Minor League Review: Tennessee Smokies

October 27th, 2009 | by Mark |

The Tennessee Smokies finished in first place in the Southern League North division with an overall record of 71-69. Led by Cubs Manager-of-the-Future Ryne Sandberg, they made it all the way to the Southern League finals before losing to Jacksonville.

They were second in the league in hitting with a .268 average, but finished 6th out of 10 teams in runs scored with 591. They also finished 6th with a 3.99 team ERA and 8th with a 1.41 team Whip. So, overall they posted pretty average numbers, but were able to win a weak division.

Top Hitting Prospects

Tyler Colvin - almost a forgotten prospect after a down season in 2008, Colvin put together a fine season upon repeating AA in 2009. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Colvin played 32 games in Daytona before returning to Tennessee and posting a .300/.334/.524 line. He hit 14 HR’s in 84 games at AA after hitting just 1 in his stint at Daytona and earned a September callup. He projects as a corner outfielder, due to his lack of range, but could be the lefthanded power hitter that Piniella’s been searching for all his life.
Darwin Barney – a “gamer” who knows how to win, Barney will not impress you with any one tool, but its the total package that impresses scouts. He is rated the top fielding shortstop in the Cubs system, despite not having the range of the other Cubs SS prospects, because of, as Baseball America puts it, “his instincts, ability to read balls off the bat, fast hands and quick release.” In 2009, he split his playing time between AA and AAA hitting .317 at Tennessee and .293 overall. He doesn’t have a lot of power (only 3 HR’s) or speed (only 9 SB’s), but he is definitely a top prosepct.
Ty Wright – Rated the Cubs 25th best prospect (preseason) by Baseball America, Wright put up fine numbers at AA. Overall, he hit .290/.349/.412 in 442 AB’s, including 9 HR’s and 5 SB’s. He doesn’t project to hit for a lot of power in the majors, but could end up being a Reed Johnson-like 4th outfielder. He can play all 3 outfield positions, can hit for average and shows good instincts on the bases.
Marquez Smith – Although he played mostly thirdbase for the Smokies, Smith projects as a utilityman in the majors. He can already play second and should be able to handle the corner outfield positions and possibly even catcher. He was rated the top defensive thirdbaseman in the Hawaiian Winter League last year. As a hitter, he won’t overwhelm you with his average (.278 overall) or power (15 HR’s), but he should at least provide the Cubs with some pop off the bench.
Tony Thomas – A third round selection in the 2007 draft, Thomas was labeled as an good-hit no-field prospect. He shed some of the “no-field” label last year, when he led all FSL secondbasemen in fielding percentage, however he regressed some this year and led Tennessee with 17 errors. At the plate, Thomas didn’t fare much better, hitting .251 overall. He showed a good eye, drawing 50 walks, but also struck out 106 times in 427 AB’s. He has some pop (11 HR’s) and average speed (13 SB’s in 26 attempts), but has to cut down on the strikeouts if he is going to make it in the majors.

Top Pitching Prospects

Casey Coleman - A lightly regarded 15th round pick in the 2008 draft, Coleman won’t impress you with his overall stuff (only 84 K’s in 149 IP), but he proved to be a big game pitcher while winning 14 games for the Smokies and leading them to the playoffs. As a result, he earned the Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year award. Coleman won’t get himself into trouble (only 58 walks allowed) or give up a big inning (only 8 HR’s allowed), which helped him finish second on the team with a 3.68 ERA. It remains to be seen how his “stuff” will play on the big league level, but he’ll get a chance to prove himself at AAA next year.
Jeremy Papelbon – the younger brother of Boston’s Jonathan Papelbon, Jeremy led the Smokies with a 3.38 ERA while working as a spot-starter/long reliever. He doesn’t appear to have the dominating stuff that his brother has (only 77 K’s in 104 IP), but he has good control (only 26 walks) and does not give up a lot of HR’s (only 9 allowed).
John Gaub – a power lefty with a low-to-mid 90’s fastball, Gaub projects as a late inning reliever in the majors. At Tennessee, Gaub showed dominant stuff while posting a 2.83 ERA with 40 K’s in 28.2 IP. He was a little wild (17 walks allowed), but showed enough to earn a promotion to AAA, where he was even more impressive (1.72 ERA and 40 K’s in 31.1 IP). He is currently pitching in the Arizona Fall League and should compete for a bullpen spot with the Cubs in spring training.
Alex Maestri – Maestri is a rarity, an Italian baseball prospect, but he has shown the ability to get hitters out with a fastball that sits in the upper 80’s and a slider that is one of the best in the system. He projects as a middle-reliever in the majors and worked in relief at Tennessee, posting a 3.69 ERA in 85.1 IP. He needs to cut down on the walks (52) if he is going to succeed in his quest to reach the majors.
Marcos Mateo – a cousin of former Cubs pitcher Juan Mateo, Mateo can bring the heat with a fastball ranging from 92-97 mph and his slider has the makings of a plus pitch. The Cubs used Mateo primarily as a starter at the beginning of the season, so he could develop his pitches, before converting him to a reliever mid-season. Overall, in 34 games (14 starts) Mateo posted a 4.07 ERA. If he can harness his pitches (43 walks in 97.1 IP) he could end up at the back of the Cubs bullpen.

So, there you have it, not a particularly strong bunch of prospects, but there are several who ranked among the Cubs top prospect heading into 2009 (only Coleman and Papelbon did not make Baseball America’s top 30 Cubs prospects).

Up next, I will finish my review of the Cubs minor leagues with the Iowa Cubs on Thursday. You can check out the complete schedule, including links to all of my other reviews HERE.

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