At the trade deadline, the Cubs added yet another highly-touted position player prospect, catcher Victor Caratini, to a system replete with them when they dealt UT Emilio Bonifacio and LHP James Russell to the Atlanta Braves. While even Cubs’ general manager Jed Hoyer acknowledges that there is an “imbalance” between the talented crop of position players and the pitchers in the Cubs’ system, now ranked number one in baseball by most minor league authorities, by no means is the system bereft of promising young arms.
Today, in the rapid fire fashion that would please any pitching coach, we are going to identify seven pitchers in the Cubs’ system who have a chance to compete for rotation openings in the next few years, two possibly at some point next season.
RHP Duane Underwood: Underwood, a second round selection in 2012, has enjoyed a breakout season pitching for Low A Kane County. In 17 games (16 starts) for the Cougars, Underwood, who just turned 20, has tossed 78.2 innings, yielding 67 hits and 28 walks while fanning 64. He has produced a solid WHIP and ERA of 1.208 and 2.52, respectively, while holding opposing hitters to a .232 batting average. His SO/BB ratio of 2.29 is also noteworthy.
To date, Underwood, who has exceptional arm speed, has relied heavily on his fastball, with velocity between 93 and 95 MPH. As he continues to improve the command of his secondary pitches, a slider and changeup, Underwood can become a force in the Cubs’ system.
RHP Paul Blackburn: Blackburn, a first round pick in the 2013 draft and a teammate of Underwood with Kane County, has also produced a solid season. In 19 starts covering 96 innings, Blackburn, has allowed 86 hits and just 25 walks while striking out 64. His WHIP of 1.156 and ERA of 3.19 are solid. His is BB/9 innings of 2.3 is exceptional and a dramatic improvement over last year’s 5.7 when he pitched 46 innings for short-season A Boise.
Reports suggest that Blackburn, also just 20, is not throwing with the mid 90’s velocity he did last year, but the Cubs are confident the slight reduction in velocity is just a temporary setback. Blackburn’s fastball has natural sinking action, leading to a lot of ground ball outs, and he possesses a plus changeup. His natural athleticism should allow him to complete his delivery repeatedly without deviation.
RHP Tyler Skulina: Skulina, 6’5″ and 255 lbs. can certainly be an intimidating presence on the mound. A fourth round selection in the 2013 draft, Skulina, 22, was recently promoted to High-A Daytona after a solid stretch at Kane County. In 18 starts covering 89.2 innings, Skulina allowed 71 hits (just three homers) and 35 walks while fanning 68. He produced a solid ERA and WHIP of 3.21 and 1.182, respectively. Opposing hitters averaged .218 against him.
Skulina has gamely battled through a bout of tendonitis in his left knee, in the leg that lands on the pitching mound as he completes his delivery. As a result, the mid 90’s fastball he sported last year and in college at Kent State has been sapped of about four to six mph. Skulina also possesses an above-average slider and improving curveball and changeup. That he has pitched so effectively despite velocity limitations speaks volumes about his potential and portends well for him once he has reestablished the full thrust of his fastball.
RHP Daury Torrez: The 21-year-old native of Venezuela has had an exceptional campaign in his second season stateside with the Cubs. In 19 starts covering 110.1 innings, Torrez has yielded 98 hits ands only 17 walks while striking out 64. He has produced an ERA of 2.85 and WHIP of 1.042. While his SO/9 innings slipped from 9.0 last year in 49 innings pitching in the Arizona Rookie League to 5.2, Torrez is only allowing 1.4 BB/9 innings and yielding a .236 average to opposing hitters.
Torrez sports a fastball in the low to mid 90’s, possesses excellent command and an improved slider that he throws in the mid 80’s. He induces a lot of weak contact, and the expectation is that as the lanky 6’3″ 170 lb. Torrez continues to fill out, his velocity will increase a couple of ticks.
RHP Jen-Ho Seng: The 19-yeard old Taiwanese native signed by the Cubs last year, like Torrez, has demonstrated exceptional command pitching for Kane County this season. In 15 games (14 starts) covering 81 innings, Tseng has allowed only 65 hits (four homers) and eleven walks while fanning 71. His sub-1.000 WHIP of 0.938 is exceptional, as is his ERA of 2.56. Allowing 1.2 BB/9 innings, Tseng has an outstanding SO/BB ratio of 6.45. Opposing batters are averaging only .221 against Tseng.
Tseng is armed with a fastball between 92-95 MPH, an above-average curveball and his best pitch, a straight-changeup that, at 81-82 MPH, “drops off the table”, according to scouts.
RHP’s C.J. Edwards and Pierce Johnson: We lump these two prospects together because they have traveled similar paths this season and have a chance to debut with the Cubs in 2015. Edwards and Johnson were ranked in MLB.com’s top 100 prospect list prior to the season, and both of their seasons have been truncated by injuries.
Edwards, 22, one of four prospects acquired for Matt Garza last July, had a Bob Gibson-like season last year pitching in the Cubs’ and Texas Rangers’ systems in 2013. He ended last year pitching for Daytona and appeared on course to duplicate his dominance at AA Tennessee before shoulder fatigue and tendonitis kept him out of the Smokies’ rotation for over three months.
During the layoff, Edwards not only strengthened his shoulder but also added 25 pounds to his previously 6’2″ 155 pound frame.
In five starts covering 24 innings, Edwards has allowed only 16 hits and ten walks wile producing 25 strikeouts. His WHIP of 1.083, SO/9 innings of 9.4 and ERA of 2.62 are all exceptional. He has held opposing batters to a mere .186 average.
While Edwards still has approximately five weeks to accumulate innings, he is prime candidate for the Arizona Fall League this offseason to make up for the time he missed recovering from injury.
Edwards sports a four-seam fastball that ranges in velocity from 88 to 95 MPH and also a big curveball and a fading changeup.
Johnson, a first round pick in 2012, also enjoyed a breakout season, splitting time between Kane County and Daytona. His 2014 campaign for Tennessee was interrupted for over a month by calf and hamstring injuries.
Now healthy, Johnson is producing comparably to last season’s success. In 60.1 innings for Tennessee, he has yielded only 39 hits while holding opposing hitters to .191 average. He has fanned 57 while walking 40. His WHIP of 1.309 is still respectable, and his ERA of 2.98 is excellent.
His BB/9 has increased from 3.3 to 6.0, but in the 39.2 innings he has pitched for Tennessee since returning from injury, his BB/9 is on par with last season’s at 4.1.
Johnson sports a four-seam fastball that sits between 91 and 94 MPH and bores in on right-handed hitters. He has a cut fastball used to induce weak contact and a developing change-up that registers in the low 80’s. Johnson’s best pitch is a slider whose velocity is also in the low 80’s.
Given the time he missed due to injury, Johnson is also a viable candidate for the Arizona Fall League this offseason.
Update: In the Smokies 4-1 win yesterday, Johnson tossed six innings of two-hit shutout baseball while walking only one and fanning six.
While there are other solid pitchers all throughout the Cubs’ system, these are the seven, excluding those acquired in this year’s draft, who have shown the most promise to be future members of a big league rotation.