This post probably required the most energy of any post In the past year and a half. I feel as though I talked endlessly about pitching in the system and covered it from top to bottom last spring profiling pretty much everyone who was in Mesa in Arizona Rookie League in 2019. As a result, I am of the mind that there’s not really any guys that are going to surprise from my own personal viewpoint. However, this article is not about me. Here are some names that you might find interesting to follow in 2021 that you may not be aware of much at this point in time. Some of them should find their way onto an All-Star team at some point this spring or summer.
Chris Kachmar – The lanky relief pitcher out of McNeese State was taken by the Cubs in the 2019 draft and did fairly well transitioning to a relief role in Eugene. I’m excited to see what he can do after a year and a half of being a Cub. Our mid 90s possible? Done! He’s already armed with a plus curve and if he can get his fastball up a little, he’s going to be that much harder to hit. He might even start in the rotation. We’ll see.
Danis Correa spent the better part of the last two years injured and will probably move from the starting rotation to the bullpen. But he can just bring it when it comes to gas. If he is in a relief role, he might be a lot more healthier as his arm will be stronger from not having to go five innings at high velocity. He can just come in and air it out in one inning and be done. Look for him in South Bend.
Peyton Remy – I feel like this is the third time I’ve talked about Peyton in the past six months, but everywhere he goes as a Cub, he produces. He should be at high A South Bend this year and I think with his ability to throw the ball where he wants it as well as mix up his pitches, he could be a guy we talk about quite often this year on the monthly All-Star teams.
Luis Rodriguez – While Benjamin Rodriguez has been getting a lot of pub lately, Luis has not. What I like about Luis is he has a really broad strong shoulders that he has really taken to filling out with muscle. He did really well in the Dominican in 2018 and somehow managed to survive his first year playing in the states in 2019. I think he might be one of the biggest surprises in the system this year.
Bailey Reid didn’t allow a run for over two years in college as a reliever. He should be at South Bend to start his first full season as a pro after signing as a nondrafted free agent last summer. He seems to hide the ball quite well and that could make his 93 mph heater sneaky.
I dig Joe Nahas a lot. He does have a little bit of name recognition as a prospect the Cubs signed after strong appearance in the Cape Cod League in 2019. He pitched in Eugene that summer with some success. But it’s unclear just exactly what his role is going to be. Will he be a starting pitcher or will he be a reliever? Which ever one he is, I think he’s going to be very good, probably better than most people think.
Elian Almanzar – The 2019 draft pick out of Florence-Darlington Technical school in South Carolina caught my eye when he debuted in the Arizona Rookie League. He’s a pretty good size kid (6-4, 210) who can throw in the mid 90s. It seems like he is the type of player is going to benefit a lot from professional instruction. He came out of the gate strong after pitching a full season in 2019, but did so in relief in Mesa. He didn’t give up or run in his first eight appearances before getting shelled in his ninth. Still, he might be a guy to keep an eye on. Like many of this year surprise pitchers, it’s unclear whether he will be a starting pitcher or a reliever.
When it comes right down to it, most of the surprises we should see this spring will probably come from the relief corps. We could see one or two surprise starters at Myrtle Beach, but most of the rotation for the other levels have pretty well been set. As a result, I’m ready to see everybody in action and to find out just exactly who’s going to do what and where when spring training ends.
Cubs Central 
Todd, nice review. Thank you. Some interesting choices. Hoping for good health for both Correa and Estrada (not on your list today, but remember your excited about him as a prospect).
So far, its been difficult for them. Also
want to watch Benjamin and Luis Rodriguez this season. Lets see how they might develop. Does it seem like Remy has been with the organization forever? Getting better with age.
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I like Kachmar and Rodriguez in that group
Koen Moreno and to dig really really really really really unnecessarily deep a couple LHSP prospects in Joel Machado and Carlos Cabrera. Cabrera may or may not have signed in January. Machado was considered the top lefty in the 2018 7/2 group IIRC, was in Arizona for instructs during Spring 2019. This is Cabrera:
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Oh and Andricson Salvador might be throwing pretty hard now, maybe
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Maybe I’m sleeping on Nahas too
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