From the Winter Meetings: Sveum talks accountability, Jackson and Barney [Part 1]
NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Cubs manager Dale Sveum met with the media today at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and shared a number of interesting tidbits in his first full availability in several months. No topic—from starting pitching, to the back end of the bullpen, to offseason work, to offensive needs—was off limits. We’ll cover them all in a few posts this week.
• While Sveum said he appreciated the front office’s praise of the job he did this season, he also said his staff holds the entire clubhouse, including themselves, accountable. He echoed recent comments by Theo Epstein that clubhouse character and reputation matters around the league.
“We have to be better and do a better job. We knew going in we were changing the culture of an organization, changing the culture of the 25 guys on the baseball field every day. I think we accomplished a lot of things like that. To get the people that come to this organization, the kids that come up, very comfortable knowing that myself and my staff are guys that are going to hold guys accountable—and to get character-type, good players in the organization—it makes a big difference when free agents can find out that a manager and staff are doing the right things.”
• Brett Jackson and Darwin Barney were among the Cubs players who recently got targeted work with the coaching staff in Arizona.
“It’s obviously not a major league pitcher out there, but [Jackson] made huge strides in his batting practice. [He] completely overhauled his swing, changed a lot of things. It was a completely different swing. Using his hands much, much more, staying behind the ball—a lot of things that are definitely going to help going into the season. I think he has a good base to work with going the rest of winter into Spring Training to understand the art of hitting, so to speak, that sometimes gets lost or taught the wrong way.”
Sveum offered praise for Barney’s glove work and said the second baseman didn’t need to make any major swing changes.
“He didn’t have to make huge, drastic swing changes or anything like that. A few things we brought up—with him, it’s more about driving the ball. I think his on-base percentage is going to gradually get better just with experience. We all know the glove he has, the Gold Glove, but we have to get that OPS up, and he realizes that. He’s capable of both.”
Winter League Highlights: Valbuena tough in losing effort
(Photo by Stephen Green)
With the leagues in Mexico and Puerto Rico off Monday, there was limited Cubs action in the Caribbean. But a familiar name was in the highlights again.
Despite his team taking a 2-1 loss, infielder Luis Valbuena came to play for Cardenales de Lara of the Venezuelan league. The 27-year-old led off the second inning with a double to center but was left stranded. He then drew a walk to load the bases in the third and drew another in the sixth. In the eighth inning, he singled, advanced to second on a bunt and swiped third base.
Valbuena finished the day 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of walks. His .468 on-base percentage still leads the league, and his .336 batting average and 12 doubles both rank second.
Other highlights around the Caribbean:
Arismendy Alcantara came in as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning for Licey of the Dominican league and scored the game-tying run in a 5-4 win.
Winter League Highlights: Sappelt just misses a cycle
After battling rain delays all last week, Dave Sappelt‘s Bravos de Margarita team in the Venezuelan league finally got back onto the field over the weekend. Apparently the layoff didn’t hurt the Cubs outfielder, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored, falling just a triple short of the cycle, as the Bravos beat the Tiburones 11-9 on Saturday. On Sunday, Sappelt went 2-for-4, raising his winter batting average to .274, in a 6-3 loss to the Cardenales de Lara.
In his first year in Chicago, Sappelt made a good case for a spot on the 2013 roster, hitting .275 with a .351 on-base percentage in 78 major league plate appearances.
Other highlights around the Caribbean:
Cubs reliever Michael Bowden continued to prove he might have a future as a starter in the Aguilas Cibaenas 14-1 win over Licey on Sunday in the Dominican. Bowden scattered five hits and surrendered only one earned run in seven innings. He walked two and struck out five. Bowden is now 3-2 with a 3.25 ERA in six Dominican league starts.
Junior Lake hit a three-run home run and scored twice for the first-place Estrellas in a 5-1 victory over Licey on Saturday. Arismendy Alcantara slugged a solo shot for the losing side in the same game. Lake is hitting .333 with four homers, 17 RBI and nine stolen bases on the winter.
Winter League Highlights: Caridad on cruise control
(Photo by Dave Durochik)
It’s difficult to get excited about a one-inning reliever, especially one who doesn’t close out games. So it would be easy to overlook Cubs pitcher Esmailin Caridad, who seems to be throwing in almost every game in the Mexican league.
But the 29-year-old reliever has been making contests an inning shorter for opponents, posting a 1.80 ERA in 30 innings over 26 appearances for the Yaquis de Obregon. The Dominican native has fanned 35 batters this winter and boasts a 1.20 WHIP. He spent 2012 in Triple-A Iowa with a 3.03 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 65.1 innings, mostly in relief.
Thursday was more of the same for Caridad, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Yaquis, allowing no runs, no walks and striking out two in an 8-7 loss. The right-hander appeared in 22 games for the Cubs in 2009 and 2010, and should be in consideration for a spot in the Cubs bullpen in 2013.
Other highlights around the Caribbean:
Luis Valbuena was 0-for-4 with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk for his Cardenales team in Venezuela.
Recently acquired Johermyn Chavez went 1-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and a walk in a win for his Venezuelan Caribes team. The Cubs signed the 23-year-old to a minor league deal on Nov. 21.
Dave Sappelt went 1-for-4 with a single in a Margarita win in Venezuela.
The Dominican league was off on Thursday.
Winter League Highlights: Lake is swinging the lumber
(Photo by Rodger Wood)
For years, Cubs infielder Junior Lake has been seen as a raw, toolsy talent with a ton of potential. But it looks like the 22-year-old might be starting to put it all together. This year at Double-A Tennessee, he hit .279/.341/.432 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 10 home runs, 26 doubles, 50 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 405 at-bats. On Wednesday, Vine Line discussed how Luis Valbuena is tearing up the Venezuelan league; the same can be said for Lake, who is having his way with Dominican league pitching.
Lake’s .330 batting average is fourth best in the Dominican; his .398 OBP is good for fifth; and his eight stolen bases are tied for third. Plus, he’s doing this all while alternating between DH, third base and left field.
His 1-for-4 outing yesterday lowered his batting average a bit, but he drove in a run and scored another in a 4-3 loss. Fellow Cub Nelson Cruz was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and two RBI.
Other highlights around the Caribbean:
In the Mexican league, Esmailin Caridad pitched a scoreless eighth inning, surrendering no hits and striking out two in a Yaquis de Obregon win.
In the Venezuelan league, Luis Valbuena continued his run of success, going 1-for-3 with an RBI double, a walk and a run scored in a Cardenales win.
Also in Venezuela, Dave Sappelt recorded a pair of hits and scored a run for the Bravos de Margarita in a loss.
Winter League Highlights: Valbuena continues offensive onslaught
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Between Ian Stewart’s injury and Josh Vitters’ lack of success in his top-level debut, Luis Valbuena spent a good portion of the 2012 season as the Cubs regular third baseman. Thanks to his steady glove, the 26-year-old tallied 90 games at the hot corner and became a favorite of manager Dale Sveum.
But if the versatile infielder’s offensive production in Venezuela this winter can translate to the major league level, the Cubs may be better off at third base than they thought. In the very competitive Venezuelan league, Valbuena’s .462 on-base percentage is tops, and his .330 batting average and 11 doubles in 103 at-bats both rank third. He has also drawn 24 walks, good for second best.
On Tuesday, he continued his solid campaign, going 1-for-3 with an RBI double in the seventh. He also scored two runs and walked twice in a 15-6 Cardenales win.
Other highlights around the Caribbean:
Junior Lake went 1-for-3 with two walks and a run scored for Estrellas de Oriente of the Domincan League in an 8-7 loss.
Jeffry Antigua pitched two scoreless innings in relief for Toros del Este of the Dominican League, surrendering no hits and striking out one in a 3-0 win.
Winter League Highlights: Bowden secures second victory
(Photo by Stephen Green)
Cubs reliever Michael Bowden told Vine Line in August that he was excited about playing baseball this winter in the Dominican Republic.
“I love the opportunity of getting to go to new places and seeing what it’s like and learning a new culture, so I think it’s a great experience and I’m looking forward to it,” Bowden said. “And I get to play some ball.”
While Bowden will likely be coming out of the bullpen for either the Cubs or Triple-A Iowa in 2013, his Dominican squad—Aguilas Cibaenas—has made the 26-year-old a regular in their rotation. In five starts, the Winfield, Ill., native has posted a 2-2 record with a 3.92 ERA in 20.2 innings. And five of his nine earned runs allowed this winter came in one outing.
Bowden was clicking on Monday, as he went 5.1 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. The effort was good enough to earn the righty a win in a 6-4 decision.
Other highlights around Caribbean:
Alberto Cabrera came on in relief for Toros del Este of the Dominican league. He pitched four innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and a walk. He struck out three.
Infielder Junior Lake finished the day 2-for-5 with a walk in a 7-5 loss for Estrellas de Oriente of the Dominican league.
The leagues in Puerto Rico and Venezuela were off Monday.
Winter League Highlights: Negrin shines in win
Yoanner Negrin is an arm many people outside the Cubs organization view as an unknown commodity. The Cuban pitcher signed with the Cubs in August of 2011 and spent much of 2012 in the Mexican League—often compared talent-wise to Triple-A ball. He made an August appearance at Double-A Tennessee before a prompt promotion to Triple-A Iowa to wrap up the season. He finished 2012 with a combined 8-7 record, a 3.05 ERA in 124.0 innings, and 91 strikeouts.
Negrin was solid for his Venezuelan Winter League club, Leones del Caracas, Sunday. He went five strong, surrendering one earned run on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk in a 4-2 win. On the winter, he’s 2-1 with a 3.30 ERA in nine starts (43.2 innings), and has struck out 31 batters and walked 13.
Other winter league highlights include Jae-Hoon Ha‘s solo home run in a Tigres de Aragua 12-4 loss. Cubs infielder Luis Valbuena went 0-for-1 with four walks for the Cardenales’ in a 10-9 win.
Junior Lake was 1-for-3 with a walk in a 4-1 Toros del Estre win over Estrellas Sunday afternoon in the Dominican. Nelson Cruz also drove in a run in his only at-bat for the Toros.
Winter League Highlights: Perez reaches base 5 times
Alberto Cabrera pitched a pair of scoreless innings for Toros del Este Tuesday. (Photo by Stephen Green)
Estrellas de Oriente went more than the distance Tuesday in a 6-5, sixteen-inning win over Gigantes del Cibao in the Dominican League. The almost seven-hour game finally ended when Juan Diaz singled to left in the top of the 16th, scoring Jonathan Galvez. A pair of Cubs prospects played a role in the win.
Nelson Perez‘s on-base percentage jumped when he reached base in five of his eight at-bats. The Double-A outfielder went 1-for-4 and drew four walks. He’s hitting .244 with a .385 OBP on the season. Dominican teammate Junior Lake went 1-for-7 with an RBI single in the seventh.
Another pair of Cubs arms played for Toros del Este Tuesday. Major league reliever Alberto Cabrera made his second appearances of the Dominican season, going two innings, surrendering no runs on two hits, and striking out four in a Toros loss. Jeffry Antigua pitched a scoreless ninth and struck out two.
Cubs outfielder Dave Sappelt hit his first homer of the Venezuelan season, a two-run shot to center. He finished the day 1-for-5 in a 12-2 Bravos de Margarita win.
In other Venezuelan action, Luis Valbuena had a pair of hits, including a double, in a 6-5 loss for Cardenales de Lara.
In Mexico, Esmailin Caridad pitched a scoreless eighth in a 3-0 win for Yaquis de Obregon.
Winter League Highlights: Lake does damage in losing effort
Cubs prospect Junior Lake has crushed pitching in his native Dominican Republic this offseason. The infielder has spent much of the winter ball campaign as Estrellas de Oriente’s designated hitter and currently owns a .363/.409/.513 (AVG/OBP/SLG) slash line with six doubles and six stolen bases in 80 at-bats. So Monday was just more of the same for the 22-year-old. He went 3-for-4, scoring from second on a single in the fourth inning to record the team’s only run in a 6-1 loss. He got into scoring position by stealing second after a base hit.
Others who participated in Dominican League action include Arismendy Alcantara, Nelson Perez and Jeffry Antigua. Alcantara entered his game as a pinch-runner in the ninth for Tigres del Licey, scoring on a single in a winning effort. Lake’s teammate Perez went 0-for-1 in a pitch-hit appearance for Estrella de Oriente. And Antigua came on in relief Monday for Toros del Este, surrendering a solo home run in 2/3 of an inning.
