You may not want to get too close to Jason Vosler right now. It's not safe.

AAA

Iowa 3 - Colorado Springs 2

Prospect Profile

Jeimer Candelario is simply the best pure hitter in the system. He's such a complete hitter, From his quick, strong hands to his excellent hand-eye coordination to his tremendous plate discipline, Candelario has all you can really ask for in a hitter. The power projects as average and you probably already know from reading these recaps that Candelario is a doubles machine, able to shoot both gaps from either side of the plate. He does have some HR power, particularly from the right side and we can expect him to hit 15-20 HRs as a starter in the majors. His defense is vastly improved. He's always had soft hands and a strong arm but now he has added solid footwork and better agility. He's a starting caliber 3B right now while also having the bat to carry 1B if needed as well.

Game Recap

Williams Perez broke through and had his best start of the season, pitching 6 innings and

allowing just 2 runs. The I-Cubs offense was slow to get started. They had taken a 1-0 lead on Jeimer Candelario's 4th HR of the season but found themselves behind 2-1 after 6 1/2 innings. The offense rallied in the bottom of the 7th. They tied it up when Victor Caratini singled and then scored from first on a wild pitch and two throwing errors for a gift run. But Colorado Springs was not yet done giving gifts. They issued a free pass to Mark Zagunis and then he went all the way to third on an infield single because of another error. Stephen Bruno then came into pinch-hit for David Rollins and doubled to drive in the go-ahead run. Rollins was credited with the win and Felix Pena earned his 4th save.

Top Performers

Williams Perez : 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 5 Ks

: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 5 Ks David Rollins: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 1 K (win)

1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 1 K (win) Felix Pena : 1 IP, 1H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 0 Ks (save)

: 1 IP, 1H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 0 Ks (save) Jeimer Candelario : 2-4, HR, double

: 2-4, HR, double Victor Caratini: 2-4, run

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

If David Rollins can cut down the walks (5 in 10 innings), he may soon become a LH option for the Cubs. He has pitched 10 innings and allowed just 3 hits (.094 avg) and one run while striking out 12. He has a 0.90 ERA.

The same may be true for Felix Pena from the right side. He has 4 unintentional walks in 9.2 innings and has been almost as unhittable as Rollins. He has struck out 11 while hitters have batted .212 off of him. His ERA is 1.86.

Jeimer Candelario is now hitting .316/.435/.671 with 4 HRs, 2 triples and 11 doubles. His OPS of 1.106 ranks first on the team and 4th overall in the PCL. His 11 doubles rank first in the league. He also ranks in the top 5 in OBP and slugging. He ranks first on Iowa in all of these categories except for average (second to Caratni's .321) and HRs behind Happ and Zagunis)

AA

Prospect Profile

Jason Vosler has never been on any top prospect lists. He just grinds it out everyday, does whatever the organization asks, does the little things to help your team win, and generally doesn't bring a lot of attention to himself. On that note, it is good to see him getting the spotlight for a change. Vosler has been red-hot, hitting .478 (11 for 23) with 6 HRs in his last 6 games. He now has 7 HRs overall, the most he's ever had at any one level in his career and just 3 HRs shy of his career high for a season. Vosler has always been something of a 'tweener as an infielder. He fits best at 3B but has never really had the kind of power you like from the position. Until now. If Vosler shows this power surge is for real, then it's time we start paying more attention.

Game 1 Recap: Tennessee 6 - Mississippi 3

The Smokies controlled this game from the very start with a 3 run first on 3 consecutive doubles by Yasiel

Balaguert, Jason Vosler (2 RBI) and Ian Rice (RBI). The Braves would chip away but the Smokies would keep adding more. Cael Brockmeyer would hit a two run shot, his first of the year, in the 3rd while Charcer Burks HR'd (3) to give the Smokies their last run, Zack Hedges had another strong start, pitching 6 innings and allowing 3 runs (2 earned) while Brad Markey pitched a scoreless 7th for the save.

Game 2 Recap; Tennessee 7 - Mississippi 6

This one was another one of those patented Smokies comebacks, most of which seem to come against the Braves. Jen Ho Tseng gave up 6 runs (5 earned in 6) innings to put the Smokies in a 6-2 deficit, but as usual, this team did not quit. A two run single by backup catcher Erick Castillo brought them within 2 at 6-4 and then a 7th inning (remember that is the last inning in a minor league double header) 2 run HR by David Bote tied the game and brought it to extras. I 'll give you one guess who won this game in the 8th with a solo HR. I'll give you a hint. His name rhymes with Mason Tosler.

Top Performers (both games combined)

Jason Vosler : 3-7, 2 HRs, double. BB, 4 RBI, 3 euns

: 3-7, 2 HRs, double. BB, 4 RBI, 3 euns Zack Hedges : 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks (win)

: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 Ks (win) Brad Markey : 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (save) James Pugliese : 2 IP, o H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 Ks (win)

: 2 IP, o H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 Ks (win) Charcer Burks : 3-7, HR, double, walk, 2 RBI

: 3-7, HR, double, walk, 2 RBI David Bote : 1-6, HR, BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI

: 1-6, HR, BB, 2 runs, 2 RBI Yasiel Balaguert : 4-8, 2 doubles, 2 runs

: 4-8, 2 doubles, 2 runs Ian Rice : 1-3, double, 2 BBs, run, RBI

: 1-3, double, 2 BBs, run, RBI Cael Brockmeyer: 1-3, HR, 2 RBI

Injuries, Updates, and Trends

We already mentioned Jason Vosler's last 6 games in the profile above so we'll just update his numbers for the season here. Vosler is hitting .274/.386/.630 with 7 HRs. Vosler is now your HR leader in the Southern League so far this year. He ranks 2nd in RBI with 18, 2nd in slugging,and 2nd in OPS.

Charcer Burks is hitting .303 and has been an on-base machine at the top of the lineup with 17 walks and a .421 OBP, both of which rank 3rd in the SL. We mentioned he added strength as well, so we'll add that he's second on the team only to Vosler and 7th in the SL. And oh yeah, he can run too. His 6 SBs rank 4th.

Yasiel Balaguert can be a bit of a streaky hitter and he is on a good one now, hitting .360 (9-25) in his last 6 games with 3 doubles.

Zach Hedges is now 3-2 with a 2.51 ERA with just 5 walks and a solid 1.54 GO/AO ratio.

James Pugliese improved to 3-1 with a 0.68 ERA and continues to be one of the most reliable swingmen/middle relievers in the system.

Advanced A

Myrtle Beach rained out but not before our Stephanie Lynn was able to interview catcher PJ Higgins. Look for that in the next several days.