Chicago Cubs: Top five minor league moments of 2019

The harsh reality of the 2019 campaign for the Chicago Cubs is a thing of the past. While it was a disappointing season on the major-league side of things, the club’s minor league teams offered some exciting moments and performances.

A world without Chicago Cubs baseball. We are now officially into April, following a month of hysteria and fatigue surrounding the novel coronavirus and its extramarital affairs. What a stretch it has been, especially in the realm of covering the essential things, like Major League Baseball and the Cubs.

As such, during this time, it allows us to reflect. It will enable us to slow life down and focus on what is important. And for the time being as this is being written, one thing Cubs fans can reflect on is the best moments across the board during the Minor League Baseball season.

A record-breaking day on the mound. A couple of impressive stretches that rival that of playing on rookie mode in MLB the Show 20. An exciting call-up. And a title to cap it all off. Yes, the Cubs disappointed us in 2019, but it does not mean the entire season was a waste.

Chicago Cubs: Domination in South Bend

It should be old hat by now how dominant 21-year-old Brailyn Marquez has been since signing with Chicago out of the Dominican Republic a half-decade ago. Marquez began his season with 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball and seven strikeouts. It was precisely what would come to be somewhat expected from the big lefty.

Finishing his 2018 season at South Bend, Marquez started back at South Bend to begin last season. After the flashy first start, he struggled to find the strike zone and posted an 18.7 percent walk rate over his next four starts. Thankfully, Marquez also posted a 30.7 percent strikeout rate in the span, so it became relatively forgettable.

Fast forward three months to the end of July. Marquez was making what would be his second to final start in Class-A, and he sure did go out with a bang. Facing the Cleveland Indians Class-A squad, Marquez racked up 14 strikeouts over six shutout innings. He also did not walk a batter. It was one of the best starts by a Cubs minor leaguer I have ever seen and rivals at the top of the list as an all-time excellent performance.

Marquez would go on to make four consecutive starts, two for South Bend and two for Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach following his promotion, where he did not allow a run. A total of 22 innings pitched with a strikeout rate of 40.5 percent and an opposing average of .058. Marquez finished the year with a combined 3.13 ERA over 22 starts and showed the organization why he would be the ‘ace’ of the future.

Chicago Cubs: Hit streak and a hot streak

Andy Weber is one of the most underrated prospects in the Cubs’ organization. Currently handling shortstop in South Bend, Weber put up some impressive numbers just a year after moving up from Class-A Short Season Eugene. At the end of 127 games, encompassing 544 plate appearances, Weber slashed .275/.338/.400 with a 113 wRC+.

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Honing in on Weber’s ‘moment’ of the year, however, it is crucial to focus on how impressive a necessary 11 game span turned into something out of a video game. From the end of July into the first week of August, Weber slashed .467/.537/.622 with a 1.159 OPS.

A few specific numbers stick out about this streak regarding Weber. First and foremost is his BB/K rate. Over the 55 plate appearances, Weber walked 12.7 percent of the time while striking out at just a 9.1 percent rate. He posted a positive 1.40 BB/K rate, which is insane.

Secondly, Weber’s production is his .156 ISO and his 227 wRC+. He did not hit a single home run, but the power off his bat is something to be indebted with, especially since Weber had only posted a number close to that one time. Weber did find strength in South Bend, swatting three home runs, but his moment came over a week and a half stretch, and my goodness was it something to witness.

Chicago Cubs: A dominant week in Iowa

Before he was taking at-bats in the Show last year, Robel Garcia was working his way through the system and impressively showing up. Garcia may have hit just .208 in his 31 games at the big league level, but he did carry his own, especially in Iowa.

Over a week heading into the final week of June, Garcia put up his Weber-like numbers in a seven-game span. Garcia slashed .435/.519/1.043 and an insane 1.562 OPS. The switch-hitting infielder posted a .609 ISO for goodness sakes.

While Garcia did swing-and-miss quite a bit, a 25.9 percent rate to be specific, he did manage a respectable 14.8 percent walk rate, and six extra-base hits to include four home runs in 23 at-bats. It is another one of those drawn-out ‘moments,’ but it is important to acknowledge hot streaks all the same, and Garcia found fire with his stretch.

Chicago Cubs: Bringing another title home

While it was not the big league squad who brought a championship home, one team in the organization did their part in adding some hardware to the collection. For the first time since 2005, the South Bend Cubs won the Midwest League Championship after a sweep of the Clinton LumberKings.

On top of their impressive performance versus Clifton, South Bend also became just the sixth team this century in finishing undefeated in the Midwest League Postseason. The club won nine in a row, including their 7-0 run in the playoffs.

It is a big moment for the organization as its a showing of impressive enthusiasm and talent. Guys such as Riley Thompson, Caleb Knight, Weber, and Chase Strumpf all profile as the future in the Windy City, and so to see those guys accomplish such a feat is incredible for players and fans alike. And it wraps up an exciting year of Cubs Minor League Baseball.