allen6510w

Boo! In retrospect, it might have made sense to wait for him to be ready to play in the field before activating him.

Yes, I wonder if the Cubs will consider moving the fence back at Iowa. In a hitter's league, the park effect is 117 for HRs. By comparison Knoxville's is 69. What a difficult transition for pitchers.

That's good to hear!

I'd guess the latter although his experience/polish is part of the reason. He will be 26 this summer but has many option years remaining (so no need to push). With Tyler Schaffer, Evan Aschenbeck, Brody McCullough, and Drew Gray are all opening the year on the DL, at least one pitcher from the Rojas, Knapp, Mule group has to play up.

Southisene is where he belongs (0.032 ISO). Of course, last year he started in the AFL and was moved up after one game. Mathis is a shock. Hopefully, the Cubs are just sending him a message.

Yes, with F. Cruz, A. Hernandez, and Y. Melendez injured, his main competition may have been Eriandys Ramon - who posted a 0.508 OPS in low-A last year. I see there are 7 IFs in high-A so there is a small chance one of the high-A infielders could get moved to low-A and one of the low-A infielders gets moved to XST when the final rosters come out later this week.

Riley Martin is also in the mix.

Will be fun to see how this plays out and whether players such as Cam Sisneros, Alex Madera, Jordan Nwogu, Derik Alcantara, Michael Carico, Jan Luis Reyes, and other carve out a spot this spring. Luis Ghisays & Chaily Ramirez are also likely to be starting pitchers in the DSL, assuming they aren't late adds to the ACL team. Kohl Franklin, L. Martinez-Gomez, Daniel Avitia, Hayden Franks, and I'm sure others are also options.

Thanks for the video. It appears that Leonel was added to the Domestic Roster about a week ago. Last year he spent a plurality of DSL games at 1B but also played SS and a little bit of 3B. He had a solid ISO last year and didn't strike out very often. Lanky and 6'2" - good to see that his swing looks good too. If he ends up at 1B this year, his competition could be sometimes catcher Ivan Cespedes and Josias Ramirez. With more prospects playing college ball, a shorter draft, and a tighter cap on the number of players on the Domestic Reserve List, I feel the competition level of the Rookie Leagues is at a low ebb. On the flip side, the weakness of the league will encourage teams to start players such as Josiah Hartshorn in low-A, another league that is also weaker than in the past.

Yes, the possibility that Martinez-Gomez could start this year was the most interesting part of his write-up. Maybe the following in high-A Or, maybe he'll follow the Koen Moreno path - i.e., 3 inning stints.

Some questions I'm pondering this morning: 1. Will Moises Ballesteros open the season behind the plate at Iowa or will he begin a career as a DH/1B// emergency C type in the majors? 2. Will Owen Ayers pick up where he left off in the AFL? 3. Will Michael Carico’s wrist and other injuries turn out to be career ending? 4. Is Jairo Diaz someone to watch or were his low-A numbers a SSS fluke? 5. Will Ariel Armas continue on track to be a defense-first backup C? 6. Will Ethan Conrad spend most of 2026 in the OF, at 1B, or at DH? 7. Will Josiah Hartshorn show up healthy and look more like a $2M signee than a 6th rounder? 8. Will powerless Kane Kepley continue to walk more than he strikes out against high-A and/or AA pitching? 9. Will Alexander Ramirez activate his 5:30 power and get enough playing time to threaten the Cubs minor league strikeout record? 10. Will Eli Lovich emerge as a prospect or continue to struggle against class A pitching? 11. Will Cole Mathis remain at 3B and re-gain his plus exit velocities? 12. Is Fernando Cruz a bust or will his bat come alive during his second crack at the ACL? 13. While Juan Tomas showed “you can walk off the island”*, will he become more aggressive stateside and show more than a major league glove? *if you have a great glove and signed for $$$. 14. Will Juan Cabada’s quick compact swing produce enough power for him to stay on track to make the majors as a bat-first second baseman? 15. Will Derniche Valdez remain in the infield, get regular playing time, and show that 2025 was just a nightmare?

According to Arizona Phil, Saul was released today.

Yes, that would certainly help with the roster crunch. and could move him into top 100 prospect status by year end if it works. Another less exciting option is to start Kade Snell there as he is a a year-and-a-half older. With the expected promotion of under-performing Juan Tomas to Mesa, it seems more likely that the Cubs will promote Fernando Cruz to low-A. and Yahil Melendez to 3B or SS.

It must be fun to watch youth baseball in the Dominican Republic. One pitcher, one centerfielder, 6 shortstops and presumably a first baseman. Seriously, it is kind of fun to sign so many prospects to 5 digit contracts. There may be some real competition for promotion. In the past few years, the top $ signs have been promoted to the state's despite dismal performances in their first DSL year (Fernando Cruz last year and apparently Juan Tomas this year). Obviously, tools are much more important than DSL stats but does it make sense to promote a play on tools alone. Not sure.

With minor league signings trickling in - lineup options abound -

Yes, at least one article referring to his signing references last summer. I read "remarkably" good curve and change (the wonders of translation). A downside: He averaged more walks than strike outs in the Cuban league.

Thanks. Looks like he'll turn 24 this spring. I imagine he'll be given an opportunity to make the low-A or high-A teams as a reliever.

I'm a bit surprised they didn't list Connor Noland somewhere in the 20 to 30 range -given his "best control award". I guess his "fringy", "well-below" average FB is not expected to play above AAA. I was surprised to see Pierce Coppola on the list, and BA believes Owen Ayers fall stats are real. I had Grant Kipp just outside of the top 30 - so not too surprised there. He had a good year in 2005 and a 92-95 mph FB isn't too shabby. I think it takes a while to warm up to guys who weren't drafted. Certainly a sleeper to many. Nick Dean is a guy who really outperformed his AA ERA last year. Perhaps he'll get a cup of coffee in the majors someday soon.

Fun list. Low-A and at 1B. Perhaps a consequence of the log jam of outfielders (Snell, Escobar, Kepley, Conrad, Espinoza, Lumpuy) who in an ideal world would begin 2026 in high-A. I was also a bit surprised that he continues to hold out hope for JP Wheat as a starter, believes Jerzembeck is healthy enough to start, and gives a second chance to Frank (well he is a lefty).

C/1B Jairo Diaz 5’10” 180 Lbs S/R (200407) [VZ-2021] In 2022, Jairo posted a 0.196/0.273/0.237 line in 108 DSL PA. He began 2023 in XST where he finished with a 0.245/0.356/0.306 line in 59 PA. In the ACL he posted a 0.263/0.371.0.386 line in 70 PA with a 14/10 K/W and 1 SB in 1 attempt as a 2nd string catcher behind Adan Sanchez. He threw out 13 of 42 basestealers. In 2024, Jairo returned to the ACL as a backup C and hit well before going on the 60-day DL on July 26; he finished with a 0.355/0.417/0.435 line in 72 PA with a 15/7 K/W; he threw out a solid 36% of base stealers (9 of 25). In 2025, Jairo returned to the ACL where he posted a 0.265/0.339/0.306 line in 112 ACL PA with a 24/10 K/W before getting promoted to low-A on July 3. In low-A he posted a 0.314/0.479/0.400 line (0.879 OPS) in 48 PA. Overall, he threw out 26 of 87 base stealers, 29.9%. I thought he put together a good season in 2025. Perhaps he is a poor handler of pitchers, perhaps the Cubs feel he is developing too slowly and will be a MiFA before he can help the Cubs, ...

Not that I'm aware of ... To play devil's advocate, Nico was 24 when signed and will still be under Houston's control for several years. At one point the Cubs were hoping to sign Jaims Martinez as part of the 2025 class. Assuming he is still unsigned, I doubt this is enough money to make that happen As Craig suggested a pitcher or two makes the most sense.

Thanks for your comments. Yes, Southisene in high-A makes a lot of sense and is fun. As you likely know, Escobar played more OF than 2B last year. Southisene had a solid K/W and should not be overwhelmed in high-A. Of course a 0.665 full-season OPS last year is underwhelming and could argue for a mid-season promotion. Melendez could end up starting 2026 as a high-A utility infielder if Fernando Cruz or Derniche Valdez surprise. Yes, with the current MiL roster, Bateman is likely to start in AAA.

Here is an early look at one possible placement of Cub minor leaguers in 2026. Position players. Clearly, several MiFA will need to be signed. If you would like to play this game, other options include C Jose Silva, OF Edward Vargas, OF Joan Delgado, IF Drew Bowser, CF Robin Ortiz Starting pitchers ( Tyler S. is eligible to be a MiFA but I assume he is re-signed here). Mason McGwire and Colton Book are other options.

Could happen. Assuming a typical 14 month recovery, he could pitch an inning or two during the last week of the 2026 AFL season.

Owen CaissieMoises BallesterosJefferson RojasJaxon WigginsEthan ConradJonathon LongKevin AlcantaraKane KepleyAngel CepedaJosiah HartshornWill SandersJames TriantosJuan CabadaCristian HernandezCole MathisBrandon BirdsellPedro RamirezJostin FlorentinoErian RodriguezNazier Mule 21. Tyler Schlaffer 22. Juan Tomas 23. Ty Southisene 24. Kaleb Wing 25. Connor Noland 26. Eli Lovich 27. Dominick Reid 28. Evan Aschenbeck 29. Yennri Rojas 30. Ariel Armas 31. Nick Dean