Chicago Cubs: Difficult decisions with impending minor league free agency
The minor league season is nearing its end and with that comes a decision the Chicago Cubs need to make regarding pending minor league free agents.
As Chicago Cubs fans are well aware, free agency is always a wild experience for both baseball clubs and fans alike. While there will be shifting stars from one jersey to another on the major league side of the coin, minor league free agents can garner just as much interest.
From reports over at The Cub Reporter, the club is scheduled to see a whopping 19 minor league players hit free agency. Of course, the Cubs cannot keep everyone, which is why the decision becomes that much more critical surrounding the current stock.
Naturally, there is no point in diving into each of the 19 players individually. Instead, we will be looking into those candidates most likely to find themselves still in the organization following the cutoff point and what their specific value holds in the future.
Chicago Cubs: Jhonny Pereda, C
The first guy on this list is someone I covered this past spring. You can read about his future potential here. While the Cubs are seemingly set at catcher for the next several years, Jhonny Pereda remains as one prospect who the team should make sure to keep at all costs.
Pereda is still only 23 years old and has found success over the past two seasons in the organization. As a late addition in the 2012-13 international draft class, Pereda has worked studiously from rookie ball to Double-A over the past seven seasons.
His 2018 campaign was the best of Pereda’s professional career thus far. Last season, he slashed a strong .272/.347/.363 with eight home runs and 57 RBI. His wOBA and wRC+ saw an exponential rise to .333 and 104 respectively, and Pereda continued his management of the strike zone quite well.
This season has been a bit down, however still decent enough. In 96 games for Tennessee, Pereda carries a .243/.338/.306 slash line with a .304 wOBA and barely below-average 92 wRC+. Positives of his game have included his ability to work more walks, seeing his walk rate rise from 10.3 percent last season to 12.3 percent in 2019. Also, Pereda is still managing to keep his strikeouts down, sitting at a respectable 14.1percent K-rate.
In terms of his fielding, that has also gotten stronger. In 734 2/3 innings behind the dish, Pereda has made just three errors and has managed to throw out 48.8 percent of would-be baserunners on steal attempts.
The 23-year-old has seen time at first base, managing it well, having committed one error in 46 innings. It is apparent Pereda still needs more time to progress, but the Cubs would be smart to keep him in the pipeline for the foreseeable future.
Chicago Cubs: Enrique De Los Rios, P
Another fascinating name in the pipeline, Enrique De Los Rios does not find himself in the organizational top 30, yet that is just fine. De Los Rios has also been with the Cubs since 2012. His first season in the organization saw him post a 2.08 ERA across nine starts and 43 1/3 innings.
Since then, De Los Rios has seen many ups and downs. Since 2016, however, the 24-year-old has found his mojo in a big way. Each subsequent season has been stronger for De Los Rios, and that has culminated in an unbelievable 2019 campaign.
Moving into more of a relief type role, De Los Rios has managed a 2.03 ERA for Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach over 40 innings, which includes two starts. While he has never been a blow-you-away type arm, De Los Rios has seen his strikeouts increase from Class-A South Bend earlier in the year.
He managed to post a 2.45 ERA in August with 12 strikeouts over 18 1/3 innings, limiting his total walks to just two. While nobody knows that his future holds, De Los Rios is someone the Cubs should strongly consider keeping around. It is essential to see what they have in the right-hander and if he can potentially fit as a bullpen piece down the road.
Chicago Cubs: Phillip Evans, 2B/3B
This last one on the list could come as a surprise with many people. The Cubs signed Phillip Evans to a minor league deal before this season, and while he is 26 years old and it is difficult to see a spot for him with the big league club in the future, Evans should be someone the team keeps around.
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The reality is that Evans has barely sniffed the Show. In 32 games, Evans is a career .241/.328/.278 hitter with a below-average wRC+. With that said, the stocky infielder has found success in Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs in 2019.
In 128 games with the Triple-A squad, Evans has managed to put together a very solid .281/.369/.466 line with 17 home runs and 61 RBI. Evans has also posted a very respectable .359 wOBA and 104 wRC+ which is on par of where he was in 2018 before he joined the Cubs’ organization.
Evans is a pure contact hitter, managing to keep his strikeout rate down to 13.5 percent and his walk rate to 10.5 percent. Evans’ contact rate on pitches inside the strike zone is a whopping 89.7 percent. Evans’ most active position by far is second base, which is one reason why the Cubs should consider holding onto him when free agent hits. In 100 innings at second this season, Evans has just one error.
With Evans, it is a long shot that the club decides to hold onto him this winter, however, if they do he could profile as a potential option next spring with the infield especially if other prospects such as Nico Hoerner and Vimael Machin are not ready for the big time. Adding Evans to the list is a stretch on all accounts, but he has shown enough to warrant staying power.