Winter League Report, December 10

I-CUBS WINTER LEAGUE UPDATE
December 10, 2012

The Winter Meetings came and went without any big names changing teams, but things picked up over the weekend with Zack Greinke signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Kansas City Royals pulling off a big trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Cubs have been active with their plan and the players are working on their games in the Caribbean. We've got two weeks worth of updates in this installment of the Winter League Report.

TRANSACTIONS:
The Chicago Cubs made a bit of a splash by signing Japanese RH Kyuji Fujikawa to a two-year deal with an option for 2015. Fujikawa has been a premier set-up man and closer in Japan over the last 10 years. Prior to the meetings, the Cubs also signed RH Scott Feldman from the Texas Rangers to fill a spot in the starting rotation and non-tendered 3B Ian Stewart, and RH's Jaye Chapman and Zach Putnam, making them free agents. The team brought back Stewart on a one-year deal to compete for the third base job as he returns from a wrist injury and signed Nate Schierholtz to fill a spot in the outfield.. (The Cubs haven't formally announced the Schierholtz of Stewart signings yet). During the Rule 5 draft, the Cubs had the second pick and selected RH Hector Rondon from the Cleveland Indians. Rondon is coming back from elbow surgery and pitched in just four games at the end of last season. He is currently pitching for Caracas in Venezuela and was the Indians' Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2009. Rondon was the only player the Cubs selected in the Rule 5 draft, but the organization lost three players in the process. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected RH Starling Peralta in the Major League phase. Peralta was 5-8 with a 3.44 ERA in 20 games (17 starts) with single-A Peoria last year. In 99.1 innings, he allowed just 80 hits and struck out 86. The D-backs must keep Peralta on their 25-man roster throughout the 2013 season, or he could be offered back to the Cubs. OF Michael Burgess (Houston Astros), IF Matt Cerda (St. Louis Cardinals), and RH Alvido Jimenez (Toronto Blue Jays) were taken from the Cubs in the Triple-A phase. Those players can be kept by their new organization at any level. On the minor league side, the Cubs outrighted RH Casey Coleman (2010-12) to Iowa and signed RH Drew Carpenter to a minor league deal. Carpenter spent time in the big leagues with the Blue Jays last year before being outrighted in August. He signed with the New York Mets and finished the year at double-A Binghamton.

Several former I-Cubs have signed with other organizations in the last two weeks. The Atlanta Braves signed OF Reed Johnson (ML Rehab in 2011) to a one-year contract and IF Blake DeWitt (2012) on a minor league deal. The Royals outrighted RH Chris Volstad (2012), but he refused the minor league assignment and is a free agent. The Astros outrighted Scott Moore (2006-07, '11). He also refused the assignment and then signed a minor league deal with the Oakland A's. The Rays signed IF Mike Fontenot (2005-07) to a minor league deal. The Diamondbacks signed OF Eric Hinske (1999) to a one-year major league contract. The Texas Rangers non-tendered C Geovany Soto (2005-07), but signed him back to a one-year deal and added RH Randy Wells (2006-09, '11-12) on a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. C Chris Robinson (2007, '09-11) re-signed with the Baltimore Orioles on a minor league deal. The San Francisco Giants extended post-season star OF Angel Pagan (2006-07) with a four-year contract. The Giants acquired Pagan last off-season from the New York Mets for OF Andres Torres (2008). The Mets non-tendered Torres and he is a free agent. The Colorado Rockies signed RH Justin Berg (2008-11) to a minor league contract.

VENEZUELAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Four teams are battling for the top spot in the standings. Magallanes (28-23) has taken over the top spot, but Caribes (26-22) and Caracas (28-24) are just a half-game behind. Zulia (25-23) is a game and a half back in fourth. OF Dave Sappelt has caught fire for Margarita. Sappelt has a seven-game hititng streak and is batting .536 (15-for-28) with two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and 11 runs scored during this stretch. IF Luis Valbuena (2012) has been a star performer throughout the year for Lara. In his last nine games, he is batting .290 (9-for-31) with two doubles, a home run, three runs scored, and seven RBI. He had five RBI in a game on Dec. 9 at Caribes. Valbuena is fifth in the league in batting (.312) and third in on-base percentage (.435). OF Tony Campana (2011-12) and OF Josh Kroeger (2007-08) have come on strong for Caracas. Campana has hit safely in six straight games and is batting .292 (7-for-24) with five stolen bases during this stretch. Kroeger has hit safely in six of his last seven with a .320 (8-for-25) mark during this streak. Kroeger is fifth in the league with a .412 OBP. Newly signed OF Johermyn Chavez had homers in back-to-back games on Nov. 29 and 30 for Caribes, but is 0-for-8 in his last three contests. On the mound, RH Austin Bibens-Dirkx (2010-11) has allowed just two runs in 12.1 innings and struck out 16 in his last two starts. He has not allowed more than two runs in a start all year and is second in the league with a 1.63 ERA. RH Yoanner Negrin (2012) continues to impress for Caracas. He has allowed three runs (two earned) in 15 innings over his last three starts and is fifth in the league with a 2.85 ERA. RH Carlos Zambrano (2000-02, '10) joined Magallanes on Nov. 29 and had a great start on Dec. 8. He allowed two runs on six hits in seven inning and struck out five in a win over Caracas.

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
Juan Apodaca	Zulia	2012	.188	19	48	6	9	0	1	0	5	7	13	1	0	.286	.229	.515
Andres Blanco	Magallanes	2008-09	.161	24	62	8	10	2	1	0	6	12	18	0	0	.308	.226	.533
Henry Blanco	Margarita	2007	.163	31	86	7	14	4	0	3	12	10	30	0	0	.253	.314	.566
J.C. Boscan	Caracas	Cubs Signee	.267	23	75	5	20	2	0	0	5	4	18	0	0	.313	.293	.606
Tony Campana	Caracas	2011-12	.205	14	44	6	9	1	1	0	3	4	12	7	1	.286	.273	.556
Ronny Cedeno	Aragua	2004-05, '07	.297	15	64	8	19	1	0	1	5	3	10	0	1	.328	.359	.688
Johermyn Chavez	Caribes	Cubs Signee	.218	22	55	10	12	0	0	3	9	5	20	1	1	.328	.382	.710
Robinson Chirinos	Magallanes	2010	.158	6	19	1	3	0	0	0	0	4	9	0	0	.304	.158	.462
Alberto Gonzalez	Margartia	Cubs Signee	.300	9	30	2	9	1	1	0	4	1	2	0	0	.333	.400	.971
Marwin Gonzalez	Caracas	2011	.180	18	61	8	11	3	0	0	3	7	8	3	1	.282	.230	.511
Jae-Hoon Ha	Aragua	Cubs Prospect	.218	27	78	7	17	3	0	1	6	8	26	6	0	.291	.295	.586
Josh Kroeger	Caracas	2007-08	.295	35	122	11	36	3	0	1	13	23	22	5	4	.412	.344	.756
Jackson Melian	Margarita	2003	.250	30	96	16	24	5	0	4	21	17	28	1	2	.392	.427	.819
Max Ramirez	Margarita	2011	.295	32	105	13	31	5	0	0	4	13	15	1	0	.388	.343	.731
Dave Sappelt	Margarita	2012	.324	18	74	16	24	3	1	3	10	5	12	4	1	.370	.514	.684
Luis Valbuena	Lara	2012	.312	40	141	26	44	13	1	5	29	31	25	3	0	.435	.525	.960
Josh Vitters	Caracas	2012	.000	2	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	.000	.000	.000
Ty Wright	Aragua	2010-12	.247	20	73	6	18	3	2	1	4	0	13	0	0	.257	.384	.640

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Josh Kroeger: .412 OBP (5)
Luis Valbuena: .312 (5), .435 OBP (3), 31 BB (3)

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.
Austin Bibens-Dirkx	Zulia	2010-11	1	1	1.60	8	6	1	1	33.2	30	6	6	1	2	5	0	41	0	.240
Sean Gallagher	Caracas	2007-08	1	2	4.30	5	4	0	0	23.0	28	15	11	4	1	5	0	18	2	.295
Yoanner Negrin	Caracas	2012	3	1	2.85	11	11	0	0	53.2	61	18	17	3	3	15	0	38	0	.290
Renyel Pinto	Caribes	2004-05	3	3	3.73	8	8	0	0	41.0	31	18	17	5	4	25	0	39	1	.215
Hector Rondon	Caracas	Cubs Rule 5	2	1	4.26	21	0	0	0	19.0	13	10	9	0	0	5	0	11	3	.197
Les Walrond	La Guaira	2006-08	0	4	4.08	9	9	0	0	39.2	53	21	18	2	2	18	0	27	0	.325
Carlos Zambrano	Magallanes	2000-02, '10	2	1	2.63	3	3	0	0	13.2	13	7	4	0	2	5	1	10	1	.255

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Austin Bibens-Dirkx: 1.63 ERA (2), 1.06 WHIP (2), 46 K (4)
Yoanner Negrin: 11 GS (T1), 53.2 IP (2), 2.85 ERA (5)
Renyel Pinto: 25 BB (1), .215 OPP AVG (2)
Les Walrond: 4 Losses (T3)

DOMINICAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Estrellas de Oriente (28-15) and Aguilas Cibaenas (27-16) have run away at the top of the standings and have already clinched playoff berths. Gigantes del Cibao are in third place at 20-22, seven and a half games out of first place. SS Junior Lake has been dominant for Estrellas. He is riding a 10-game hitting streak and is batting .351 (13-for-37) with a triple, two home runs, 10 runs scored, and eight RBI during this stretch. He is tied for the league lead in hitting (.336) and is among the top five in most major offensive categories. OF Brad Snyder (2009-11) joined Estreallas and has hit safely in six of his first seven games, including a home run in four of his five starts. His brother Ben, who pitched for Round Rock this past season, is also on the team. RH Frankie De La Cruz (2012) has been a dominant force in the Estrellas bullpen. In six relief appearances, De La Cruz is 3-0 with a 0.69 ERA (1ER/13.1IP). 3B Diory Hernandez (2012) is swinging a hot bat for Toros del Este. He is 13-for-36 (.361) with five RBI in his last nine games. RH Alberto Cabrera (2011-12) has struggled in his last three games, allowing six runs (five earned) in 6.2 innings, but LH Jeff Antigua (Cubs Prospect) has allowed just one hit and no runs in six innings over his last six appearances for Toros. IF Ryan Flaherty (2011) just finished his first season in the big leagues with the Baltimore Orioles and made his debut with Escogido on Nov. 28. He already has a pair of three-hit games. RH Lendy Castillo (Cubs Prospect) has had a rough stretch out of Escogido's bullpen, allowing seven runs (five earned) in 1.2 innings over his last four appearances.

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
Arismendy Alcantara	Gigantes	Cubs Prospect	.400	19	10	8	4	1	0	1	1	3	2	0	0	.538	.800	1.338
Ryan Flaherty	Escogido	2011	.258	9	31	5	8	1	0	0	3	3	8	0	0	.324	.290	.614
Diory Hernandez	Toros del Este	2012	.275	40	142	18	39	3	0	1	17	18	16	8	2	.352	.317	.669
Junior Lake	Estrellas	Cubs Prospect	.336	38	131	21	44	7	1	4	19	12	39	9	3	.401	.496	.898
Felix Pie	Estrellas	2006-08	.246	37	130	21	32	4	0	3	17	24	26	8	2	.365	.346	.712
Brad Snyder	Estrellas	2009-11	.400	7	20	7	8	1	0	4	11	2	7	0	0	.455	1.050	1.505
Nate Spears	Gigantes	2008-09	.063	6	16	2	1	0	0	0	1	3	5	0	0	.200	.063	.263

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Junior Lake: .336 AVG (T1), 9 SB (T2), 39 K (3), 44 H (4), .401 OBP (4), .496 SLG (5), 65 TB (5)
Felix Pie: 24 BB (T2)

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.
Jeff Antigua	Toros del Este	Cubs Prospect	4	1	3.38	21	0	0	2	21.1	17	8	8	4	0	4	0	17	1	.236
Jairo Asencio	Toros del Este	2012	0	2	1.69	22	0	11	11	21.1	22	5	4	0	1	10	2	16	0	.262
Miguel Batista	Aguilas	1997	2	1	3.89	9	8	0	0	34.2	44	19	15	5	2	9	0	17	6	.303
Michael Bowden	Aguilas	2012	3	3	3.62	7	7	0	0	32.1	33	15	13	3	0	12	0	17	1	.264
Alberto Cabrera	Toros del Este	2011-12	0	0	4.35	5	0	0	0	10.1	11	7	5	2	0	7	0	10	2	.275
Lendy Castillo	Escogido	Cubs Prospect	0	1	7.36	12	0	0	0	7.1	15	10	6	0	1	4	0	9	2	.417
Frankie De La Cruz	Estrellas	2012	3	2	2.60	8	2	0	0	17.1	13	8	5	1	0	14	0	10	3	.213
Rafael Dolis	Estrellas	2012	1	1	4.50	4	0	0	0	4.0	5	3	2	0	0	1	0	6	0	.294
Randy Keisler	Escogido	2008	0	2	3.86	5	5	0	0	21.0	18	9	9	2	2	7	0	9	1	.231
Adalberto Mendez	Toros del Este	2005-06	1	1	5.25	7	0	0	0	12.0	12	9	7	0	1	4	0	5	1	.250
Ramon Ortiz	Licey	2011	0	1	1.08	2	2	0	0	8.1	9	3	1	0	1	0	0	3	0	.281
Horacio Ramirez	Toros del Este	2012	0	2	3.18	10	7	0	0	28.1	33	16	10	2	2	10	0	21	1	.287
Polin Trinidad	Toros del Este	2011	0	0	*.**	1	0	0	0	0.0	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	1.000
Raul Valdes	Toros del Este	2005-06	1	2	4.09	6	6	0	0	22.0	17	12	10	2	0	7	0	18	2	.205

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Miguel Batista: 3.89 (9), 5 HRA (T1)
Jairo Asencio: 11 SV (1), 21 GF (1)

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE:

The Mexican League has moved into the second half of their season. Culican finished 22-13 to win the first half. Guasave and Obregon tied for second at 21-14. Guasave (10-5) is leading the second half race with Hermosillo and Culiacan tied for second at 9-6. OF Marlon Byrd (rehab in 2011) continues to dominate the league for Culiacan. Going back to Nov. 18, Byrd has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 games and is among the league leaders in nearly every category. RH Rodrigo Lopez (2012) went the distance in a 1-0 loss at Culiacan on Dec. 8. He allowed five hits, one walk, and struck out two over nine innings. RH Esmailin Caridad (2009-12) and RH Marco Carrillo (2010-11) have been two of the league's top pitchers for Obregon. Caridad allowed four runs in one innings in a loss on Dec. 6 vs. Guasave, but those are the only runs he has allowed in his last five games. Caridad is tied for the league lead in appearances (29) and holds (10). Carrillo had a complete game victory on Dec. 8 vs. Navajoa. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out seven in nine innings. He leads the league in innings pitched (65.1). RH Jay Jackson (2009-12) is really coming on strong for Mazatlan. He has pitched 13 consecutive scoreless innings over his last two starts.

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
Alfredo Amezaga	Obregon	2012	.303	43	178	28	54	10	2	5	19	13	29	5	5	.347	.466	.813
Marlon Byrd	Culiacan	2011	.339	45	174	38	59	8	0	15	41	21	45	2	1	.410	.644	1.054
Greg Rohan	Mazatlan	2012	.205	11	39	4	8	0	0	0	2	2	9	0	1	.244	.205	.449
Christian Villanueva	Obregon	Cubs Prospect	.180	22	50	9	9	3	0	2	6	6	24	0	1	.288	.360	.648

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Marlon Byrd: .339 AVG (2), 41 RBI (2), 15 HR (T2), 112 TB (T2), 38 R (T2), .644 SLG (T2), 59 H (T3), .410 OBP (T4), 45 K (5)

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.
Esmailin Caridad	Obregon	2009-12	1	2	2.73	29	1	1	2	33.0	31	14	10	1	0	10	0	39	4	.250
Marco Carrillo	Obregon	2010-11	5	4	3.17	10	10	0	0	65.1	60	23	23	5	1	25	1	42	2	.252
Jay Jackson	Mazatlan	2009-12	2	2	2.53	7	7	0	0	32.0	27	9	9	1	1	10	0	21	0	.227
Rodrigo Lopez	Culiacan	2012	2	1	1.27	4	3	0	0	21.1	15	4	3	1	0	1	0	8	0	.203
Sergio Mitre	Mexicali	2004-05	1	1	1.59	7	3	0	0	11.1	8	4	2	2	3	5	0	7	1	.200

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Marco Carrillo: 3.17 ERA (4), 65.1 IP (1), 25 BB (T3), 1.30 WHIP (5)
Esmailin Caridad: 10 Holds (T1), 29 G (T1)

PUERTO RICAN WINTER LEAGUE:

Caguas (15-7) continues to sit on top of the standings, two and a half games better than Santurce (12-9). IF Luis Figueroa (2008) has hit safely in five of his last six games, including a 4-for-4 game on Dec. 4 at Manati. IF Edwin Maysonet had three straight two-hit games from Dec. 2-6. OF Lou Montanez (2006, '11) made his debut with Caguas on Dec. 4 and Cubs' prospect Justin Bour joined Carolina on Dec. 6. Bour led the Cubs' organization with 110 RBI at double-A Tennessee last year. 39-year-old Pedro Valdes (1996-98) is 2-for-17 in his last six games, but is tied for third in the league with 12 walks.

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
Justin Bour	Carolina	Cubs Prospect	.000	2	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	.143	.000	.143
Luis Figueroa	Santurce	2008	.274	21	84	6	23	3	0	1	9	2	8	4	2	.291	.345	.636
Edwin Maysonet	Manati	Cubs Signee	.233	14	43	5	10	3	0	1	5	3	5	0	0	.306	.372	.678
Lou Montanez	Caguas	2006, '11	.143	4	14	0	2	0	1	0	2	1	4	0	0	.250	.286	.536
Pedro Valdes	Carolina	1996-98	.275	21	69	4	19	5	0	0	9	12	12	0	0	.393	.348	.741

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Luis Figueroa: 84 AB (4)
Pedro Valdez: 12 BB (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.

LEAGUE LEADERS:

 

ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE:

The Peoria Javelinas beat the Salt River Rafters 4-3 on Nov. 17 to win the AFL title. The Javelinas' roster was made up of prospects from the Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Philadilphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners. The Rafters pulled players from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Washington Nationals. Cubs' prospects played for the Mesa Solar Sox who finished 10-20. IF Javier Baez was impressing scouts with his power and offensive tools, but missed the last two weeks with a broken thumb. IF Logan Watkins replaced Baez and finished 1-for-13 in his final four games. Watkins was the Cubs' Minor League Player of the Year his past season after hitting .281 with 20 doubles, 11 triples, nine home runs, and 52 RBI in 133 games at double-A Tennessee. OF Matt Szczur gained valuable experience by batting leadoff in 23 of the 24 games he appeared in. OF Rubi Silva went 3-for-6 in his final two games to push his AFL batting average above the Mendoza Line (.200). RH Tony Zych finished tied for third in the league with 13 appearances, but allowed three runs in two innings over his final two appearances to finish with an ERA of 3.86. RH Nick Struck (2011) allowed six runs (five earned) in 4.1 innings over his final three games. Struck was the Cubs' Minor League Pitcher of the Year at double-A Tennessee during the regular season. Dae-Eun Rhee and Kevin Rhoderick didn't pitch in the final week of the AFL. Both pitchers should compete in spring training for a shot at making Iowa's Opening Day roster and their Triple-A debuts.

Player	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Javier Baez	.211	14	57	9	12	2	0	4	16	2	14	3	0	.250	.456	.706
Rubi Silva	.206	20	68	8	14	0	2	0	3	5	21	3	1	.260	.265	.525
Matt Szczur	.264	24	91	13	24	2	2	1	13	14	10	9	3	.368	.363	.731
Logan Watkins	.219	9	32	8	7	1	0	1	3	8	3	0	0	.375	.344	.719

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Javier Baez: 16 RBI (5)
Matt Szczur: 83 AB (T4), 22 G (T4)

Pitcher	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Dae-Eun Rhee	0	2	6.27	6	6	0	0	18.2	26	16	13	1	3	8	12
Kevin Rhoderick	0	1	4.82	9	0	0	2	9.1	7	5	5	2	0	2	14
Nick Struck	1	0	5.51	12	0	0	1	16.1	12	11	10	3	1	12	11
Tony Zych	1	0	3.86	13	0	1	1	14.0	18	6	6	0	1	2	4

LEAGUE LEADERS:

Tony Zych: 7GF (T5)

JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL:

1B Micah Hoffpauir (2004-10) and the Nippon-Ham Fighters won the Pacific League title, but fell 4-2 in the best-of-seven Japan Series against the Yomiuri Giants. Hoffpauir finished 1-for-10 with an RBI and a run scored during the series. The Fighters did announce that a contract extension for Hoffpauir through the 2013 season. Hoffpauir had this quote in the Fighters' official release: "I am happy that I will be able to return as a member of the Fighters in 2013 and fight to win with my teammates and the fans. While we were able to win the pennant, we unfortunately failed to win a Nippon Series. Next season, I will prepared to use all my abilities to in order to win a Nippon Series. I look forward to the continued support." During the regular season, Hoffpauir was second on the team in home runs (14) and helped the Fighters to a 73-58 record. IF/OF Edgar Gonzalez (2012) left Iowa after two weeks in April to join the Yomiuri Giants in Japan this year. He hit .236 with four homers and 19 RBI in 57 games during the regular season. He made one start at DH and entered one game as a pinch-hitter in the Japan Series. He was 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored against the Fighters. IF Bobby Scales (2008-11) started the season with the New York Mets' organization at Triple-A Buffalo and was leading the International League in hitting in April before going back to Japan. He played for the Orix Buffaloes and hit .262 in 85 games. OF Matt Murton (2005, '07-08) continued his three-year run in Japan and hit .260 with five homers and 38 RBI in 121 games for the Hanshin Tigers. LH Renyel Pinto (2004-05) made the move to Japan this year, but lasted just two starts with the Hawks. He was one of the top pitchers in Venezuela last winter.

Player	Team	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Micah Hoffpauir	Nippon-Ham Fighters	.234	109	296	28	73	13	0	14	37	25	81	1	1	.311	.432	.743
Matt Murton	Hanshin Tigers	.260	121	453	39	118	18	2	5	38	18	56	2	4	.290	.342	.632
Bobby Scales	Orix Buffaloes	.262	85	305	42	80	16	3	5	23	47	103	4	1	.373	.384	.757
Edgar Gonzalez	Yomiuri Giants	.236	57	174	13	41	12	0	4	19	0	2	13	46	.291	.374	.665

 

Pitcher	Team	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Renyel Pinto	Fukuoka Softbank Hawks	1	1	7.36	2	2	0	0	7.1	9	8	6	1	1	7	6

WOLRD BASEBALL CLASSIC QUALIFIERS:

The World Baseball Classic will be played again in March and the first round of qualifying tournaments are complete. Brazil upset host Panama 1-0 to win their pool that also included Colombia and Nicaragua. RH Manny Corpas (2012) pitched well for Panama, allowing one run in 5.1 innings over four relief appearances. Chinese Taipei beat New Zealand 9-0 to win their pool in their home stadium. Former I-Cub RH Hung-Wen Chen (2010-11) made one appearance and struck out three in an inning and a third of scoreless relief. RH Yao-Lin Wang is a current member of the Cubs' organization and went 4-5 with a 3.92 ERA in 37 games (nine starts) with the single-A Peoria Chiefs this past season. Thailand and the Phillipines were also included in that pool. In September, Spain beat Israel 9-7 in the first pool play at Roger Dean Stadium in Florida. South Africa and France were the other teams in the round robin. OF Adam Greenberg (2004, '06) played in two games for Israel before the Miami Marlins gave him his famous at-bat against R.A. Dickey in the regular season finale. Of note, Greenberg didn't register an official at-bat in his two games for Israel. He was a sub in one game and walked in his only plate appearance. C Chris Robinson (2007, '09-11) was an offensive leader for Team Canada's win in the second tournament at the Armin-Wolf Baseball Arena in Germany. Canada beat the host Germans 11-1 in the final game. LH Sheldon McDonald (2012) pitched for Team Canada. He spent one day with Iowa this season, but didn't pitch. He spent most of his year with Peoria and was 1-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 33 appearances for the Chiefs. LH's Will Ohman (2001, '05, '07) and Luke Sommer (2011) pitched for Germany. Ohman began last season with the Chicago White Sox and finished the year with triple-A Louisville in the Cincinnati Reds organization. Great Britain and the Czech Republic also played in that tournament.

Player	Country	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
Adam Greenberg	Israel	.000	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1.000	.000	1.000
Chris Robinson	Canada	.455	3	11	4	5	0	0	1	4	1	1	0	1	.500	.727	1.227

 

Pitcher	Tournament	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	SVO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	HB	BB	SO
Hung-Wen Chen	Chinese Taipei	0	0	0.00	1	0	0	0	1.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Manny Corpas	Panama	0	0	1.69	3	0	0	0	5.1	4	1	1	0	1	1	0
Sheldon McDonald	Canada	1	0	6.75	1	0	0	0	1.1	2	1	1	0	1	0	0
Will Ohman	Germany	0	0	0.00	2	0	0	0	2.0	2	0	0	0	0	1	1
Luke Sommer	Germany	0	1	2.70	2	0	0	0	6.2	6	2	2	2	0	1	7
Yao-Lin Wang	Chinese Taipei	1	0	0.00	1	1	0	0	3.2	4	0	0	0	0	0	3

*Stats are courtesy of Major League Baseball Advanced Media, USA Baseball, and NPB Offical Website.

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We hope you enjoy the Winter League report this off-season. Don't forget to check back each week for more updates. If you know of any players that we should be following in this report that aren't included, please email Media Relations Director Randy Wehofer at [email protected].