Chicago Cubs Around the Farm 5/6/23: Iowa Loses 2 But Rest of Affiliates Thrive

The Iowa Cubs scored one run in this game. Jake Slaughter hit a home run to score that one run. Ergo, Jake Slaughter wins Biggest Yes. The logic is simple enough, right? The Cubs were desolate offensively, and their pitching wasn't anything to write home about either. Slaughter struck out in this game, and he left a man stranded. Still, he is solely responsible for all of the Cubs' offense in the game.

Biggest Yikes: Christopher Morel — 0/3, 2 SO, 2 LOB

Morel has been on a cold streak as of late after starting 2023 as the hottest hitter in the International League. This marks Morel's second Biggest Yikes in three games and his fourth on the season. Of course, it would be hard to expect Morel to continue hitting around .350 all season long, but you still want to make sure the guy who is one step away from Wrigley is handling himself well at Triple-A.

Triple-A Iowa Game Two: 3-4 Loss to Columbus Clippers

Biggest Yes: Nick Burdi — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 3 SO

Okay, Burdi. We see you. In another Iowa loss, Burdi's stat line was the only clean one when it came to Cubs pitchers. It isn't that Chris Clarke (4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 2 ER) or Brendon Little (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER) were particularly bad before Burdi came in. They just weren't stellar.

Burdi was. The righty struck out the side in the sixth inning right after the Cubs had stormed back into the game. He kept Iowa in it, and he may be one step closer to earning a promotion to Chicago because of it.

Biggest Yikes: Jake Slaughter — 0/4, 3 SO, 5 LOB

Welp. Jake Slaughter giveth and Jake Slaughter taketh away. After Slaughter, my 41st-ranked Cubs prospect, picked up Biggest Yikes for his long ball in game one of this doubleheader, he laid a goose egg at the plate in Game 2. Beyond that, Slaughter left a game-high five runners on base as he struck out three times and popped out to second once.

Double-A Tennessee: 5-4 Victory Over Rocket City Trash Pandas

Biggest Yes: Pablo Aliendo — 3/4, 2 2B, HR (4), 3 RBI

Pablo Aliendo hits. If you pay close attention to his stat line in this game, you will notice that Aliendo does, indeed, hit the ball. Beyond that, Aliendo was smoking the ball as he busted out two doubles and a home run on the day. The three RBIs Aliendo recorded were crucial for the Smokies to collect a win.

On the season, Aliendo is slashing .326/.396/.696 with Tennessee in 13 games played. He has four home runs, five doubles, and 14 RBIs in that small sample size. If the 21-year-old continues to play like this, he's going to move up from his 33rd-best ranking in the Cubs farm system, and quickly.

Biggest Yikes: Owen Caissie — 0/5, 4 SO, 6 LOB

Owen Caissie has been having a heck of a start to 2023 offensively and has already earned two Biggest Yes awards for his efforts. Of course, the flip side is that this is now Caissie's second Biggest Yikes award on the season as the 20-year-old has dealt with some inconsistency at the plate in his first season of Double-A baseball.

In this game, Caissie just couldn't get anything going for himself or for his team. The six runners left on base were the most of any hitter in the game, and the four strikeouts took that honor as well.

High-A South Bend: 6-1 Victory Over Cedar Rapids Kernels

Biggest Yes: Richard Gallardo — 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 7 SO

Richard Gallardo became one of 60 Cubs prospects to have at least two or more Biggest Yes awards to their name after a dominant performance on the mound. I have Gallardo as my 71st-best Cubs prospect thanks mostly to a solid fastball and changeup, and he showcased his potential in this game.

Strikeouts are not the name of Gallardo's game, so the fact that he tossed seven in 5.2 innings is certainly eye-opening. I don't think it necessarily means the 21-year-old is now a strikeout artist or anything, but it's still fun to see. On the season, Gallardo now has a 2.32 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in six starts with the Cubs. 

Biggest Yikes: Josue Huma — 0/3, BB, 2 SO, 4 LOB

Huma's numbers weren't catastrophically bad or anything in this game. He got on base with a walk, but that is where his production ends. Huma was the only Cubs player to not record a hit, and he tied for the team lead in strikeouts. In this game, that — combined with the four left on base — was enough to get Huma his fourth-career Biggest Yikes award.

Low-A Myrtle Beach: 3-2 Victory Over Columbia Fireflies

Biggest Yes: Johzan Oquendo — 3.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 4 SO

Oquendo joins Richard Gallardo as Cubs prospects to be part of the two-time Biggest Yes winners club. In this game, the Pelicans had solid pitching to kick things off with Nick Hull pitching five innings of two-run ball and Koen Moreno surprisingly pitching three scoreless (albeit with one hit and three walks surrendered). Still, it was Oquendo who collected the win for Myrtle Beach as he shut down Columbia for the final three innings of the game. 

Oquendo came in to pitch in the ninth inning, striking out three and walking one. In extra innings, Oquendo just continued to shut things down enough for Myrtle Beach to walk away with the win. We'll take that.

Biggest Yikes: Reginald Preciado — 0/4, R, 2 SO, 3 LOB

Preciado's only contribution to this game was grounding out to end the 10th inning so he could be the runner who scored the game-winning run in the 11th by starting on second base. He was leaving runners in scoring position, striking out in crucial moments, like in the top of the seventh with a runner on second to end the inning, and overall having a bad time. I still have Preciado ranked 42nd in the Cubs' farm system, but this was a rough showing for the 19-year-old.