Dillon Maples was a highly thought of right-handed high school pitcher who was rated 46th among Baseball America's top 200 draft prospects in 2011. He had a strong committment to North Carolina and dropped to the 14th round where the Cubs picked him up. In order to get him to sign, the Cubs gave him $2.5 million signing bonus, which …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: CJ Edwards (UPDATE)
When the Cubs traded Matt Garza, most of the inches on the deal surrounded Mike Olt, who had been linked to the Cubs for quite some time. Olt was an intriguing prospect on the way down…but he's not the focus of this article. C.J. Edwards was the real gem of the deal. In 3 years, when people think of Olt …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Armando Rivero
It's hard to get excited about middle relief prospects. I know that I certainly poked my share of fun at the Rivero signing when it was made. He got $3.1 million, and Brett had this to say: While he may prove a valuable piece of the bullpen in future years, this is simply about accumulating talented pitching, and paying handsomely to …
2013 Cubs Prospects Review: Ben Wells
As you can see in the image at the right, Ben Wells is a big right-handed pitcher. The Cubs drafted Wells in the 7th round in the 2010 Draft. Wells stands 6-3 and weighs 220 pounds. Wells was more highly thought of that your typical 7th rounder and signed for $530,000, which was the equivalent of late 2nd round money …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Shawon Dunston, Jr.
Shawon Dunston, Jr. came to the Cubs as part of the 2011 draft spending spree, shelling out $1.275 million to pry the 11th round legacy pick away from a commitment to Vanderbilt University. Scouting reports at the time universally praised his athleticism as an outfielder but were also fairly unanimous that he was quite raw, and the fact that the …
2013 Cubs Prospects Review: Marco Hernandez
Marco Hernandez is 6-0, 170 pounds. He was born September 6, 1992 in the Dominican Republic and currently plays shortstop. The right-hander bats has been known for his defense and is a switch hitter. The Cubs signed Hernandez during the July 2009 international signing period. He was signed on July 17th and was not included in Baseball America's Top 25 …
2013 Cubs Prospects In Review: Tyler Alamo
Tyler Alamo came to the Cubs organization as the 24th round pick in this year's amateur draft. A strong, big-bodied catcher out of a Cypress, California high school, Alamo was ranked as the 348th best prospect in the draft according to the BA 500, and was expected to be a tough sign, or at least an overslot pick. Alamo apparently …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Yoanner Negrin
Yoanner Negrin is sort of an enigmatic fellow. He signed with the Cubs in 2011, when he was 27 YEARS OLD. He wasn't exactly a premium prospect; I can't find any information on what he signed for. The expectation at the time of the signing was the he preferred relieving, but his arsenal of pitches were such that it made …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Corey Black
The 5-11, 175 pound righty was acquired from the Yankees in the Alfonso Soriano trade on July 26th. Corey Black was selected in the 4th round in the 2012 Draft our of Faulkner University. He was born on on August 4, 1991. Player ages in baseball are the age of the player before August 1st so this is technically Black's …
2013 Cubs Prospects in Review: Willson Contreras
Willson Contreras is only 21, but has been in the Cubs' organization for 5 years. An unheralded IFA from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, Contreras spent two years in the Dominican Summer League before making his stateside debut in Boise 2 years ago. In the 5 years he's played for Cubs affiliates, he's done yeoman's work, playing adequate defense with mediocre offensive …