The next phase of this summer’s talent acquisition began this morning at 8 A.M. when undrafted free agents could begin signing with clubs. I am not expecting the Cubs to go out and sign 15 to 20 guys. There’s really no place to put them right now, but they will sign a few. In fact, they already have.
Things started off slowly today. So, around 10, I went out and mowed the front yard. As soon as I finished, I came in and sat down, things started happening.
The first prospect to sign was Bradlee Beesley from Cal Poly. He was a four-year starter there. He began in the infield and then moved to the outfield. He was a decent hitter in college but he was a better hitter in the Cape Cod League. He hit .368 and .280 in two seasons there. That will get you noticed. At 5’10” and 175, he’s not that big but he is pretty athletic enough to stick in center.
The second and third signings were announced back-to-back pretty quickly from Coastal Carolina, the former home of Tommy LaStella and Will Remillard.
Scott McKeon played just a little over a year for Coastal Carolina. The shortstop’s first two years were spent at Brunswick Community College where he hit .434 and .399 in an impressive two-year span. Last year, as a junior, McKeon hit .341 and this year he was hitting .359 with four home runs in just 16 games. I like this signing a lot. He could do well, especially with his bat-to-ball skills.
Pitcher Scott Kobos it is a little bit trickier. Kobos has one of those with a meandering college careers. Originally, he was an outfielder for UNC Asheville. He then transferred St. Johns River CC where he pitched and hit. He then transferred to Coastal Carolina to just pitch. The first thing you notice about Kobos is that he has grown throughout his college career. He added 2 inches to get to 6-foot-2 and he’s gone from a Steve Rogers-like 155 to 200 over 4 years. Add in that he’s only been pitching full time for 2 years, he’s an interesting sign.
The Cubs are also rumored to have signed right-handed pitcher Angel Gonzalez Martinez from Puerto Rico. The young 17-year-old hit 94 in a Perfect Game showcase, which was up 5 miles an hour from previous performances. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 168 lbs. So, there’s lots of room to fill out. *This signing has not been confirmed yet.*
At this point in the day, I ate my lunch and took my usual “after lunch walk” and the Cubs signed two more pitchers.
RHP Graham Lawson is a senior reliever at South Carolina who made six appearances this spring. In six scoreless frames, he struck out 8 for the Gamecocks. Lawson is well-built at 6-foot-3 and 229 pounds. He was previously drafted in 2018 in the 12th round by the Nationals but chose to return to school and promptly missed all of 2019 due to TJS.
Reliever Ben Leeper was a redshirt senior for Oklahoma State. The 6-foot and 201 lb. righty was doing the best work of his college career with 14 Ks in 7.1 IP for the Cowboys this spring when baseball was shut down.
Late in the afternoon, OF Jacob Wetzel was signed out of Frederick Community College in Maryland. In 2019, as a freshman, Wetzel hit ..377 with 6 HR and 55 RBI in 50 games. The 5’11” and 195 left-handed hitting machine has had a difficult journey. He originally had a full ride at Old Dominion but struggled with depression his first semester. He sought help and eventually left Old Dominion before finding a new home at Frederick. He was hitting .333 the spring when the pandemic hit. In a system that needs guys that can hit, he could be a very intriguing bat.
As soon as I got done writing that blurb, the Cubs also signed NAIA closer Bailey Reid from Westmont who has not allowed a run since 2018. The 6’2″ righty reliever struck out 43 guys over his last 22.1 IP.
Late Sunday night, during the 30-for-30 McGwire/Sosa doc, I found out the Cubs added behemoth 1B Matt Mervis from Duke. He’s 6’4″ and 225 lbs. He also pitched well the past two years. However, Mervis played more at first the last two years where he hit .274 with 6 HRs in 2019. And he had 3 HRs in just 16 games this spring while hitting .304. I am interested to see if the Cubs keep him at 1B, move him to the mound again, or do both.
I am sure there are more names to come.
Here are some possible guys the Cubs could try and acquire besides the ones I mentioned yesterday over at Cubs Insider.
Andrew Abbott – P – Virginia
Hugh Fisher – Vanderbilt – P
Steven Williams – Auburn – OF
Elijah Dunham – OF – Indiana
Blake Dunn – OF – Western Michigan
Matt Mikulski – Fordham – LHP
Justin Fall – LHP – Az State – 6’6”
Ryan Webb – Georgia – LHP
Trey Dillard – RHP – Missouri
Mike Cassala – RHP – Jacksonville
Cubs Central 
[…] maybe 4 or 5 when undrafted free agency began. But 8? That was a bit surprising. In doing so, the Cubs signed the most free agents in baseball. In a normal year after the draft, the Cubs might sign one or two guys. They might even mine the […]
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[…] 2020, the Cubs went on a nondrafted free agent signing frenzy inking up over a dozen players after a five round draft. Those names include Matt Mervis, Sheldon Reed, Jarod Wright, Ben Leeper, […]
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