Cubs Minors: Peyton Remy, Nelson Maldonado will be on the radar this season

The Tennessee Smokies, long-time Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, are set to open their schedule a week from Tuesday. It is a long-awaited return for Minor League Baseball, and the excitement around the league for prospects to get actual game time is palpable.

The Cub Reporter, run by Arizona Phil, has luckily provided many updates as to where players are currently and have given us the lowdown on all things Cubs-related leading up to the new season. Two players who have been profiled in the past couple of days are right-hander Peyton Remy and first baseman Nelson Maldonado.

Remy took to the mound yesterday, facing the Richmond Flying Squirrels, current Double-A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The 24-year-old pieced together a solid line of 3 2/3 innings, 2 ER, 1 BB, 7 K on 64 pitches, 45 of which went for strikes. As a 17th-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Remy has flown under the radar.

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Maldonado, meanwhile, moved from High-A South Bend to Tennessee, per The Cub Reporter. As Arizona Phil speculates, it is not known at this time whether the move for Maldonado is permanent. The two young prospects will have their shot this season to continue growing and should be kept on fans’ radar.

Cubs Minors: Development is key to quality talent

The Cubs have been in a unique position for a handful of years now regarding their farm system. In the past year, a few guys have made their debuts, hovering in the wings. A middling system will do that, however. Add in an entire lost year, and it sets developmental time back as well.

Remy was the number two ranked right-hander from Colorado out of high school. He did not turn heads but still brought enough intrigue, which led the Cubs to select him after Remy completed just one year of JUCO at Central Arizona College. There he started 14 games and notched a 3.28 ERA.

In his first year at rookie ball, Remy put up massive strikeout numbers in a small sample. He was also BABIP’d to death at a .467 clip. His second season in the AZL provided more context to his stats. In 52 1/3 innings, the righty posted a very respectable 2.58 ERA, 3.42 FIP, and 3.35 xFIP. Limited walks and a 28.5 percent strikeout rate dominated his scene and earned him the promotion to South Bend.

His last season before the pandemic, in 2019, Remy produced still solid numbers with a 2.80 ERA over 80 1/3 innings and managed to keep his FIP north of four, holding opponents to a .189 average and 1.12 WHIP, respectively. Remy is a three-pitch pitcher with a fastball, curveball, and slider.

His curveball is probably his best pitch as it has a nice 11-5 break and can create swings and misses. Remy does not overpower with the low-to-mid 90’s fastball and utilizes his slider secondary to his curveball. Realistically in a starting role he seems to be a guy to give you five to six quality innings when on and if in a starting role somewhere around 180 innings through an entire season. He could end up as a long-reliever at the major league level. The spectrum is wide.

Maldonado, meanwhile, maybe an answer to first base in the coming seasons. As a 24-year-old, there is time for him to move through, and even a couple more seasons could progress him enough to the big leagues. He is a 21st-round selection out of the University of Florida, from the 2019 class, and has a year under his belt.

Over the year, he moved from rookie ball to South Bend, formerly Class-A. Maldonado slashed .332/.378/.456 and notched a .834 OPS. Surprisingly, he is not ranked in the top 30, giving him more drive this year. As a career .292 hitter at the collegiate level to add to his impressive start in 2019, Maldonado could turn into a jewel for the Cubs in the coming years.