Cayucos resident Rocky Roquet warms up in the bullpen for ‘AA’ Knoxville. He was promoted twice by the Chicago Cubs organization during his first full year as a professional.

‘Obviously, you play the game to get to the majors leagues and hopefully make a career out of baseball. That’s definitely what I want to do. I need to mature as a pitcher, be able to read the hitters better. Pitch selection also goes along with that. I just need to have a little better control with my fastball location-wise and be more consistent with my slider.’

-- Rocky Roquet

Roquet Moving Up Through Chicago Cubs Organization
Logs Impressive Stats in First Full Year as a Pro

By Jack Beardwood

Ever since he was 11-years old, Cayucos’ Rocky Roquet has dreamt of being a big league baseball player.
If he continues to progress, his dream could come true. During his recently concluded first season with the Chicago Cubs organization, he was promoted twice and he might get a shot to shot to make the big club at spring training.  He was told that it is likely he will pitch in some exhibition games.
“I’m going to go down there a little bit early and let them know that I’m ready to go if they need me in any major league game in spring training,” said Rocky.
After the Cal Poly season concluded in late spring of 2006, Roquet pitched for Boise, Idaho in what is known as “short season.” He got off to a good start, striking out 31 batters in just 19.2 innings, and recording three saves.
He started 2007 at Peoria, Ill., where he picked up 11 saves in 19 appearances and had a 0.36 earned run average in 25 innings of work. He was named to the Midwest League all-star team, but did not get to play in the game because in late May he was promoted to Daytona, Fla., an upper echelon ‘A’ league team. He didn’t stay there long, either. After just 10 days and three games he was promoted to ‘AA’ Knoxville, Tenn.

Cubs Make AFL Selections

Through the years, the Arizona Fall League has been a major stepping stone in helping to speed up many prospects’ growth and their ascension to the big leagues. The Cubs hope the seven prospects they have chosen to participate in this year’s Fall League will use their time in Arizona to follow in the footsteps of major league players that have at one time called home to the post-season venue.

According to Major League Baseball, 24 players from this year’s All-Star Game at AT&T Park in San Francisco played in the Arizona Fall League at one point.

The Cubs announced Monday the names of the seven players who will represent the organization in this year’s Arizona Fall League, which begins Tuesday, Oct. 9 and runs through Thursday, Nov. 15. (A league championship game will be played the following Saturday on Nov. 17.)

The players whom the Cubs have selected for this year’s event are pitchers Matt Avery, Justin Berg, Grant Johnson and Rocky Roquet; infielders Josh Lansford and Joe Simokaitis; and outfielder Sam Fuld.

Of those players, only Lansford has not seen playing time above A-ball and could be considered the headliner of the Cubs 2007 AFL selections. By rule, an organization is allowed to have only one prospect on an Arizona Fall League roster that was below the Double-A level when the season ended.

Lansford is batting .273 with 17 doubles in 84 games at Peoria this season, but has not played since July 20 because of a sprained MCL.

Now nearing the end of his rehab stint in Mesa, Ariz., Lansford expects to be ready to play by the time the Fall League opens in just over a month.

“It’s doing a lot better now,” Lansford said of the injury, which forced him to be carted off the field after a collision with pitcher Jake Renshaw. “I’m finishing up my rehab in Mesa and hopefully I’ll be able to make it back up to Peoria for any playoffs.”

Cubs Minor League Hitting Coordinator Dave Keller said prior to Lansford’s injury that, “the best thing that’s happened on that (Peoria) team is the development of Josh Lansford.”

Lansford isn’t sure about all of that, but he does feel that his first year of full-season ball has gone relatively well.

“My defense was there and I definitely started to come around offensively,” Lansford said. “I thought it was a good year. Ryno [Peoria manager Ryne Sandberg] taught me a lot about the mental part, the different counts and what the pitcher is most likely going to try to do.”

Typically, prospects who spend a full season at the Class-A levels of the Cubs’ farm system earn their post-season stripes in the organization’s annual Instructional League in Mesa from mid to late September through October. That makes Lansford’s entrance into the Fall League and the subsequent older competition he will face there all the more impressive.

“It’s a really big honor that they chose me out of all the A-ball players,” Lansford said Monday. “For them to choose me, I’m really thankful.”

Joining Lansford will be one infielder, one outfielder, and four pitchers.

Both Simokaitis and Fuld began the year in Double-A and each was moved up to Triple-A following the midway point of the season.

Fuld has since returned to Tennessee and is having another solid year at the plate with a .295 average and a .371 on-base percentage in 82 Double-A contests. He began the year on the disabled list with an oblique injury before joining Tennessee in late April. Fuld has 24 extra-base hits with Tennessee this season, and just 36 strikeouts to 33 walks.

Simokaitis, drafted two years ago from Nebraska, joined Iowa in late July after batting .257 in 76 games with Tennessee. He has hit .248 in 31 games at Triple-A and has advanced through the farm system quickly after a four-year college playing career in Lincoln.

“I’m definitely happy (with advancing),” Simokaitis said. “Being around the older guys like Ronny (Cedeno), I’ve tried to improve every day.”

Simokaitis has also flashed some versatility, playing third base and the outfield in addition to short. He’s also seen playing time at second base.

“The more versatile you are, the more valuable you are to a club,” he said.

Of the pitchers, Johnson’s name is the least surprising to find on the list. The right-hander and Cubs second-round draft pick in 2004 was initially slated to participate in last year’s Fall League event, but was bumped when the club acquired pitcher Adam Harben from Minnesota for INF/OF Phil Nevin.

Having struggled with mechanics for much of his tenure in the Cubs system, Johnson has been used exclusively in relief for over a year now and has made 27 appearances from the Tennessee bullpen. In 47 1/3 innings at Double-A, he has a 4.37 ERA and 43 strikeouts.

For his part, Avery has split time between Class-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee this season, having logged 64 2/3 innings in relief.

A ninth-round selection from Virginia in the 2005 draft, Avery posted a 1.61 ERA in 19 appearances with Daytona before getting moved up in late May to Tennessee, where he is 2-2 with a 4.46 ERA in 28 games.

The right-hander initially came to the Cubs as a starter from the ACC, but converted to relief pitching last season in Peoria.

In the midst of his second season with the Cubs’ farm system after being traded from the New York Yankees’ for Matt Lawton in 2005, 23-year-old Berg has enjoyed sporadic success this season with a 5.21 ERA in 24 starts.

A sinkerball pitcher that can run his fastball into the mid-90s, Berg has struggled with command at times this year with 63 walks (second most in the farm system). After tinkering with a curveball last season in Daytona, he has since gone back to a slider after making the jump up to Double-A.

Of the pitchers who have made the biggest trek up the ladder this season, one would have to include Roquet in that group.

The 24-year-old is in his first pro season, but had already progressed to Double-A less than one year after signing as a non-drafted free agent. Roquet began the year with 16 consecutive scoreless outings at Peoria and then spent hardly a week in Daytona before getting moved up to Tennessee.

In 25 appearances with the Smokies, Roquet is 4-0 with six saves and a 2.72 ERA. He has struck out 40 in 36 1/3 innings with the team.

The right-hander pitches off his fastball and slider and topped out at 97 mph in the Northwest League with Class Low-A Boise a season ago.

Housing the Cubs’ contingent of prospects in the AFL will be the Mesa Solar Sox. The Solar Sox will host prospects from four National League Central clubs: the Cubs, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, and St. Louis Cardinals. The Solar Sox will also house prospects from the Boston Red Sox. Astros minor league skipper Dave Clark will manage the team.

Currently, none of the Cubs’ prospects in this year’s Fall League have been designated as “Taxi Squad” players (Wednesday and Saturday play only).

In the Pros: Roquet moving on up

The minor league baseball season is only a couple months old and already Rocky Roquet has played with three teams.

It is not as though the hard-throwing relief pitcher has been traded from the Chicago Cubs organization; rather, he has twice been promoted within the farm system.

Roquet, a Cayucos native who attended Mission Prep, began the season closing games for the low Class-A Peoria Chiefs. He converted 11 saves and allowed only one earned run in 25 innings for a healthy 0.36 ERA.

But after 19 games at Peoria, Roquet climbed to high-A following a promotion May 28 to the Daytona Cubs.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander from Cal Poly was 1-0 in three games with the Cubs, notching nine strikeouts, one walk and allowing five hits in six innings of work.

His time with the club didn’t last very long. He was moved again 10 days later and sent to play with the Cubs’ Double-A affiliate, the Tennessee Smokies.

The day after arriving in Tennessee, Roquet saw 12/3 innings of action June 8 in his first game with the Smokies. He allowed one hit, an earned run, two walks and struck out three.

Roquet threw again June 10, appearing for

11/3 innings and allowing two earned runs off two hits, a walk and two strike outs.

Through Thursday, Roquet has played in 24 games this season and holds a 1.32 ERA (five earned runs in 34 innings). He has given up 25 hits, 15 walks and struck out 43.

Roquet chose to join the Cubs organization May 29, 2006, a mere 24 hours after the completion of his senior season at Cal Poly. He took advantage of a major league rule that allows fifth-year college players to sign with pro teams prior to the draft.

After signing, he played all last summer for the Cubs’ short-season, Class-A affiliate the Boise Hawks.

—Erick Smith, The Tribune
Posted on Sun, Jun. 17, 2007

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Peoria Sends Two to All-Star Game

Peoria, IL - The 2007 Midwest League All-Star rosters have been announced for the June 19th All-Star Game at Elfstrom Stadium in Geneva, IL home of the Kane County Cougars. The Peoria Chiefs will be represented by pitchers Jake Renshaw and Alex Maestri on the Western Division roster. Closer Rocky Roquet was also selected but has since been promoted to the Florida State League.

Renshaw has stepped into the number one spot in the Chiefs rotation after joining the team in early April. He is 5-2 in nine starts this year with a 3.83 ERA to go along with 43 strike outs and 17 walks. He has limited opposing batters to a .228 average against him. The 21 year old California native won his first three decisions and is 3-1 against the Western Division. He beat first place Beloit in his last start on Saturday allowing four runs on six hits over 5 2/3 innings.

Maestri, has split time between the starting rotation and the bullpen this season due to injuries on the Chiefs staff. In 14 appearances this season, four of which were starts, Maestri has posted a 3-3 record with a 4.08 ERA. He has struck out 25 and walked just five batters in 35 1/3 innings pitched. Voted to the team as a reliever, Maestri is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA and two saves in 10 games out of the bullpen. After making three starts, the Italian native returned to the bullpen this weekend.

Roquet converted all 11 of his save chances in 2007 before being promoted to High-A Daytona on May 27th. Roquet allowed just one earned run in 25 innings of work in 2007 to give him an ERA of 0.36. He recorded 29 strikeouts and allowed just 11 walks in 25 innings. Rocky also had a scoreless streak of 21 2/3 innings broken on May 21st in a game against Lansing. Since being promoted, Roquet has gone 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three appearances while with Daytona.

The Midwest League All-Star Team is chosen by a vote of league managers. To even the teams, Wisconsin will play with the East squad this season. Among those who could get the call as a replacement if a selected player is injured or promoted are 3B Josh Lansford (.290 Avg, 9 2b, 26 RBI), 1B Russ Canzler (.262 Avg, 4 HR, 8 2b, 21 RBI), C Wellington Castillo (.257 Avg, 4 HR, 19 RBI) and OF Alfred Joseph (.257 Avg, 5 2b, 18 RBI, 30 Runs, 9 SB).

The Clinton Lumberkings have the most players on the West roster with eight players, including three starters. Quad Cities, Beloit and Cedar Rapids, each have six players while Kane County has four and Burlington two.

Pitchers Promoted (Updated)

Several pitchers received promotions throughout the Cubs’ farm system over the weekend.

With RHP Federico Baez going to the disabled list at Triple-A Iowa, Paul Schappert was promoted to Iowa from Double-A Tennessee on Saturday.

The left-hander was 2-1 with a 6.23 ERA in 30 1/3 innings with Tennessee. He made his Triple-A debut on Saturday, tossing one scoreless inning.

The 25-year-old Schappert signed as a non-drafted free agent from Southwest Texas State University in 2004.

Sunday, Iowa added another pitcher to its bullpen when RHP Jim Henderson was promoted to Triple-A. Henderson made 18 appearances in relief at Tennessee and was 3-1 with a 0.75 ERA in 24 innings.

The Cubs acquired the 24-year-old Henderson from Washington in the minor league phase of the Rule Five Draft last December.

To accomodate the moves, Matt Avery was promoted to Tennessee from Class High-A Daytona. In 19 appearances, the right-hander was 1-1 with a 1.61 ERA in 22 1/3 innings. He was 7-for-9 in save chances.

The 23-year-old Avery was the Cubs’ ninth-round selection in the 2005 draft from the University of Virginia.

Also promoted to Tennessee was RHP Grant Johnson. The 24-year-old was 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in 16 relief appearances at Daytona.

Meanwhile, two were promoted to Daytona from Class-A Peoria Sunday: LHP Chris Shaver and RHP Rocky Roquet.

The 25-year-old Shaver made three starts for Peoria after beginning the year in Extended Spring Training following minor off-season surgery on his left elbow to remove bone spurs. He allowed three runs (two earned) in 13 2/3 innings with Peoria for a 1.32 ERA.

In 19 appearances with the Chiefs, the 24-year-old Roquet boasted a 0.36 ERA in 25 innings. He was 11-for-11 in save chances and did not allow a run in his first 16 appearances with the team this season.

To coincide with the moves, RHP Miguel Cuevas-Novas was added to the Peoria roster. Cuevas-Novas, listed at 6-foot-9, 265 pounds, made his professional debut with the Mesa Cubs of the Arizona Rookie League a season ago and allowed six earned runs in 17 innings for a 3.18 ERA.

Q&A with Rocky Roquet

Right-hander Rocky Roquet was a fifth-year senior from Cal-Poly that was signed as a non-drafted free agent last summer. At 24 years old to begin 2007, Roquet is benefiting from his age and experience in the Class-A Midwest League with Peoria. In his first 15 appearances with the Chiefs, he has nine saves and has yet to allow a run in a span of 18 2/3 innings.

Roquet went to Class Low-A Boise for the start of his professional career last summer and would finish with a 5.49 ERA in 19 appearances with the team. He struck out 31 batters and walked five in 19 2/3 innings.

This season, Roquet has been used in the closer’s role with Peoria, where he is a perfect nine of nine in saves opportunities and has 23 strikeouts.

* * *

Coming up from the short-season league, what were your goals heading into the season?

My goals were to try and get off to a good start like everyone else. Doing that is a lot easier battling-wise. I wanted to get off to a good start and just get my team some wins saving some games.

Did you expect to be closing games this year?

I was a closer in college and I was in that role in Boise. But in the Instructional League last fall, I was just trying to get innings in and I thought maybe I’d be a middle reliever just to get my work in this year. [Instead] I find myself in that role (closer) again. I like it and I like coming in and trying to get that W for the starter. I think I have the mindset for it. I take it like it’s a regular inning and just try to get three outs.

Are you still in the mid to upper 90s with your fastball?

Yeah, although recently I’ve been trying to work around 90 to 91 (mph) just to get ahead of hitters. But when I get a guy 0-2 or someone is on top of my fastball, I’ll try to throw it harder. I am trying to be more of a pitcher than a thrower, which I was last year. It’s been good. I’ve tried to get ahead of hitters and not strike everyone out. If I find myself ahead in the count, I will go for the strikeout. The problem last year was I tried to go for the strikeout in 0-1 and 0-0 counts.

Can you remind everyone of your repertoire?

Basically, it’s fastball-slider right now. I throw a changeup and have thrown it in games this year. To lefties, I’ve been going backdoor slider and that’s helped me with not throwing a changeup as much to left-handers.

How much attention do you pay to things such as scoreless inning streaks and for that matter, promotions?

Not much. I really like this team and I have a lot of friends here. Playing for Ryne Sandberg and playing at this stadium, I’m having a really good time. If the time comes for a promotion, so be it. For now, I’m just enjoying myself.

How much work does Sandberg put in with the pitchers versus how much is left up to your pitching coach, David Rosario?

He leaves most of it up to our pitching coach. The cool thing about Ryne Sandberg is that we’ll come out early before the hitters and do our stretching, running, and then throw our distances, flat-ground’s or side sessions, and he’ll be there watching. It’s not like he’s just a hitter. He might not have much to say, or he might have one thing that will really help, but either way he’ll put in as much effort as he wants you to put in so he leads by example. He was obviously one of the best hitters so he’ll tell you what a hitter is thinking in certain situations and so forth.

Do you feel any pressure given your age?

It’s in the back of my mind, just because I am one of the older guys on the team. But there’s nothing I can really do about it. My arm is still young and in good shape. I feel I worked hard in the off-season to keep it that way, and I look forward to pitching some more here and getting the job done.

Roquet Ready To Dominate

Cubs pitching prospect Rocky Roquet can throw hard – really hard, in fact. His exact velocity occasionally varies from night to night, but with an effective fastball-slider combination last season in the Northwest League, Roquet fanned 31 and walked only five in 19 2/3 innings.

The only thing missing from Roquet’s stint at Class Low-A Boise a season ago was a lower ERA. The right-hander finished with a 5.49 clip that is ever untelling of his true potential given how small a sample size he received.

Along with third baseman Josh Lansford and catcher Matt Canepa, Roquet was one of three players to join the Cubs from California Polytechnic University (Cal-Poly) last season. He was signed as a non-drafted fifth-year senior and appeared in 19 games for the Hawks, finishing 16 of those contests and notching three saves.

In his final year of college ball with the Mustangs, Roquet racked up 10 saves and boasted a 2.36 ERA. He appeared in 24 games and averaged more than one strikeout per inning with 41 K’s in 34 1/3 innings pitched.

Roquet was the Mustangs’ go-to guy in the ninth inning and Canepa, his teammate at both Cal-Poly and Boise, describes him as “fearless.”

“He’s the type of guy that’s going to come after you,” said Canepa, the Cubs’ 15th-round pick a year ago. “He’s the type of guy that you definitely want on the mound in the ninth inning. He’s got it together and he’s composed. He’s got one heck of a fastball and isn’t afraid to use it.”

Just how fast is Roquet’s fastball? That all depends on the time and place.

Last season at Boise, Roquet topped out at 97 mph and was consistently in the 92-94 range. Two years ago as a junior in college, he was 88-92.

With the Hawks, Roquet worked primarily with a fastball-slider combination, but he had toiled with a changeup all throughout college. Beginning with his work in the Cubs’ annual Instructional League camp in Arizona last fall, he began to shift his efforts toward the development of the off-speed pitch.

This spring, Roquet now finds himself focusing on all three of his pitches. In addition to the work on his changeup, he wants to keep his fastball down in the zone and is striving to add depth to his slider for better movement.

Moreover, Roquet is still getting accustomed to pitching from the windup. Up until Instructs last year, he worked solely from the stretch.

“It’s a little different mechanics-wise, making sure that your back leg is inside yourself and that you’re not opening up too quickly,” Roquet explained. “Mechanically, producing the same windup every time is a big thing for me. If it’s not the same, the pitches are going to be different.”

Roquet enters 2007 ranked as the Cubs’ 26th best prospect by Baseball America, but he hasn’t always been on the mound. Roquet started his college career at Florida State as an outfielder, then made stops at two junior colleges before eventually moving on to Cal-Poly.

In an effort to ease the transition from college to pro ball, the Cubs decided to leave Roquet in late-inning, save-type situations a year ago. He tossed more than one inning only twice and was used exclusively in the eighth and ninth innings.

But in light of moving into the windup and the continued development of a third pitch, Roquet says he expects to increase his work load in 2007.

Considering that he is already 24 and thus exceeded the average age of Northwest League players a year ago, there could exist some added pressure on the California native to develop quicker than most players who made their professional debuts with the Cubs last season.

Roquet is fine with that and takes it in stride.

“I don’t really dwell on it much, because my arm is young and I’ve never had any arm problems,” he said. “I’ve only been pitching for three or four years and the Cubs know that. Each day, I’m getting better. I’m just glad I got the opportunity as a fifth-year senior to come out and prove myself.”