ticking on the Jim Hendry regime, but the Cubs still refused to make the expedient move, drafting for need. They bypassed a number of highly regarded college pitchers to select 18-year-old Javier Baez, a shortstop from Arlington Country Day High School in Jacksonville, Fla. [...] Continue Reading »
It's Not Just About Size For Cubs' Tony Campana
May. 26, 2011
Tony Campana is either stubborn or hard of hearing. The little center fielder has a skill set far bigger than his stature, and he used it to reach the majors less than three years after being drafted in the 13th round out of Cincinnati. [...] Continue Reading »
Learing English A Big Part Of Cubs' Castillo's Progress
May. 12, 2011
Welington Castillo has never been given anything in his career. Nothing changed this spring but Castillo made the most of a chance to start a game here and to pick up an inning behind the plate there. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Don't Want To Rush Young Arms
Apr. 28, 2011
Midway through spring training, the Cubs seemed set for starting pitching. But a chain reaction triggered by Randy Wells and Andrew Cashner winning the last two spots in the big league rotation left general manager Jim Hendry searching for starters in April. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Barney Just Finds A Way
Apr. 14, 2011
Darwin Barney was goaded into making a grand arrival for a morning workout on the Cubs' final Sunday in Arizona. He ran onto the field, turned a cartwheel and did a backward flip in the air. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Rubi Silva Gets U.S. Career Off To Flying Start
Apr. 1, 2011
Speed is among the tools that prompted the Cubs to give a $1 million bonus to Cuban center fielder Rubi Silva. They're finding out he is also a quick learner, which is helping him get his North American career off to a running start. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Have Found A Hitter In LeMahieu
Mar. 18, 2011
When the Cubs selected D.J. LeMahieu, they knew there were probably some players available with better tools. But they also knew that the Louisiana State shortstop could hit. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs' Jackson Tries To Hit Way Into Picture
Mar. 4, 2011
Brett Jackson isn't expected to receive serious consideration for a major league job this spring. But he hopes to make the kind of impression Tyler Colvin did a year ago. [...] Continue Reading »
Darvill, Geiger Give Cubs More Options At Third
Feb. 18, 2011
Whenever Aramis Ramirez departs, Chicago will have no shortage of internal options to replace him at third base. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Give Szczur 1.5 Million Reasons To Play Baseball
Feb. 3, 2011
Like Jeff Samardzija before him, former Villanova wide receiver and running back Matt Szczur is bypassing the NFL draft to pursue a career with the Cubs. Forgive the Cubs if they hope the comparisons end there. [...] Continue Reading »
Cubs Break From Recent History In Garza Deal
Jan. 21, 2011
With limited payroll flexibility, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry rolled the dice in unprecedented fashion on Jan. 8, sending righthander Chris Archer, shortstop Hak-Ju Lee and three other prospects to the Rays for righthander Matt Garza, outfielder Fernando Perez and 22-year-old lefthander Zach Rosscup. [...] Continue Reading »
Gonzalez Emerges As Competition For Cubs' Barney
Jan. 7, 2011
Shortstop Darwin Barney has been tracking toward the big leagues since he pulled on a uniform at Oregon State. [...] Continue Reading »
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