Guzman Demoted; Jae Kuk Ryu Recalled
I think Guzman has a bright future if he can stay healthy, but he clearly wasn't ready to pitch in the majors after spending most of the past three years on the DL. Iowa is definitely the right place for him to be right now.
Ryu looks a lot like almost every other pitching prospect the Cubs have had over the past few years. He's hard to hit (37 hits allowed in 42 IP with Iowa this year, and under a hit per inning for his career), but his control can be spotty (well over 3 BB/9 over his minor league career). He has a 3.21 ERA for Iowa this year, giving up only 4 HR in those 42 IP (which is good), but 15 BB (not so good).
With Kerry Wood set to take Guzman's spot in the rotation, the Cubs plan to use Ryu in long relief. That's not such a bad idea in theory, but in practice it most likely means that he's a good candidate to find himself on a list like this in a couple years.
- Brian C's blog
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Guzman's Batting
In light of the fact that Guzman has only 1 fewer RBI than Pierre, couldn't you make the case that Guzman could have been kept in Chicago for both long relief and pinch hitting? Cetainly, he would appear to have more upside as a hitter than Pierre or some other Cubs hitters do.
Also, would not Pierre's lack of RBI's indicate that not only is he in decline as a hitter, but that he should be moved much lower in the lineup to say 8th?