Chicago Cubs: Checking in on last season’s Rule 5 draft additions

Chicago Cubs: Rafelin Lorenzo, C, South Bend Cubs

The Tampa Bay Rays originally signed Rafelin Lorenzo in 2013 as an international free agent out of the Dominican Republic when Lorenzo was just 17 years old. After spending four seasons in the Rays minor league system, Lorenzo became Rule-5 eligible in 2017.

He was picked up by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a second-round Rule 5 pick, where he spent two seasons, both of which were pretty good. After never hitting above .250 in his professional baseball career, Lorenzo slashed .308/.333/.538 at Rookie ball his first year with the Pirates organization and followed it up the next season at Class-A by slashing .307/.315/.455.

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At the Rule 5 draft last season, Lorenzo was once again Rule 5 eligible, and the Cubs nabbed him. So far this season while at Class-A South Bend, Lorenzo is slashing a modest .263/.295/.404 with a .321 wOBA and 99 wRC+. He has three home runs and 12 RBI.

The Cubs have a deep catching depth between all levels, and it remains to be seen if and how Lorenzo ultimately fits into their plans. Over the previous two years, Lorenzo has managed to cut his strikeout rate down substantially while seeing an uptick in his walk rate.

Over his past ten games with South Bend, Lorenzo is slashing .258/.361/.323 with a couple of extra-base hits and an RBI. However, Lorenzo has managed to work his way to an impressive 13.9% walk rate and an above league average 106 wRC+.

From everything I have seen on Lorenzo, he displays a good amount of power and gives off a Carlos Santana type vibe and approach. Still just 22 years old, he does have time to build his production up and if all goes well could see the majors 2021-22.

Chicago Cubs: Alexander Vargas, RHP, Tennessee Smokies

As another international free agent, Alexander Vargas was signed by the New York Yankees back in 2013, when he was 16 years old. Vargas spent his first four seasons in the Yankees organization before the Cubs selected him in the third round of the Rule 5 draft.

Vargas’ career has been a mixed bag to this point. His first season went great as he finished with a 2.08 ERA in the Rookie league. In 2017 while pitching for New York’s Class-A Short Season team, Vargas made four starts and posted an impressive 1.88 ERA.

Last season, Vargas reached Double-A for the Yankees before he was swept up by the Cubs. Unfortunately for Vargas things have not gone as well as he or Chicago had hoped through his first season. Vargas has mostly pitched at Myrtle Beach, although he did make one start at Tennessee.

Through his first 13 appearances and eight starts for the Pelicans, Vargas is carrying a 4.58 ERA. One positive for him is his 3.78 FIP, and hopefully, it is something he can continue to build on, as well as the other parts of his game. Vargas’ single start for the Smokies went as well as anyone could have probably predicted. He gave up four earned runs across his five innings with zero strikeouts and three walks.

In his last two starts back at Myrtle Beach, Vargas has pitched 11 1/3 innings, giving up ten earned runs and striking out only four batters. He has managed to keep his walks at bay with just one per start. Thankfully, the Cubs have a plethora of young arms who continue to produce so Vargas will need to improve exponentially in order to receive his shot moving forward.

Chicago Cubs: Luis Lugo, LHP, Tennessee Smokies

Similar to Vargas, Luis Lugo began his career in the Cubs’ organization at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach. Dissimilar to Vargas however, Lugo has managed to pitch well enough to earn a promotion to Double-A Tennessee where he has made six starts for the Smokies.

Lugo is a bit older at 25 years old and was initially picked up by the Cleveland Indians in 2011. While in Cleveland, Lugo had a few impressive seasons with his best season coming in 2013 for the Class-A Short Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers, where he posted a 1.97 ERA across 11 starts.

Last season, Lugo signed a minor league contract with the Kansas City Royals. He made eight appearances and four starts for the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals. Lugo finished with a 4.18 ERA, and unfortunately gave up a ton of home runs.

Since coming to the Cubs organization, it has been smooth sailing for Lugo. In seven starts for Myrtle Beach, Lugo pitched to a 3.80 ERA and was able to cut down his home run rate. After being called up to Tennessee, Lugo has managed a 3.09 ERA through six starts. His walk rate, FIP, and xFIP are all up yet that is to be expected with the increase in competition.

In his previous three games which include two starts, Lugo has thrown 12 2/3 innings, allowing a mere two earned runs and only one home run. He also has 12 strikeouts through that span and only four walks. Lugo possesses a high knee kick to generate power and shows quality deception in his delivery. While he probably will never morph into a consistent starter for the Cubs, it does not mean he couldn’t find success in his future out of the bullpen.