Cubs farm system begins post-Rizzo era

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As hard as it is to believe, the Cubs minor league system will continue to play games even without the first half juggernaut that was Anthony Rizzo. The post-Rizzo era began Tuesday, leaving a massive void to be filled by other prospects vying for a spot in the bigs.

Iowa third baseman Josh Vitters saw this opening and absolutely tore into it last week. The 22-year-old standout went 12-for-26 (.462) on his way to extending his hit streak to 10. He also managed to score five runs, tally four RBIs and hit two homers. Not only has Vitters been hitting the leather off of the ball, he is recording quality at bats and getting ahead in counts. His patience and even keel plate approach led him to a .474 on base percentage and 1.29 OPS for the week. The absence of the Rizz Kid leaves a number of question marks in Iowa but Josh Vitters appears to have the answers.

Just when Brett Jackson looked like he was about to break through, he returned to his free swinging ways. The once top prospect's stock has plummeted over the past two months and he has done nothing to fix it. Last week, Jackson went 6-for-26 (.231) with four runs and a home run in three consecutive games. Sounds pretty decent right? Wrong. Over a seven-game span, Jackson struck out 14 times, making 19 K's in his last 10 games. He is striking out at an alarming rate and no one seems to have a solution. This is not just a slump, this is a problem.

Highly touted Double A prospect Junior Lake has had a relatively productive year thus far. He is hitting .300 with four round trippers and 12 RBIs. Although his run production is not where scouts would like it to be, he is finding ways to capitalize in key situations. Last week Lake went 8-27 (.296) with two runs and two RBIs. On top of that, Lake swiped five bags in 10 days taking his season total to eight. If Lake can add speed to his arsenal of weapons, it could be the catalyst that takes him to the next level.

Tennessee Smokies pitcher Eric Jokisch came into Sunday's game 3-0 and had every intention standing pat. He was scheduled to rest but when Smokies starter Trey McNutt was pulled after two innings of work, skipper Buddy Bailey turned to Jokisch for help. 5.2 innings, 10 runs and nine hits later, Jokisch was the one pleading for help. He appeared uncomfortable and rattled the entire time he was on the mound. I will give him the benefit of the doubt due to the unlikely circumstances but this was not the Eric Jokisch we have gotten used to watching this year. It will be interesting to see how he responds to his first loss in his next start.

Daytona Cubs first baseman Greg Rohan is exceeding everyone's expectations this season. He has cooled off in the last few weeks but Wednesday was a turning point and one of those games you do not forget. He went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two runs and two RBIs. This explosion puts him at 63 RBIs on the season, 12 more than anyone else in the entire Florida State League.

Javier Baez, shortstop for the single-A Peoria Chiefs, continues to struggle to get acclimated to professional baseball. His hitting plight has been peppered with moments of brilliance but his 2-for-18 (.111) week suggests otherwise. He tallied two runs and no walks on the week with an on base percentage of .090. His approach at the plate seems undisciplined and until he strategizes his approach his numbers will continue to plummet.

Joe Musso contributed to this article

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