Infielder Junior Lake also recently joined the Smokies roster. Lake, 22, was rated the Cubs 8th bes

The Chicago cheap vacation packages to florida Cubs took two of three from the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend to improve their record to 11-17.  As the big league club looks to the future we ll do the same with a weekly glimpse at the Cubbies farm system.
The Peoria Chiefs are the current employers of Cuban defector Gerardo Concepcion.  The Cubs signed the 20 year old lefty as an international free agent in March.  Concepcion received a five year contract in excess of $6 million.  In three starts for the Chiefs Concepcion has been hammered.  Due to ineffectiveness the youngster has logged just 6.2 innings in those three starts. cheap vacation packages to florida Concepcion has allowed 19 hits and 14 earned runs in his brief time on the mound.  He currently sports an unseemly 18.90 ERA and 3.30 WHIP.  On the bright side, he s only walked three batters. cheap vacation packages to florida Hopefully brighter days are ahead for Concepcion.
Austin Kirk, another young Cubs lefty, is off to a great start with Single-A Dayton.  The 21 year old Kirk has started six games, and appeared in relief in another, and logged 44.1 innings.  He s currently 1-0 with a 1.83 ERA and 0.95 WHIP.  Kirk has walked just nine batters and allowed a single home run.  He went 5-12 with a 4.29 ERA in 28 starts last season for Peoria. Kirk was drafted by the Cubs in the 3rd round of the 2009 amateur draft.
The Tennessee Smokies of the Southern League are the current home of right-handed pitching prospect Trey McNutt.  This is McNutt s second tour of the Southern League as he made 22 starts for Tennessee last season.  McNutt has shown marked improvement in his second tour of duty.  McNutt posted a 4.55 ERA and allowed 120 hits in 95 innings in 2011.  So far in 2012 McNutt cheap vacation packages to florida has an ERA of 1.56 and has allowed just 11 hits in 17.1 innings of work.
Infielder Junior Lake also recently cheap vacation packages to florida joined the Smokies roster.  Lake, 22, was rated the Cubs 8th best prospect by Baseball America following the 2011 season.  He is expected to receive playing time at shortstop and third base.  Lake split the 2011 season between Daytona and Tennessee.  In 67 games with the Smokies in 2011 Lake hit 6 home runs and posted a .680 OPS.
Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson have received a lot of hype as a result of their impressive starts for Iowa.  However, Adrian Cardenas may beat both of them to Wrigley. cheap vacation packages to florida The 24 year old infielder is off to a hot start for the I-Cubs. cheap vacation packages to florida Cardenas, who was signed as a minor league free agent, is hitting .319 in 26 games.  He s hit seven doubles, three triples, two home runs and knocked in 18 in 26 games.  Cardenas also has an impressive .376 OBP.  With Darwin Barney (.288 OBP) struggling at the plate for the Cubs it may be only a matter of time before Cardenas gets an audition with the big club.