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player ready...The Cubs signed first-round draft pick Brooks Kieschnick on Thursday. Terms were not announced, but the pitcher-outfielder from the University of Texas is believed to have received a signing bonus of $650,000.
He will report next week to the Cubs’ Rookie League club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. General Manager Larry Himes said the plan for the rest of the season is to give Kieschnick a taste of Class-A ball at Daytona and Double-A at Orlando.
“We did that with Frank Thomas, too,” Himes said of a former top pick when he was with the White Sox.
Kieschnick, 16-4 as a pitcher at Texas this season, hit .374 with 19 homers and 81 runs batted in and said Thursday his pitching days probably are over. Does he care where in the outfield he plays?
“I’m not going to choose,” said Kieschnick, who worked out with the club before Thursday night’s game. “They can choose, put me there and say, `Hey, let’s go.’ “
He follows this act: At midweek, here’s how the Cubs’ last four first-round draft picks were doing: 1992-Derek Wallace, 2-4, 4.97, 29 strikeouts in 41 innings at Double-A Orlando, combined with 5-6, 4.20 at Class-A Daytona; 1991-Doug Glanville, .245 with one homer and seven steals at Orlando after hitting .293 with two homers at Daytona (where he was 18 for 33 stealing); 1990-Lance Dickson, back on the disabled list since July 5 with shoulder problems after going a combined 3-6 at three levels; 1989-Earl Cunningham, .196 with two homers and 14 strikeouts in 51 at-bats at Class-A Peoria.
Feeling better: Kevin Roberson, decked Wednesday by the flu symptoms that earlier hit Eric Yelding, was back in the lineup Thursday and homered in the fourth.
Not so good: The Cubs started the night having outscored opponents 39-18 in the seven games since the All-Star break. But Mark Grace was looking for his first postbreak RBI.