From Myrtle Beach to Wrigley Field
Wrigley Field
Joined May 2023
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FRV vs wRC+ (Qualified OFs)
Observations:
- Truly All-Time Szn from PCA
- Cubs pretty easily have the best all-around OF in baseball (BOS probably follows)
- Seiya Suzuki quietly having a monster contract year
- Rest of NL Central hates OF defense
Owen Ayers was arguably the premiere breakout hitter in all of Minor League baseball.
From a 19th Rd draft pick in 2024 to climbing 3 levels in one season, and being the best hitter in AA by wRC+!
Unsure what’s being used to here to denote a top 15 bullpen, but the Cubs have been top 15 in RP ERA 6/8 seasons since 2019. (‘21/‘22 were bottom 15).
Not one time in which they were t15 in ERA were they t15 in RP fWAR. Would say that’s more of a compliment to Hottovy’s job. 🤷♂️
#Cubs notable pitching statistics since Tommy Hottovy took over as the pitching coach
- Cubs have never finished Top 10 in the league in strikeouts.
- Early on, the pitching staff had strikeout rates near or above 9.0, recent years have been in the 7s to low 8s.
- The bullpen hasn’t been ranked as a “top 15 bullpen” since his first season in 2019.
- 2026 was one of his worst seasons (injuries were a huge problem, but then again previous years have seen the same issues) ranking near or at the bottom of every pitching stat.
This season, the main problems were injuries and not the right guys on the staff. Hoyer should really focus on bringing in power arms & ground ball guys to fix the lack of velocity and ground-ball rates.
At just 19 years old, Josiah Hartshorn had one of the very best hit / power seasons of anyone in High-A.
First AFL XBH for Juan Cabada last night, and it came on an absolute rocket 109 mph EV down the RF line.
He’s definitely being challenged with older competition, but it’s been fun to see him battle.
The Cubs may really have something with Jhon Cabral. Another insane AFL outing last night.
2 batters faced - 2 Ks
12 pitches
9 Strikes (All Swinging)
5 Whiffs
Fastball up to 100
Crazy sharp slider
Upper 80s cutter (117 Stuff+)
Excellent graphic from @PastTheEyeTest’s site!
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
Sources: The Chicago Cubs have named Steve Miller their new VP, overseeing the International Scouting department.
Miller comes over after serving as the Rays’ Director of International Scouting since 2019, where he played a key role in several notable international signings.
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
The Weekly - A Light Week for a Change, but Reid, Kepley, and Martinez Make Some Buzz cubscentral.wordpress.com/20…
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
His first stint in pro ball (after nearly 1.5 years without playing) didn’t yield overly impressive numbers on the surface, but underneath the hood it was pretty great.
16.5% Whiff
88.4% Z-Con
105.1 mph EV90
24% Barrel%
A chance to be a true 50-55+ tools across the board.
His first stint in pro ball (after nearly 1.5 years without playing) didn’t yield overly impressive numbers on the surface, but underneath the hood it was pretty great.
16.5% Whiff
88.4% Z-Con
105.1 mph EV90
24% Barrel%
A chance to be a true 50-55+ tools across the board.
Michael Busch lost almost a full mph of bat speed from 2025-2026 (69.6 mph - 68.7 mph) and in turn he saw the 3rd highest drop in barrel% among qualified MLB hitters. (-8.0% 17.1% - 9.1%).
A little nervous on how his profile progresses if this trend isn’t bucked.
Something so simple yet so effective that the Guardians nailed at the deadline was diversifying their lineup with very different hitters than they normally present
Jo Adell and Nathaniel Lowe:
- Above avg bat speed / barrel rate
Rest of Guards lineup:
- Super contact-oriented
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
Astros righty Juan Bello is a whiff machine 😮💨
The 22-year-old prospect threw three scoreless innings in his Arizona Fall League debut, striking out four and inducing a 50% whiff rate on 16 swings.
For more AFL pitching standouts:
buff.ly/z6GhhUz
Across the final 2/3 of the DSL season, 17 year old IF Jaims Martinez was one of the very best players in the league:
From June 22nd on (127 PAs):
.312/.480/.570
1.050 OPS | 153 wRC+
22.8% BB - 14.2% K
3 HRs | 5 3Bs | 5 2Bs
24 SBs
Can’t wait to see him in the ACL next year!
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
Not only did Josiah Hartshorn post the 2nd highest OPS (0.965) and 4th highest wRC+ (142) among qualified High-A hitters in 2026, but he did so:
- At Age 19
- While making excellent swing decisions and limiting Whiffs
- 22.6% Whiff% (79th %tile)
- 20.8% Chase% (83rd %tile)
Not only did Josiah Hartshorn post the 2nd highest OPS (0.965) and 4th highest wRC+ (142) among qualified High-A hitters in 2026, but he did so:
- At Age 19
- While making excellent swing decisions and limiting Whiffs
- 22.6% Whiff% (79th %tile)
- 20.8% Chase% (83rd %tile)
Northside Soundtrack retweeted
wRC+ vs FRV among primary OF seasons (2016-2026)
2026 Pete Crow-Armstrong is the ultimate outlier.
