Minor League Musings

[craig]

$55

[allen6510w]

 

... from Baseball America (Josh Norris)'s write-up on the DSL all star-game.  I must admit I'm stunned that the Cubs released him before giving him a shot on the mound. 

Breyner Figuereo signed with the Cubs in 2025 as an outfielder but was released after the season. The Rangers scooped him up and converted him to the mound, where he’s flourished. The lefty works with two pitches—a four-seamer that sits at 96 mph and has topped at 99 mph, and a slider in the mid 80s that has been poison on opposing hitters. Figuereo’s breaking ball has garnered a miss rate north of 61%, which helps mask the fact that he needs to throw his heater for strikes a bit more often. The lefthander got hit a little bit in the early going, but overall he’s punched out 22 hitters in 10.1 innings. If you’re counting, that means that all but nine of Figuereo’s outs this season have come on strikes. Five of the eight walks he’s allowed came in one outing. Otherwise, he’s struck out 19 and walked just three over his remaining nine innings.

 

 

[allen6510w]

Also, as some of you are aware, the Cubs released RF/CF Joan Delgado earlier this week.   When signed he was 5’11” 165 Lbs R/R (Birth date 200412) [2022-VZ] In 2022, he posted a 0.250/0.327/0.398 line in 94 DSL PA.  In 2023, Joan returned to the DSL where he moved from 3B to OF and  showed increased power finishing with a 0.274/0.337/0.465 line in 168 PA with 9 SB in 12 attempts and a 57/11 K/W; he made the DSL all-star team.  Joan opened 2024 in the ACL where he posted a 0.281/0.364/0.538 line (0.902 OPS) in 187 PA with 16 SB in 18 attempts and an alarming 65/19 K/W.  Joan began April 2025 in Mesa’s rehab group.  After returning he posted a disappointing 0.194/0.284/0.320 line (0.604 OPS) in 116 PA with a 43/10 K/W.  In 2026, Joan returned to the ACL yet again and posted a solid  0.311/0.394/0.647 line in 137 PA, a 50//14 K/W, & 11 SB in 12 attempts before getting released on July 16^th possibly to make room for 2026 signees.  As this was Joan’s 5^th year in the Cubs organization he would have been eligible to be a MiFA at the end of 2027.   So it made sense to release him, but I’m sure it was hard for him to take given how well he played this year (ignoring the K column).  The clock can be brutal for International signees.