Kaplan: Cubs minor league report

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Here is the start of our weekly look at the Cubs minor leagues. Every Tuesday we will recap how the top prospects fared over the previous seven days.

AAA Iowa Cubs

Cubs top prospect Brett Jackson may not have gotten off to the start he would have liked to in April, but he began to show signs of improvement in the first week of May. Jackson went 8-for-25 (.320) to kick off his May campaign. He also homered once and drove in four runs. His productive week caused his average to jump 12 points to .254. Jackson is not where he wants to be yet but with a few consistent weeks like this one he will start to give Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer reason to consider promoting him to the big leagues.

Unlike Jackson, Iowa Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo came out of the gates in a full sprint and he has yet to look back. Rizzo was named minor league player of the month by the organization. He hit .384 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs in the month of April. The first week of May suggests that the law of averages may have come into play for Rizzo as his production has dropped slightly in the past few outings. This past week Rizzo went 6-for-24 (.250) with no home runs, 2RBIs, and eight strikeouts. The minor slide dropped Rizzos average from the astronomical .378 to a still outstanding .355. I really dont think there should be any concern surrounding Rizzo, his numbers are still great and his recall to the big leagues is a matter of time.

AA Tennessee Smokies

Right Hander Trey McNutt only had one appearance in the first week of May. He allowed five runs (two earned) on two hits in two and two-thirds innings. He was credited with the loss and his record fell to 0-2. Do not let McNutts single May appearance fool you, he still touts the second lowest ERA on the team (1.56), and he appeared unhittable last Thursday until an error and 1 bad pitch unraveled his outing in the third inning.

Highly acclaimed Dominican shortstop prospect Junior Lake made his Tennessee season debut on Sunday. In his first at bat Lake led off the game with a double and in his next plate appearance he tripled. Lake has only played in two games and is currently 3-for-8 (.375). Its much too early to jump to any conclusions but it is safe to say Junior Lake possesses a great deal of raw talent.

A Daytona Cubs

Top 5 Cubs prospect Matt Szczur was still trying to find a groove as of May 1, but things are beginning to click for the 22 year old center fielder. Szczur went 8 for 26 (.307) last week with an RBI moving his average to .256. One thing that has remained constant for the Cubs prospect is his base stealing ability. He has swiped 16 bags, three in the last week. Szczur could be a dangerous player if he couples some solid hitting with his already well-established speed.

Daytona right fielder Nelson Perez may have had the most impressive week in the Cubs organization. Perez started the month off 12 for 25 (.480) with 8 RBIs. His stellar average was given a boost by a 5-for 5 effort against the Jupiter Hammerheads on Saturday. Perezs hitting clinic included a two-run home run in the eighth. He leads the team in walks (19), home runs (5), batting average (.319), slugging percentage (.606), and OPS (1.037).

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