Minor League Report: August 27-September 2, 2012
For the most part, the Cubs minor league season is done, so today we take a look at how each individual farm team did in their regular season.
AAA Iowa Cubs - The last series of the season against New Orleans was cancelled due to Hurricane Isaac. Iowa was very good at showing their inner Cubdom, finishing last in the entire Pacific Coast League with a 53-87 record, just a .379 winning percentage. Not as bad as the Houston Astros, but slightly worse than the Chicago Cubs. As other teams finish their seasons, the I-Cubs sit 29 games behind the first-place Omaha Storm Chasers.
AA Tennessee Smokies - The Smokies were third place and seven games out in the first half, and with one game left in the 2012 campaign sit five games out of first, eliminated from postseason contention. Overall, the Smokies were eight games out of having the best year-round record in their division.
A+ Daytona Cubs - The defending Florida State League champion Daytona Cubs couldn’t repeat, and closed out their season with a three-game winning streak. Daytona finished fifth in the six team Northern Division in the first half at 12.5 games out, and dead last in the second half, good for a better 7.5 games back, but still an overall 20 games out (the two half-standings added up are 20 games back, but the overall standings conflict with this, giving them one more win and just 19 games out). On the bright side, Cubs mega-prospect Javier Baez got his groove back in the last few games after an elongated struggle, hitting two home runs in Sunday’s season finale.
A- Peoria Chiefs - The Chiefs likely won’t be back with the Cubs next season, and probably won’t be the only affiliation to change. Currently tied with the Cubs soon-to-be affiliate Kane County Cougars 3-3, the Chiefs close out their season Monday at 1:00 PM in Geneva (Kane County). Peoria finished third in the eight team Western Division in the first half, but fell to seventh in the second half.
UPDATE: Cubs mega-prospect Jorge Soler put Peoria ahead (Kane County later tied it again) with a towering home run that the Peoria Chiefs twitter deemed to be with Baez’s towering homer against South Bend and Wisconsin’s Yadiel Rivera‘s blast one of the three longest homers of the Chiefs season. Don’t worry, players don’t switch affiliations with their teams, the Cubs will get to keep him.
SS Boise Hawks - The Boise Hawks are your 2012 second-half Northwest League Eastern Division champions! They face first-half champion Yakima Bears on Tuesday, opening a best-of-three division championship series. The Hawks host Game 1, while Game 2 and 3 go to Yakima, who struggled to a 15-23 record in the second half, good for third place in the four-team division. Should Boise win the series, they would face the winner of the Vancouver-Everett series in the championship.
Rookie Levels - The Mesa Cubs without Soler and Almora were thumped 15-3 to the Athletics in their single-elimination playoff game, before the Rangers eventually won the Arizona League crown. Neither of the Cubs’ DSL teams finished .500 or qualified for post-season play.