Bleacher Bums Forum

I don't know when the next good Cubs team will be, or who will be a part of it.  But I wouldn't be surprised if Cubs fans who live in South Bend might not look back and think that this was quite the summer for seeing pospect pitchers. 

South Bend has or has had:  Wicks, Herz, Franklin, Hodge, Little, Palencia, Devers.  And Estrada and Leigh.  Even McAvene or Reed or Bigge might help.  That's a lot of pitching potential, both rotation and relief. 

Some position possibilities too, with PCA, Caissie, Howard, Pinango, Made, Allendo,

Palencia has been injured and has also been skipped and given some long rests at times. 
-Since July 10, he's only appeared in 6 games total. 
-In those six games, 5 have been shutout appearances. 
-The bad one was very bad, HR, 3 walks 4 hits, 5ER in 3 innings on August 16. 
-But in the other 5 starts for 18.1 innings, 7H/26K/6BB/18IP.   

He'll be 23 when next season opens, so it's not like he's particularly young.  Will be curious if they continue to start him, or being in AA they'll figure he's close enough and it's relief time, see how he responds to pitching on a 4-day rotation instead of 6/7-days?  Or perhaps keep him in rotation, but keep him on a high-rest rotation with a target of ≤100 innings? 

With turning 23 this winter, he's still only at 113 pro innings.  This year's 75-innings is still a 34-inning jump over last season.  If he would hypothetically have a good playoff start and they'd stretch him out to maybe 5 innings, that would get him to 80 innings on the season, probably the kind of number they might have targeted last winter.   

Agreed.

SB and MB end their regular season on Sunday.

Each open a playoff series on Tuesday.

Scouting is pretty unanimous on that.

Scouting is pretty unanimous on that.

I hadn't heard that.  You have any links for it?