It is time to unveil the third annual Sports Bank Chicago Cubs’ minor league All-Star team. The Cubs’ minor league system was extraordinary this season, with its six affiliates combining for a record of 65 games above .500. So many worthy candidates, unfortunately, will be left off our team.
Today, we reveal the pitchers, two starters and two relievers, who made our squad. In each subsequent installment, we will give All-Star nods to two or more position players until we have fielded a full team.
1) RHP Carlos Pimentel: Pimentel, who signed with the Cubs as a minor league free agent before the 2014 season, fronts our rotation. Pimentel, 25, thrived in the Pacific Coast League (PCL), which is often referred to as a hitter’s utopia—the league average ERA was 4.37—with a 12-6 record in 27 games, including 26 starts, over 143.1 innings. His 2.95 ERA was second among qualifying pitchers, and he allowed only 121 hits and ten homers.
Pimentel combines a high 80’s fastball with a slider and a changeup.
The Cubs must add the PCL Pitcher of The Year to their 40-man roster in November to avoid losing him as a free agent.
2)RHP Ryan Williams: A 10th round pick in the 2014 draft, Williams is likely the only viable alternative to Pimentel for organizational pitcher of the year honors and the second starter on our all-star squad. After a dominant stint with Low A South Bend, Williams, 23, was promoted past High A Myrtle Beach to the Cubs’ AA affiliate, Tennessee, where he continued to excel.
In nine games (eight starts) for South Bend, Williams produced a 1.17 ERA in 53.2 innings, allowing only 36 hits, no homers and two walks, and struck out 37.
For Tennessee, Williams fashioned a 2.97 ERA in 17 games (16 starts) covering 88 innings. He yielded 73 hits, two homers and 16 walks and fanned 61. Williams’ fastball will not overwhelm the radar gun—it tops out at 92 MPH—but its great sinking action induces an abundance of groundouts. He also mixes in a curveball, slider and split-fingered fastball, all of which he consistently throws for strikes even if his complementary offerings are only considered average.
Several other starting pitchers in the system deserve honorable mention, including the following three.
3)RHP Duane Underwood: A second round pick in 2012, Underwood put together his second consecutive dominant campaign, this one for Myrtle Beach, though he missed several weeks with a midseason elbow injury. In 14 starts covering 73.1 innings, the pitcher with a high 90’s fastball and devastating curveball, allowed only 52 hits while walking 24 and striking out 48. He finished the season with an ERA of 2.56.
If he can remain healthy, Underwood might emerge as the Cubs’ best pitching prospect.
4)RHP Pierce Johnson: Johnson, whose season for Tennessee was delayed by injury, put together a fantastic campaign. In 16 starts, Johnson, 24 and a first-round pick in 2012, used a mid-90’s fastball with devastating movement to fashion an ERA of 2.08 in 95 innings, which would have netted him the Southern League ERA title had he pitched enough innings to qualify. He allowed 76 hits and 32 walks while fanning 72.
5)RHP Jonathan Martinez: Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade for Darwin Barney last season, Martinez pitched brilliantly for Myrtle Beach. In 23 games (21 starts) across 116 innings, Martinez, 21, allowed only 82 hits and 27 walks while striking out 66. His 2.56 ERA netted him the Carolina League ERA title.
We also added two relief pitchers to our All-Star roster.
1)RHP Brian Schlitter: After overcoming a serious elbow injury and putting together a solid rookie season for the Cubs in 2014, Schlitter regressed and had only ten largely ineffective appearances for the big league team this season before being demoted to Iowa.
There, Schlitter was akin to a pitching Houdini given his penchant for escaping trouble, mostly self-induced. In 45 games covering 44.2 innings, Schlitter allowed 41 hits and 26 walks, leading to a 1.50 WHIP. Somehow, he managed to produce a phenomenal ERA of 1.61, particularly by PCL standards, and accumulate 23 saves, tied for the PCL lead.
On August 27, Schlitter was designated for assignment by the Cubs, leading to his removal from the 40-man roster, and was returned to Iowa after he cleared waivers. Schlitter will become a minor league free agent this offseason, and his future in the Cubs’ organization is unclear.
2) RHP P.J. Francescon: A 40th round selection in the 2011 draft, Francescon, 26, finally earned a late-season promotion to Iowa after three largely successful seasons for Tennessee, including a dominant one this year. In addition to leading the Southern League in saves with 22, he allowed only 38 hits and 17 walks in 53.1 innings, fanned 50 and finished with a 1.69 ERA. He then threw eight scoreless innings for Iowa to cap off a brilliant campaign.
Honorable mention is merited by the following relievers.
3)RHP Blake Cooper: Acquired last season from the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Brett Jackson, Cooper was one of the PCL’s most reliable late-inning relievers. In 68.1 innings, Cooper, 27, allowed 59 hits (four homers) and 28 walks while striking out 63 and producing an ERA of 2.63.
4)RHP Jasvir Rakkar: A 26th round pick in 2012, Rakkar, 24, tied for second in saves in the Carolina League with 16. In 45.2 innings, he allowed 44 hits but zero homers and only ten walks while striking out 37 and producing an ERA of 2.96.
5)RHP Josh Conway: A fourth pick in the 2012 draft who overcame two devastating injuries to his throwing arm, Conway put together his second consecutive solid season. After Conway, 24, pitched for half-season A Boise in 2014, the Cubs promoted him past the Low A level to High A Myrtle Beach. In 52.1 innings, Conway allowed 49 hits, two homers and 31 walks, fanned 49 and registered an ERA of 2.92.
6)RHP James Pugliese: An 18th round selection in 2011, Pugliese made 30 appearances covering 55 innings for Myrtle Beach. He yielded 52 hits (no homers) and only 13 walks while accumulating 49 strikeouts and producing an ERA of 2.78. Pugliese, 22, earned a late-season promotion to Tennessee.
Martinez, Johnson, Cooper, Rakkar, Conway and Pugliese are all eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this winter and must be placed on the Cubs’ 40-man roster by November 20 to be fully protected from being drafted away by another organization. We profiled these players, and others, in our three part series on the Rule 5 Draft.
Check back tomorrow to see who will fill the catcher and first baseman positions on our All-Star team.