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 16th possibly to make room for 2026 signees. As this was Joan’s 5th 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.

... 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.

Even after adjusting for age, you could make a pretty good case that Poteet is putting together the 4th or 5th best offensive season of any Cub minor leaguer this year. He has too much swing-and-miss in his profile to make prospect lists but ...

Brody's first game in 26 months but despite that has remained in Baseball America's pre-season top 30: 2024 BA-29, 2025 Cubs BA-16, 2026 CubsBA-28. Hopefully, only a minor set back for Eli -- but his healthy stretches seem few and far between. Hopefully, he can still tie his shoes when he's 30. Yes, Escobar doesn't seem to have the power to man LF - we'll see.

In addition, Oropezsa is 6'2", has started every game, is age-appropriate, has more walks than Ks, and is a RF with no games in LF yet- all encouraging.

I also think he needs to perform better to be on track to be a ML starter. He's is a C+ type of prospect to me right now with B- the cutoff to be a ML starter. Obviously, if he duplicates his high-A numbers in AA later this year - he is on track (to me).

A sign of hope? For perhaps the first time in his 5 year minor league career, Kenyi Pérez is walking (slightly) less than one hitter per inning.

Roommates moving up together - wow. Certainly it is time to promote Kepley. However, if that occurs, it'll be interesting to see if they also promote one of the AA outfielders to AAA - as much of the surprising success of Knoxville's offense this year is due to their outfielders.

I wonder if we should take another look at toolsy Alex Ramírez. While nowhere near the top 20 today, he could be in the discussion in a few months. Formerly, a top 10 prospect with the Mets, earlier this month he quit walking and began heating up in AA

I noticed that the ACL Cubs have added Luis Ghisays and Chaily Ramirez to their rosters. Both showed good control last year and seemed obvious choices for promotion given their control and age. Perhaps they had visa issues, perhaps their stuff is meh or worse, or perhaps ... 1RHSP Luis Ghisays 5’11” 188 Lbs (200604) [2024-CO] In 2024, Luis posted a 32/19 K/W in 35.1 DSL IP with a 0.246 BAA. In 2025, Luis returned to the DSL and posted a 51/16 K/W in 49 IP with a 0.218 BAA (1.19 in 2025). In 2026, Luis was added to the ACL roster on May 12th. 2. RHSwing Chaily Ramirez 6’3” 190 Lbs (200501) [2025-DR] In 2025, Chaily posted a solid 39/9 K/W in 32.1 DSL IP with a 0.268 BAA and 2 HRA. In 2026, Chaily was added to the ACL roster on May 12th.

Pedro RamirezJosiah HartshornJefferson RojasJaxon WigginsKevin AlcantaraEthan ConradOwen AyersJames TriantosBrooks CapleKaleb WingCole MathisDominick ReidKane KepleyJuan CabadaTy SouthiseneJonathon LongJuan TomasGrant KippWill SandersBrandon Birdsell Looking forward to the debuts of Johan Geraldo and Jaims Martinez. Brett Bateman, B.J. Murray, and Jose Escobar are also off to good starts. Marino Santy, Jackson Kirkpatrick (when he throws strikes) and Mason McGwire are catching eyes while Nick Dean and Dawson Netz continue to perform well under the radar.

Would be Jackson Brockett's first professional start. https://huskers.com/news/2024/05/2/jackson-brockett-throws-6th-no-hitter-in-nebraska-baseball-history

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.