I-CUBS WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE
February 9, 2012

The Dominican Republic is the champion of winter ball and it is just over a week before Chicago Cubs' pitchers and catchers report to spring training on February 18. We'll give you final results of the Caribbean Series and the latest roster moves in this, the final Winter League report for this off-season. Check back to iowacubs.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news and notes leading up to Opening Day on April 5.

TRANSACTIONS:
The Chicago Cubs claimed IF Adrian Cardenas off waivers from the Oakland A's and designated Blake DeWitt for assignment this week. If DeWitt isn't claimed off waivers, he could sign back with the Cubs on a minor league deal and compete for a spot in camp. Cardenas has spent at least parts of the last three seasons in Sacramento, but hasn't made his major league debut yet. He was a first round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006. The Cubs also signed minor league veteran LH Ryan Rowland-Smith to a minor league deal. The Australian native spent 10 seasons in the Seattle Mariners organization, but signed with the Houston Astros for 2011 and spent most of last season with Oklahoma City. Rowland-Smith has pitched in 115 major league games (47 starts), all with the Mariners. He appears to be a candidate for Iowa's starting rotation to begin the year. A handful of former I-Cubs appeared on the transaction wire this week. The Pittsburgh Pirates signed RH Juan Cruz (2003 with Iowa) to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. This will be Cruz' seventh organization going back to his final season with the Cubs in '03. After being designated for assignment by the New York Mets, LH Casey Fossum (2009) signed a minor league deal with the Baltimore Orioles. The Orioles also designated LH Clay Rapada (2006-07) for assignment. The San Francisco Giants signed IF Ryan Theriot (2006) on a one-year deal. The Washington Nationals signed RH Mitch Atkins (2008-10) to a minor league contract. Atkins split time last season between Baltimore and triple-A Norfolk.

CARIBBEAN SERIES:

The Dominican Republic won their first four games and finished 4-2 in the round robin tournament to win the Caribbean Series title. Puerto Rico and Venezuela finished tied for second at 3-3. Mexico was 2-4. LH Raul Valdes (2005-06) made one start for the Dominican and picked up a win. He allowed one unearned run on five hits in six innings to complete a very successful year in winter ball. Valdes is going to spring training with the Philadelphia Phillies as a non-roster invitee. Former Iowa Cubs manager Buddy Bailey (2007) and trainer Bob Grimes were part on the staff for Venezuela. IF Luis Figueroa (2008) batted .368 in the tournament for Puerto Rico. He had the third-best average of the event and tied for fourth with seven hits. RH Marco Carrillo (2010-11) made two appearances (one start) for Mexico and had no record. He allowed two runs in 4.2 innings for a 3.86 ERA. LH Randy Keisler (2008) won his only start for Mexico with seven shutout innings. RH Oswaldo Martinez (Cubs prospect) allowed four runs on two hits and two walks in two-thirds of an inning and got the loss in his only relief appearance for Mexico.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Aragua defeated LaGuaira 4-2 in the championship series to advance to the Caribbean Series. Former I-Cubs manager, Buddy Bailey (2007), is the manager for Aragua. LH Les Walrond (2006-08) was 2-2 with a 4.11 ERA in six post-season starts for La Guaira. He was seventh in the league in post-season ERA (4.11), second in innings pitched (30.2), and first in walks (13). LH Renyel Pinto (2004-05) was 2-1 with a 5.60 ERA in four round robin starts for Caribes. He led all post-season pitchers with 24 strikeouts in 17.2 innings pitched. SS Andres Blanco (2008-09) batted .365 (23-for-63), which ranked sixth-best in the tournament. He had two doubles, a home run, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored. RH Austin Bibens-Dirkx (2010-11) was 1-2 with a 4.24 ERA in three tournament starts for Zulia. He ranked ninth in post-season ERA. RH Adalberto Mendez (2005-06) also pitched for Zulia and tied for second in the tournament with 23.2 innings pitched over five games, including four starts.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS:

Player	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Andres Blanco	Magallanes	2008-09	.273	13	44	4	12	2	0	0	2	3	8	0	1	.333	.318	.652
Henry Blanco	Margarita	2007	.192	47	146	16	28	5	0	3	24	15	47	3	0	.281	.288	.569
Ronny Cedeno	Aragua	2004-05, '07	.245	25	102	9	25	4	1	1	15	5	21	0	0	.288	.333	.622
Marwin Gonzalez	Caracas	2011	.292	42	168	19	49	7	0	0	17	12	24	3	2	.341	.333	.674
Bryan LaHair	Magallanes	2010-11	.272	47	169	31	46	9	0	15	29	37	52	1	1	.404	.592	.996
Jackson Melian	Margarita	2003	.160	28	75	8	12	2	0	2	9	7	22	0	1	.259	.267	.525
Jonathan Mota	Aragua	2010-11	.083	4	12	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	.184	.083	.237
Max Ramirez	Margarita	2011	.218	43	156	13	34	7	0	3	13	17	41	0	0	.307	.321	.627
Rebel Ridling	Magallanes	Cubs Prospect	.338	24	77	10	26	2	0	0	3	6	13	0	0	.395	.364	.759
Carlos Rojas	Margarita	2003, '07	.173	27	52	2	9	0	0	0	2	8	15	1	1	.295	.173	.468
Dave Sappelt	Caribes	Cubs Prospect	.238	23	84	12	20	3	0	1	6	6	12	1	2	.304	.310	.614

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Bryan Lahair: 15 HR (1), .592 SLG (1), 9 IBB (1), 52 K (2), 37 BB (3), 24 XBH (T3)
Marwin Gonzalez: .292 AVG (10)

Pitcher	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	IBB	SO	WP	OPP AVG.
Jose Ascanio	Caracas	2008-09	0	0	2.41	10	2	0	0	18.2	13	6	5	2	0	2	0	15	0	.200
Austin Bibens-Dirkx	Zulia	2010-11	7	3	2.19	14	13	0	0	78.0	56	20	19	3	1	22	1	51	1	.201
Robert Coello	Magallanes	2011	0	2	3.42	18	0	0	0	23.2	11	9	9	1	0	19	0	25	1	.134
Jay Jackson	Caracas	2009-11	3	2	5.56	7	6	0	0	22.2	27	20	14	1	0	13	0	16	3	.293
Hector Mayora	La Guaira	Cubs Prospect	0	0	4.32	8	0	0	0	8.1	10	5	4	1	1	4	0	6	1	.286
Adalberto Mendez	Lara	2005-06	1	0	0.00	1	0	0	0	4.1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6	0	.000
Mike Parisi	Margarita	2010	1	3	2.09	9	8	0	0	51.2	41	15	12	3	3	5	0	39	1	.219
Renyel Pinto	Caribes	2004-05	6	1	2.55	13	13	0	0	77.2	55	26	22	6	1	32	0	72	4	.199
Les Walrond	La Guaira	2006-08	3	3	4.39	11	10	0	0	53.1	52	31	26	1	1	15	0	46	3	.257
Jerome Wiliams	Magallanes	2005-06	5	0	1.00	6	6	0	0	36.0	28	5	4	1	1	12	0	25	0	.219
Carlos Zambrano	Caribes	2000-02, '10	0	1	2.45	5	5	0	0	22.0	17	7	6	3	1	10	0	15	0	.218

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Austin Bibens-Dirkx: 7 Wins (1), 1.00 WHIP (2), .201 OPP AVG. (2), 2.19 ERA (3), 51 K (3)
Mike Parisi: 0.89 WHIP (1), 2.09 ERA (4), .219 OPP AVG. (4)
Renyel Pinto: .199 OPP AVG. (1), 72K (2), 32 BB (2), 6 Wins (T2), 6 HRA (T3), 1.12 WHIP (4), 77.2 IP (5), 2.55 ERA (6)
Robert Coello: 9 Holds (T3)

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Escogido defeated Aguilas 5-4 in the championship series to advance to the Caribbean Series. LH Raul Valdes (2005-06) led the league in the post-season in ERA (1.15), innings pitched (54.2), walks (10), and strikeouts (53) in eight games (seven starts) for Cibaenas, including one complete game. He will join Escogido's roster to represent the Dominican in the Caribbean Series. RH Miguel Batista (1997) was the closer for Cibaenas Aguilas. In 15 appearances in the post-season, he was 2-1 with a 2.30 ERA and was six-for-nine in save opportunities. RH Ramon Ortiz (2011) was 0-2, but ranked sixth in the league with a 4.05 ERA in five tournament starts for Licey.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS:

Player	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Abner Abreu	Cibao	Cubs Prospect	.000	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Welington Castillo	Licey	2008, 2010-11	.000	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
J.D. Closser	Oriente	2008	.182	7	22	1	4	1	0	0	2	3	6	0	0	.280	.227	.507
Steve Clevenger	Escogido	2009, '11	.143	15	35	3	5	1	0	1	3	7	7	0	0	.286	.257	.543
Jake Fox	Oriente	2007-09	.212	31	113	9	24	7	0	1	12	13	29	1	0	.305	.301	.606
Junior Lake	Oriente	Cubs Prospect	.429	2	7	4	3	0	0	1	1	1	1	3	0	.500	.857	1.357
Mario Mercedes	Cibao	2011	.000	9	11	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	0	0	.083	.000	.083
Nelson Perez	Escogido	Cubs Prospect	.250	20	48	5	12	0	1	0	2	6	11	0	0	.345	.292	.637
Felix Pie	Oriente	2006-08	.273	42	161	21	44	9	2	4	21	9	29	5	0	.322	.429	.750

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Felix Pie: 15 XBH (2), 9 DBL (T3)

Pitcher	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	IBB	SO	WP	OPP AVG.
Frank Batista	Aguilas	Cubs Prospect	0	0	13.50	4	0	0	0	3.1	8	5	5	0	0	0	0	1	1	.500
Alberto Cabrera	Toros del Este	2011	0	1	4.22	9	3	0	0	21.1	23	11	10	1	0	8	0	14	3	.277
Rafael Dolis	Oriente	Cubs Prospect	0	2	7.94	12	0	0	1	5.2	10	7	5	1	1	5	0	6	1	.370
John Gaub	Escogido	2009-11	0	0	5.63	13	0	0	1	8.0	5	5	5	1	0	4	0	11	3	.172
Scott Maine	Oriente	2010-11	0	1	0.90	12	0	5	5	10.0	5	4	1	0	0	5	0	9	1	.143
Marcos Mateo	Oriente	2010-11	1	1	0.87	11	0	1	1	10.1	6	1	1	0	0	2	0	15	1	.176
Adalberto Mendez	Toros del Este	2005-06	0	2	4.13	8	6	0	0	24.0	25	13	11	2	1	9	1	15	0	.266
Ramon Ortiz	Licey	2011	2	2	2.70	5	5	0	0	23.1	21	7	7	1	1	6	1	9	0	.250
Chris Rusin	Escodigo	2011	1	2	2.84	6	6	0	0	25.1	24	10	8	1	1	8	0	21	2	.242
Polin Trinidad	Oriente	2011	0	0	81.00	1	0	0	0	0.1	2	3	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	1.000
Raul Valdes	Toros del Este	2005-06	3	4	4.71	9	9	0	0	49.2	47	29	26	5	0	9	1	47	2	.246

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Raul Valdes: 52 K (1), 7 HRA (1), 52 IP (3)

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE:

Obregon swept Guasave 4-0 in the championship series to advance to the Caribbean Series. LH Randy Keisler (2008) is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in four post-season starts for Obregon. He is tied for third in the playoffs in strikeouts (16) and fifth in inning pitched (19.1). RH Marco Carrillo (2010-11) was 2-0 with a 3.77 ERA in three post-season starts. RH Oswaldo Martinez (Cubs Prospect) has no record, a 3.68 ERA, and one save in eight playoff games. The Cubs' newly acquired IF Alfredo Amezaga also plays for Obregon. He batted .254 (15-for-59) with four doubles, three home runs, 11 runs scored, and 12 RBI in 15 games. All four players are on the Mexican roster for the Caribbean Series. OF Brad Snyder (2009-11) hit .131 (8-for-61) with a double, two home runs, and six RBI in 16 games in the post-season for Guasave. 1B Daryle Ward (2007-08) batted .235 (12-for-51) with two double, two home runs, and seven RBI in 16 games. Ward was one of four players announced this week to have violated MLB's drug prevention program. He is suspended the first 50 games of the 2012 season.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS:

Player	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Brandon Sing	Mazatlan	2006	.230	33	113	20	26	4	0	7	17	24	44	0	1	.380	.451	.832
Brad Snyder	Guasave	2009-11	.400	3	10	1	4	0	0	1	2	2	3	0	0	.500	.700	1.200
Daryle Ward	Guasave	2007-08	.247	25	89	6	22	3	0	1	8	10	15	0	0	.320	.315	.635

 

Pitcher	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	IBB	SO	WP	OPP AVG.
Marco Carrillo	Obregon	2010-11	5	3	2.72	14	14	0	0	76.0	70	25	23	4	3	23	0	39	4	.255
Hung-Wen Chen	Mazatlan	2010-11	0	1	8.18	11	0	3	4	11.0	19	11	10	1	0	1	0	9	2	.380
Randy Keisler	Obregon	2008	7	3	3.33	13	12	0	0	73.0	56	30	27	8	2	32	1	61	3	.215
Oswaldo Martinez	Obregon	Cubs Prospect	3	0	2.06	32	0	0	0	35.0	22	8	8	2	1	20	2	27	2	.188
Blake Parker	Hermosillo	2009-11	1	2	3.23	28	0	2	4	30.2	21	11	11	1	0	8	0	33	4	.194

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Marco Carrillo: 2.72 ERA (3), 1.22 WHIP (1.22)
Randy Keisler: .215 OPP AVG. (1), 7 Wins (3), 3.33 ERA (4), 1.21 WHIP (4), 61 K (5)

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Mayaguez beat beat Caguas 5-3 in the best-of-nine championship series to earn a spot in the Caribbean Series. RH Kyle Smit (2011) was 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA and one save in six games (one start) for Mayaguez in the post-season. He was fifth in the playoffs with six appearances and tied for fourth with 11 innings pitched. IF Luis Figueroa (2008) batted .207 (6-for-29) with two doubles, six RBI, and two runs scored in eight games for Caguas while OF Lou Montanez (2006, '11) batted .192 (5-for-26) with a double, an RBI, and four runs scored in seven games for the Criollos.

FINAL REGULAR SEASON STATS:

Player	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Luis Figueroa	Caguas	2008	.230	37	139	19	32	2	1	1	10	14	14	1	1	.301	.281	.582
Brendan Harris	Carolina	2004	.205	14	44	3	9	1	1	1	6	3	9	0	0	.255	.341	.596
Lou Montanez	Caguas	2006, '11	.258	10	31	3	8	1	0	0	3	12	7	0	0	.465	.290	.755
Andres Torres	Mayaguez	2008	.273	3	11	3	3	1	0	0	0	2	5	0	0	.385	.364	.748
Pedro Valdes	Carolina	1996-98	.239	36	113	11	27	7	0	1	17	29	14	0	0	.390	.327	.718

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Pedro Valdes: 29 BB (T1)

Pitcher	Team	Yr(s) with I-Cubs	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	IBB	SO	WP	OPP AVG.
Kyle Smit	Mayaguez	2011	0	0	1.13	6	0	1	1	8.0	4	1	1	1	1	4	0	5	0	.167

 

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE:

The Salt River Rafters are the champions of the Arizona Fall League this season. Cubs' prospects played for the Mesa Solar Sox and finished 17-20 for the year. IF Josh Vitters (Cubs 1st Round pick in 2007) was 6-for-12 in the final three games and finished tied for sixth in the league with a .360 batting average. IF D.J. LeMahieu (2011) had a 10-game hitting streak snapped on the final day of the season. He led the league in at-bats (126), was second in games (31) and stolen bases (14), and tied for fourth in hits (38). IF Junior Lake led the league in stolen bases (18), was tied for third in extra-base hits (16), and was fifth in strikeouts (32). RH Andrew Cashner (2010-11) allowed five runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning in his final appearance and finished with an inflated ERA. The Cubs are were more interested in the strength of his shoulder than his ERA, so the AFL stint appears to be a success by that standard. RH Trey McNutt lost his last two starts as he looked to add some innings after injuries slowed his 2011 regular season. LH Jeff Beliveau joined Mesa late after pitching for Team USAto begin the fall. He pitched two scoreless innings in his final appearance.

Player	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Junior Lake	.296	28	115	19	34	8	3	5	21	8	32	18	0	.352	.548	.900
D.J. LeMahieu	.302	31	126	22	38	5	0	2	21	11	18	14	2	.371	.389	.760
Josh Vitters	.360	24	100	14	36	6	0	4	17	4	10	4	1	.383	.540	.923

 

Pitcher	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Jeff Beliveau	0	1	5.40	4	0	0	0	5.0	4	3	3	1	0	1	7
Chris Carpenter	1	1	3.29	11	0	0	0	13.2	15	6	5	1	0	2	18
Andrew Cashner	1	0	12.46	9	0	2	3	8.2	14	12	12	0	0	3	7
Marcus Hatley	1	3	9.88	12	0	0	3	13.2	27	15	15	2	2	3	6
Casey Lambert	0	1	4.86	12	0	0	2	16.2	15	9	9	3	1	5	7
Trey McNutt	0	2	5.00	7	7	0	0	18.0	22	15	10	4	0	7	8

TEAM USA:

Team USA competed in the World Cup in Panama and the Pan Am Games in Mexico this fall. They were co-bronze medal winners with Canada in the World Cup, but lost 2-1 to Team Canada in the gold medal game of the Pan Am Games. It was the fourth straight silver medal for Team USA in these games while it was the first gold medal for Canada. OF Brett Jackson (2011) and P Jeff Beliveau represented the Cubs on Team USA this year, which is made up of the best professional players available that are not currently on a Major League 40-man roster. Jackson had a sore foot during the Pan Am Games and was 0-for-1 in one pinch-hit appearance. During the World Cup tournament in Panama in early October, Jackson finished second on the team in batting (.412), going 14-for-34 with three doubles, a home run, and four RBI in nine games as the team's primary leadoff man. Beliveau pitched a scoreless inning in the gold medal game and two scoreless innings overall in the Pan Am tournament. He was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in three relief appearances during the World Cup. The Cubs named Beliveau their Minor League Pitcher of the Year after he went 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA and five saves in 53 games between Daytona and Tennessee this year. C Chris Robinson (2009-11) didn't participate in the World Cup, but he did play in the Pan Am Games. He played a big role for Team Canada in the gold medal game. As the team's designated hitter, he went 2-for-4 wtih a double and scored one of his team's two runs.

Player	Tournament	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Brett Jackson	World Cup	.412	9	34	8	14	3	0	1	4	4	9	1	1	.462	.588	1.050
Brett Jackson	Pan Am Games	.000	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Chris Robinson	Pan Am Games	.278	4	18	3	5	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	.278	.389	.667

 

Pitcher	Tournament	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Jeff Beliveau	World Cup	1	0	2.08	3	0	0	0	4.1	3	1	1	0	0	1	7
Jeff Beliveau	Pan Am Games	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	2.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2

JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL:

Former I-Cubs Micah Hoffpauir (2004-10) and Bobby Scales (2008-11) helped lead the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters to the Japanese Pacific League playoffs this year. Hoffpauir had two hits, including a home run in game two of the playoff series, going 2-for-5 in the two games. Hoffpauir spent the entire season with the Fighters and tied for second on the team with 12 home runs. Scales left Iowa to sign with the Fighters in late June and hit .261 with nine home runs in 80 games in Japan. OF Matt Murton (2005, '07-08) spent his second season with the Hanshin Tigers and lost the Central League batting title when he went 0-for-4 on the last day of the seaon. He finished at .311, three points behind the leader. Last year, Murton broke Ichiro Suzuki's record for most hits in a season in Japan. 1B Chad Tracy (2010) also played in Japan this year

 

Player	Tournament	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Micah Hoffpauir	Nippon-Ham Fighters	.222	122	329	29	73	14	0	12	36	38	99	0	2	.298	.374	.672
Matt Murton	Hanshin Tigers	.311	142	579	66	180	24	1	13	60	24	76	6	4	.339	.423	.762
Bobby Scales	Nippon-Ham Fighters	.261	80	287	34	75	11	0	9	30	25	103	2	0	.328	.394	.722
Chad Tracy	Hiroshima Toyo Carp	.235	40	149	10	35	12	0	1	19	11	34	0	0	.293	.336	.629

*Stats are courtesy of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, USA Baseball, and Nippon Professional Baseball.

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We hope you enjoyed the Winter League report this off-season and we look forward to a great 2012 season.