What Could Have Been – The 2020 South Bend Cubs

2019 Affiliate Review 

Midwest League Champions – 76-61; 37-31 in the first half, 39-30 in the second

Things could not have gone much better for minor league legend, and manager, Buddy Bailey in 2019. He was blessed with a young team that worked hard and improved from April through September and brought home a championship. They went 7-0 in the playoffs. For 2020, Bailey was supposed to have another young group of kids for him to mold and shape into top prospects.

Top Arms for 2020

It’s kind of hard not to like who was going to be on the mound this year at South Bend. 6‘6“ Kohl Franklin was to be towing the rubber after flashing 2+ pitches last year at Eugene. He was touching the mid 90s a few times in 2019. My guy, Chris Clarke from USC, was also slated to be one of the key pitchers to watch along with fellow draft pick Michael McAvene. The rotation was also set to include a healthy Yovanny Cruz, who was touching the upper 90s last August at Eugene after missing most of the year. If healthy, Jeremiah Estrada could have even made his comeback from TJS there.

The bullpen was set to be filled with a lot of draft picks from the 2019 class. I really liked lefty Bryan King last summer at Eugene along with Chris Allen and Chris Kachmar. You can add Tanner Jesson-Dalton, Brad Deppermann, and Zach Bryant as interesting relief options who were set to make their full season debuts.

Top Bats for 2020

At a glance, this was going to be a season where there were a lot of players moving in and out of South Bend, especially in the first half. One guy I was going to keep an eye on was outfielder Edmond Americaan, whose swing the Cubs tinkered with a little bit last summer and produced immediate results. Middle infielder Pedro Martinez was also an exciting player I wanted to see in action. The switch hitter did very well at Eugene as an 18-year-old. 2019 draft picks Jake Washer and Bryce Windham were set to be the backstops. Both have some firepower in their bats. Outfielder Darius Hill showed a lot of grit and hustle to his game last year at Eugene and I was looking forward to watching him go at it. I don’t know if Luis Verdugo, all of 19, would have made it to South Bend in April, but he could have been there by July. 

Top Defender for 2020

Shortstop Luis Vazquez is easily the top defender in the system. He will be 20 this year and he should start seeing his bat catch up to his glove. When it does, he’s not gonna be long for any affiliate with his defensive prowess.

The Grinder

2019 draft pick Darius Hill probably starts at South Bend, but he wasn’t going to be there for long as hard as he plays the game.

1st Half Prediction

Their pitching was going to keep them in games, so it all could have come down to offensive production. South Bend could have fallen just short of a wildcard birth in the first half if their offense was struggling. Otherwise, their pitching was good enough to get them in.

What I’m Going to Miss This Year

Other than my usual trip where I travel along with the team for a week, I am going to miss seeing guys breakout. It may sound strange, but I like to be surprised by a player’s performance. I like it when a guy outperforms expectations and turns his game up another gear. This year, that could have been any number of guys at South Bend. 

Favorite Alternate Jersey

While I really like the BB-8 Star Wars jerseys, their Fourth of July jerseys are pretty sweet. 

Other What Could Have Been Posts

Iowa

Tennessee

Myrtle Beach

South Bend

Eugene

Mesa