Cubs Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year - 2024

Yesterday, we named Anderson Suriel the North Side Baseball Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year. Today, we will discuss the pitchers in the two Cubs Complex Leagues, the Arizona Complex League (ACL) and the Dominican Summer League (DSL). 

The Cubs season definitely did not end the way fans had hoped, but in the off-season hope springs eternal. Finding young diamonds in the rough of short season minor league pitching should peak everyone’s interest and keep the cold-stove burning. 

The North Side Baseball minor league writers and video providers were asked to vote on these awards. Before getting into the top four, some others received votes.

Others Receiving Votes

• RHP Emilio Ramos, 18, DSL Cubs Red: 12 G, 11 GS, 1.78 ERA, 3.31 WHIP, 35.1 IP, 26 H, 20 BB, 36 K

• RHP Lisandro Almonte, 22, ACL Cubs: 9 G, 0 GS, 1.84 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 5 H, 5 BB, 18 K

• RHP Emannoel Madeira, 18, DSL Cubs Red: 13 G, 11 GS, 3.35 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 37.2 IP, 38 H, 14 BB, 34 K

• RHP Fred Fajardo, 19, DSL Cubs Blue: 15 G, 0 GS, 3.09 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 23.1 IP, 16 H, 11 BB, 36 K

Short Season Relief Pitcher of the Year
Here are the top three vote-getters for Cubs Short Season Pitcher of the Year. 

3. RHP Brad Deppermann, 28, ACL Cubs
10 G, 0 GS, 0.69 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 13 IP, 15 H, 2 BB, 16 K
It’s not often that a 28 year old in the Arizona Complex League gets labeled a top prospect, but Deppermann’s journey within the Cubs organization is a long investment that is just beginning to pay off. Deppermann was drafted in the 31st round of the 2014 amateur draft by the Cubs out of East Lake HS in Florida, but he elected to enter the University of North Florida instead. In 2019, the Cubs once again selected the 6’0’, 195 pound right-hander in the 7th round and Deppermann bounced between rookie ball and high-A levels for his first four years in the organization. 

2024 brought the rise that the club was waiting for, and after a solid start in the ACL, Deppermann found his way to South Bend for six outings, and finally Tennessee for three outings where he surrendered zero runs and continued to find strike outs (albeit with a higher walk rate than in the previous levels). At his age, Deppermann’s path to the majors needs to continue the fast-track version of 2024 if he is going to reach the Cubs bullpen.

2. RHP Ronny Lopez, 21, DSL Cubs Blue:
10 G, 4 GS, 1.78 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 25.1 IP, 11 H, 20 BB, 34 K
The 6’1”, 185 pound, Lopez signed with the Cubs organization as an international free agent out of Venezuela in 2023, and he has played with both Dominican Summer League squads in the past two seasons. Cubs fans should be delighted with the direction that the young man is headed, having dropped his ERA down from 5.75 in 2023 to a stellar 1.78 in 2024. Inside of this growth, is a move in 2024 from middle inning long relief to four-inning starts at the end of the season. Lopez’s strikeouts increased in this opener role, and he finished the season without surrendering a home run. Where he starts in 2025, and in what role, should give some indication to whether this new role was a sign of the situation the club faced or part of a longer vision for Lopez. 

1.  RHP Jostin Florentino, 19, DSL Cubs Red
10 G, 7 GS, 2.06 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 35 IP, 20 H, 10 BB, 40 K
With the Cubs bullpen showing signs of promise at the higher levels, the short-season crop of starting pitchers gives the big league team a deep well of prospects for development. No starter shines brighter than the 6’10”, 175 pound, righty Florentino. Signed in 2023 out of the Dominican Republic, Florentino spent all of his first season in 2023 rookie ball as a reliever. The move to starter in 2024 paid big dividends, as the young hurler lowered his ERA from 3.57 to 2.06, and his WHIP from 1.25 to 0.86 in the starting role. Florentino gave up no home runs, and only one double and one triple the entire season! His ability to keep these metrics going as he ascends the system’s ladder will determine his speed of climb, but at only 19, the Cubs have the ability to develop him without rushing things.

Hope definitely sprung up through the pitching performances in the Cubs complex leagues in 2024, with some key starters being groomed, live relief arms, and active coaching and development across all three squads. For 2024, Jostin Florentino earned and deserved our choice for North Side Baseball Cubs Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. 

Interested in learning more about the Chicago Cubs' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!