The Chicago Cubs have agreed to terms on a minor league deal with RHP Jake Buchanan according to Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle.
Buchanan, 26, split time between the big league level and AAA Fresno last season for the Astros, In the big league level he appeared in only five games posting an ERA of 2 in 9 innings pitched, but he walked four and only struck out five. In AAA he posted an ERA of 4.76 in 81.1 innings pitched. He gave up 101 hits while striking out only 46 and walking 22.
His only significant big league action came in 2014 for the Astros were he appeared in 17 big league games (2 starts) pitching 35.1 innings with a 4.58 ERA (3.73 xFIP). Like 2015 he struck out a low amount of batters at 5.1 per 9, primarily focusing on getting ground balls at a 59.8% rate.
According to Brooks Baseball, Buchanan's repertoire consists of a sinker, slider, curveball, and change up. His sinker has averaged 88.7 MPH, while his slider averages 82.4 MPH and he can drop in a slow curve at 76.6 MPH.
Buchanan will most likely provide organizational depth at AAA for the Cubs. The might try to develop him into a swing man out of the 'pen like they did with Travis Wood and Clayton Richard in 2015 and Carlos Villanueva in 2013 and '14.
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Cubs finish Arizona season with 10-0 win over Rockies
You know it is going to be a good day for the Cubs offense when even Jon Lester is able to contribute to the offense. He hit a two-run homer to the opposite field to increase their lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning. Kyle Schwarber followed him up with a blast to put them up 5-0.
Lester was able to cruise through this one going five strong giving up a hit and a walk while striking out 10. He turned it over to Adam Warren who gave up two hits and struck out one in two innings of work, Warren was followed by Clayton Richard who gave up two hits and a walk with a strikeout over his two innings of work to close out the ballgame.
The Cubs got off to an early start offensively as David Ross hit a two-run double in the second inning that plated two and a seven run fourth inning allowed the Cubs to cruise to a 10-0 victory.
David Ross was the star offensively going 3-3 with three doubles and four runs driven in. Aside from Matt Szczur every starter got a hit but Szczur did drive in a run and drew a walk. Jorge Soler ended the Cactus League season on a good note going 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
Lester was able to cruise through this one going five strong giving up a hit and a walk while striking out 10. He turned it over to Adam Warren who gave up two hits and struck out one in two innings of work, Warren was followed by Clayton Richard who gave up two hits and a walk with a strikeout over his two innings of work to close out the ballgame.
The Cubs got off to an early start offensively as David Ross hit a two-run double in the second inning that plated two and a seven run fourth inning allowed the Cubs to cruise to a 10-0 victory.
David Ross was the star offensively going 3-3 with three doubles and four runs driven in. Aside from Matt Szczur every starter got a hit but Szczur did drive in a run and drew a walk. Jorge Soler ended the Cactus League season on a good note going 2-4 with 2 RBIs.
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
The Cubs final 25-man roster and thoughts
Earlier today the Cubs revealed their final 25-man roster and included in it were Matt Szczur, Tommy La Stella, and Neil Ramirez along with the moves was the announcement that Javier Baez would start the season on the 15-day disabled list with a thumb contusion.
The battle for the final roster spot seemed to be between La Stella/Szczur but the injury to Baez opened the door for them to both made the roster. Szczur probably had the upper hand anyway due to the fact that he was out of options, but both had been injured early on in the Spring and had recently returned to game action. Both have had good spring with Szczur going 7-16 with a pair of home runs and La Stella hitting 5-16 with a walk. Although the best option would be to have Baez healthy and having to choose between La Stella and Szczur. Both of them should be able to make an impact off the bench and give the Cubs extra flexibility.
Neil Ramirez had a lights out season in 2014 but seemed to be relying on a bit of luck to get through it with a 3.48 xFIP compared to his 1.44 ERA and a LOB% a well above average 82%. In 2015 he was on and off the disabled list with shoulder and abdominal issues and was limited to just 19 appearances. He pitched well in those games with a 3.21 ERA (4.04 xFIP) but it wasn't enough to guarantee him a roster spot for 2016. He hasn't pitched particularly well in Spring Training with a 12.60 ERA in 5 innings giving up 7 earned runs and striking out only four while walking one.
Overall I think this is the best roster the Cubs could come up with the Baez injury. They have a player that can play every outfield position in Szczur and who can play two infield positions in La Stella. I think Szczur was going to be on the roster no matter what because the Cubs didn't want to risk losing him early on to a team like the Phillies who are looking for outfielders. Ramirez has been battling a velocity drop only throwing in the early 90s this spring and not generating as many strikeouts as he did a few years ago so the Cubs will get an extended look at him early on in the year, but will have to decide on his future with the organization early on. I think he still has a ton of potential to be a top notch reliever in the NL but he will have to earn the playing time out of the 'pen.
The battle for the final roster spot seemed to be between La Stella/Szczur but the injury to Baez opened the door for them to both made the roster. Szczur probably had the upper hand anyway due to the fact that he was out of options, but both had been injured early on in the Spring and had recently returned to game action. Both have had good spring with Szczur going 7-16 with a pair of home runs and La Stella hitting 5-16 with a walk. Although the best option would be to have Baez healthy and having to choose between La Stella and Szczur. Both of them should be able to make an impact off the bench and give the Cubs extra flexibility.
Neil Ramirez had a lights out season in 2014 but seemed to be relying on a bit of luck to get through it with a 3.48 xFIP compared to his 1.44 ERA and a LOB% a well above average 82%. In 2015 he was on and off the disabled list with shoulder and abdominal issues and was limited to just 19 appearances. He pitched well in those games with a 3.21 ERA (4.04 xFIP) but it wasn't enough to guarantee him a roster spot for 2016. He hasn't pitched particularly well in Spring Training with a 12.60 ERA in 5 innings giving up 7 earned runs and striking out only four while walking one.
Overall I think this is the best roster the Cubs could come up with the Baez injury. They have a player that can play every outfield position in Szczur and who can play two infield positions in La Stella. I think Szczur was going to be on the roster no matter what because the Cubs didn't want to risk losing him early on to a team like the Phillies who are looking for outfielders. Ramirez has been battling a velocity drop only throwing in the early 90s this spring and not generating as many strikeouts as he did a few years ago so the Cubs will get an extended look at him early on in the year, but will have to decide on his future with the organization early on. I think he still has a ton of potential to be a top notch reliever in the NL but he will have to earn the playing time out of the 'pen.
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