10% off at the ticket booth?
10% off at concessions? *
DEALING WITH DOMINANCE
From the College World Series to the Cubs, it’s been a memorable year for Evan Aschenbeck
By: Tyler Reidy
Just over a year ago, Evan Aschenbeck delivered one of the most epic performances a college baseball reliever can have. As 26,498 rowdy fans looked on at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Aschenbeck’s Texas A&M Aggies led Tennessee late in Game 1 of the Men’s College World Series Final. With the Volunteers having hit two home runs in the seventh inning to close within a 9-5 score, the Aggies called upon Aschenbeck for their final eight outs.
As Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” the tune he still warms up to in the pros, blared over the speakers in Omaha, Aschenbeck ran in from the right-field bullpen. Over the next hour, he’d prove to a national championship audience his status as the premier reliever in college baseball. Seven strikeouts in 2.2 scoreless innings later, Aschenbeck had the Aggies a win away from a title.
“It just kind of left me speechless,” Aschenbeck said of the College World Series experience. “It was anything that you could have ever dreamed of.”
That dominant pitcher, for the second time in his career, is a Cub. Aschenbeck suited up for the Brenham High School Cubs long before debuting in the South Bend pinstripes earlier this year. A native Texan, Aschenbeck played a little bit of basketball and would have gone out for football if not for medical reasons, so he settled on the sport attached to him from the time that he could walk.
South Bend Cubs left-hander Evan Aschenbeck delivers a pitch June 19, 2025 against the Lake County Captains. Credit: Kal Graybill
“Baseball is what it was,” Aschenbeck said. “It was like, ‘If I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it right,’ and it's been going pretty good so far.”
Growing up 45 minutes south of College Station, Aschenbeck always wanted to be an Aggie, but his path to the 12th Man wasn’t straight. His college career began with two junior college seasons at nearly Blinn, where he gave up two-way play to be a fulltime starting pitcher. He performed well enough to earn an invitation from Texas A&M, a place he still speaks very highly of.
“It's kind of like the Cubs,” Aschenbeck recalled. “[The fans] are gonna come out and show out – doesn't matter how cold it is, how hot it is. They're always gonna be there.”
It didn’t take long for Aggie fans to begin speaking highly of Aschenbeck. During his first season at A&M in 2023, the lefty went 8-1 with a 3.46 earned run average and 81 strikeouts in 65 innings. Those are good numbers for anyone. They’re great numbers for someone in the Southeastern Conference, which is home to some of college baseball’s
most iconic programs and passionate fanbases.
“Those [SEC] environments can get hectic and crazy really fast, so just not letting things snowball and taking it a pitch at a time [are important],” Aschenbeck described. “And you're there for a reason… Everybody trusts you in that spot, and so you have to trust yourself and have confidence in yourself.”
Trust in Aschenbeck hit an all-time high in 2024, as he became one of the nation’s most respected arms. Leading the SEC with 10 saves, Aschenbeck became a unanimous All-American and
Pitching in college with the Texas A&M Aggies, Aschenbeck faces the Florida Gators in Gainesville, Florida on March 16, 2024. Credit: Texas A&M
Aschenbeck celebrates a big out against the Florida Gators in an SEC match-up on March 17, 2024. Credit: Texas A&M
... continued from previous page.
the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year, sealing his case as the best reliever in America. It all led to a national runner-up finish in Omaha, a place Aschenbeck had visited 15 years earlier to watch games at old Johnny Rosenblatt Stadium.
“I can't wait to go back there and have a relaxing week and just go watch baseball the next time I get to go,” Aschenbeck said. “Just being there with the team and making it as far as we did… it was something to experience with those guys, and it's something they can never take from us.”
Only three weeks after he threw his final college pitch, Aschenbeck had a new baseball journey ahead of him. With his mother and fiancée by his side, the southpaw got a call from the Chicago Cubs in the 13th round of last summer’s draft.
“It's been great since,” Aschenbeck summed up.
While many pitchers try to throw as hard as possible to succeed in today’s game, Aschenbeck has always taken a different approach. His fastball hovers around 90 miles per hour on most
days, making it an average to below-average pitch in terms of velocity. But he can locate that pitch – and all of his off-speed options – with precision. That old-school command from the left side is what makes Aschenbeck elite.
“It's not a huge velocity coming at you. Aschenbeck throws hard for a lefty, but still he doesn't throw 97 or 98, but he just spots really well,” South Bend Cubs catcher Miguel Pabon said. “He changes speeds. He's able to throw at you five different pitches at any time, any count, so as a hitter it's like you’ve gotta flip a coin.”
“I know how to pitch, and I know how to throw strikes,” Aschenbeck confirmed. “That’s kind of what my calling card is.”
The simplicity in Aschenbeck’s gameplan has also helped him traverse a handful of role changes over the past five years. At Blinn College, he was a starting pitcher. He then became a superstar reliever at Texas A&M and made a few long relief appearances this year before locking down a South Bend rotation spot in the middle of May.
Aschenbeck knows that, regardless of the innings he covers, the job remains the same: throw strikes and accumulate outs. He certainly did that at the start of this season with Single-A Myrtle Beach, making a mockery of the Carolina League with 14.1 scoreless innings. The 23-year-old needed only three outings before earning his promotion to High-A South Bend, where he debuted in the long relief role on April 24.
For Aschenbeck, the transition up a level has demanded some fine-tuning in his game.
“Hitters have more of an approach, but everybody has their way that they can get outs, and so just exploiting those things as far as being able to pitch to
Aschenbeck rocks into his motion as he pitches against Lake County on June 19, 2025 at Four Winds Field. Credit: Kal Graybill
their weaknesses – and my strength is being able to throw any pitch at any time – it helps me out, but there's definitely a change that needed to be had,”
Aschenbeck said. “I can't really make too many mistakes because they'll make me pay for them, but having the ability to throw strikes and compete in any count has made it a lot easier for me.”
Around the time Aschenbeck became a full-time member of South Bend’s rotation in May, Cub starting pitching really took off. He and top-20 Cubs prospect Ryan Gallagher have been at the forefront of success, the two of them each routinely covering six-plus down the stretch in the season’s first half. Day-one starters Tyler Schlaffer and Kenten Egbert have risen to the occasion as well, and the
same goes for newcomers Brooks Caple and Erian Rodriguez.
“It's been great to watch guys have success because that's what I love,”
Aschenbeck said. “I try and do my part and give my everything I’ve got to the game I'm in, but watching other guys have success and just seeing how hard they work to get where they want to be and watching them actually go out there and do it is very cool to see.”
Between the Major League debut of Cade Horton and the rise of Jaxon Wiggins, it’s already been a highlight year for SEC pitching products in the Chicago Cubs organization. And while he might not throw as hard as those two guys, Evan Aschenbeck could very well follow them up the ranks with his top-line precision and poise.
Aschenbeck tosses 7.0 innings for the first time in his pro career against the Great Lakes Loons at Four Winds Field on June 5, 2025.
Credit: Kal Graybill
CUP OF JOE
South Bend Cubs Pitcher Joe Nahas making impact both on the field and in the community
By: Brendan King
In his time playing for the South Bend Cubs, right-handed pitcher Joe Nahas has earned two rings in this city. Each of them mean a lot, but for two entirely different reasons. The first, his 2022 Midwest League Championship ring, won as the Cubs took home their second title in three seasons. The second, his wedding ring.
Joe and his wife, Joy, wed in South Bend in 2022. The memories created from this town literally touch all bases for the Nahas family; Created both on the field, and in their personal lives.
Currently, the 25-year-old Nahas is back with the South Bend Cubs for his fifth season in the Midwest League. Nahas has played parts of the last five years all around the Chicago Cubs organization, but with the most action coming in South Bend. A native of Pennsylvania, Nahas played his college baseball at Georgia Southern. For most of the off-season time, Nahas and his family call Myrtle Beach, South Carolina home. And he’s out in Mesa, Arizona for months at a time for Spring Training. Even with all of those miles, has found a home in Michiana.
“The South Bend community has embraced me and I’ve been able build quality relationships in my years playing here,” Nahas said. “This place will always hold a special place in my heart. Not just because I got married here, but for so many years here, and seeing the transformation of the ballpark. The front office has been amazing to work with, and the community has been so welcoming. The appreciation that fans here show to us on the field, makes it so rewarding to give back to the community.”
Nahas first made his South Bend Cubs debut back in 2021, after a short stay with the Cubs short-season affiliate at the time, the Eugene Emeralds. With 65 games pitched as a South Bend Cub heading into the 2025 season, Nahas has seen his fair share of history in the Midwest League.
That includes being part of one of the four no-hitters in South Bend Cubs history, and the only one on the road. Let’s take you back to Parkview Field
Joe Nahas poses with the Midwest League Championship trophy on September 21, 2022. Credit: Casey McDonald
... continued from previous page.
in Downtown Fort Wayne on August 12, 2021. The Hoosier State Rivalry, and the Cubs blanked the TinCaps in no-hit fashion that night. Nahas was the bridge of the no-hitter, coming in after starter Alexander Vizcaino wrapped up, and setting the table for Burl Carraway to finish it.
“I remember Vizcaino got us off to a really good start,” Nahas said. “I was the piggyback guy that day, so I knew I was going to come in for a number of innings. I didn’t realize at the time what was going on with the no-hitter, but I had a solid feel for my stuff.
championship clinching game. Nahas can say that he has been part of both. After wrapping up the 2021 season with the then Tennessee Smokies, Nahas began the 2022 season on South Bend’s opening day roster. The 2022 South Bend Cubs: a team that will forever live in history.
Harrison Wenson was behind the plate, and with him being a veteran catcher, he made it really easy for me to focus on what I was throwing next. Then passing it to Burl, seeing him secure the no-hitter, it was a blast.”
A no-hitter might be high pressure to pitch in sure, but how about a potential
Nahas’ role on the 2022 team fluctuated between the starting rotation and the bullpen, giving manager Lance Rymel and pitching coach Tony Cougoule anything that the team needed on a daily basis. Nahas is a tremendous teammate. When he needs support of others, teammates are there for him, and vice-versa.
The 2022 Midwest League Playoffs were upon us in September of 2022, and Nahas settled with a postseason role in the Cubs bullpen. The lineup that featured the likes of Pete CrowArmstrong and Owen Caissie, and a
Nahas would strike out five over four innings of relief against Quad Cities on April 10, 2022. Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly
... continued from previous page.
starting rotation of Porter Hodge and Daniel Palencia. A special group.
“Everybody had confidence in each other that every single guy could get their job done,” Nahas said. “Everyone that rolled out there, whether it was a guy pinch hitting or someone coming out of the bullpen, everybody supported one another to get the job done and win games.”
The biggest professional game that Nahas ever pitched in came along. September 21, 2022. In Eastlake, Ohio, against the Lake County Captains. A winner-take-all championship clincher for the Midwest League title. Just like when he pitched in the no-hitter of 2021, Nahas was once again the middle man. This time, it was following Hodge, who gave the Cubs a dominant start. Nahas worked three innings of one-run baseball, walked none, and struck out three.
The Nahas bullpen work set the scene for Sheldon Reed, who closed out the Cubs second championship in three seasons.
“I’ll always remember how much fun it was to play that game,” Nahas said. “The ability for us to win that series then and there was amazing. I just tried to come in and throw strikes, and then pass the torch to Sheldon to finish it.”
With all of the accolades on the field that Nahas has accomplished in his time with the Cubs, he’ll be the first to tell you that what he does to give back off the field is equally important. Nahas and his wife welcomed their son, Aymen, nicknamed AJ, to the world on December 8, 2022. Just a couple months after he helped the Cubs to the Midwest League Championship, his life as a father began.
“Seeing my son start to fall in love with the game over the last little while has really had an impact on how I view the game,” Nahas said. “When my son or another kid thinks ‘oh this is baseball this is the most exciting thing’ it reminds me of what this all means. It’s easy to get away from that thought process with the mundaneness of what this life is in a long season. But you meet kids and fans and they look at you like you’re doing the
Joe Nahas pitching in the 6th inning of the Midwest League Championship game on September 21, 2022. Credit: Casey McDonald
Nahas shaking Manager Lance Rymel's hand after receiving his 2022 Championship ring on March 14, 2023. Credit: Chris Hagstrom-Jones
... continued from previous page.
coolest thing ever, and that puts things into perspective.”
On a weekly basis, Nahas also offers his personal time to give back to the South Bend and Michiana community. He will serve the community by volunteering at local food banks, charities, and also offers his own private baseball lessons at the 1st Source Bank Performance Center. All of this culminates in what means the most to him, doing anything he can to help other human beings.
“It’s humbling and it gives you a greater perspective on life,” Nahas said. “We’re so privileged as professional athletes to have these opportunities. But it’s just as important to remember what’s going on in the world. If we are blessed enough to have these gifts as pro athletes, the least I can do is give back to my time by helping the community, youth, and less fortunate. It’s something that brightens my day, to brighten someone else’s.”
Another example of how Nahas continues to chip in as a member of the South Bend Cubs is what he does for kids around the ballpark. Putting a smile on his son’s face everyday is something that he takes pride in, but every kid that gets to enjoy a game around Four Winds Field as well. During the Meijer Baseball Academy, Nahas is continually one of the first players to offer their time and
expertise as a coach for the week-long program. It all comes back to how he was raised, and the right-hander wanting to pass the love of the game to the next generation.
“I remember being that kid wishing I could be here,” Nahas said. “Always trying to hold that perspective while you’re in the grind is really important to find enjoyment in it everyday.”
Credit: Kayleigh Sedlacek
Nahas running through drills with members of the Meijer Baseball Academy. In addition to teaching lessons, Nahas continues to volunteer at local community outreach centers.
2025 SOUTH BEND CUBS COACHING STAFF
Nick Lovullo - Manager
Nick Lovullo returns for his second season as Manager. A former Boston Red Sox prospect, the 30-year-old was drafted in the 20th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by Boston, after a collegiate career at Holy Cross. He grew up and played his high school baseball in Thousand Oaks, California. In his first pro season, Lovullo was promoted as high as Double-A Portland. His professional career concluded in 2021, in a stop with the Miami Marlins organization, as well as independent baseball. The son of Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, Nick became the Double-A Tennessee Smokies bench coach in 2022 and managed the Arizona Complex League Cubs in 2023.
George Thanopoulos - Pitching Coach
George Thanopoulos who was an assistant coach in 2021, returns to South Bend as the pitching coach. Between 2021 and 2025, Thanopoulos spent time working at the Cubs Complex in Mesa, Arizona, before taking the Myrtle Beach Pelicans pitching coach job in 2024. Thanopoulos oversaw a Pelicans pitching staff that finished with 1178 strikeouts in 2024, and the Birds posted the second lowest opposing team batting average in the Carolina League at just .223. A former pitcher with the Colorado Rockies organization, Thanopoulos was a part of both the 2016 and 2017 teams with the Boise Hawks in the Northwest League.
Nate Spears - Hitting Coach
Nate Spears returns for his second season with the South Bend Cubs as the hitting coach. Spears began his playing career with the Baltimore Orioles, after they selected him in the fifth-round of the 2003 MLB Draft. The Fort Myers, Fla. native was traded by the Orioles to the Northsiders in the Corey Patterson deal in 2006. Spears played for former South Bend manager Buddy Bailey in 2008 with Double-A Tennessee, and made it to Triple-A Iowa. His career then took him to the Boston Red Sox, where he made his MLB debut. Spears played for Boston in 2011 and 2012. As a coach, he stayed with the Red Sox, and woundup coaching Nick Lovullo while he was a Red Sox prospect.
Daniel Wasinger Bench Coach
Nick Roberts Athletic Trainer
Allen Cooper Strength and Conditioning Coach
Collin Andrews Development Coach
Jose Zapata Assistant Pitching Coach
PITCHERS
INFIELDERS OUTFIELDERS
CATCHERS
Catching The Cubs
Ariel Armas and Miguel Pabon break down the details of being a professional catcher
By Tyler Reidy
For any defensive player in a baseball game, every pitch demands attentiveness. A ball in play can go anywhere at any time, challenging fielders in ways that can, at times, decide wins and losses. Even so, there’s no guarantee that, say, the left fielder or the second baseman is involved in every single play.
It’s a completely different story for South Bend Cubs catchers Ariel Armas and Miguel Pabon. At minimum, they have a say in each and every pitch the Cubs throw because they call for the type and location of said pitches. Mix in blocking wild pitches, framing borderline strikes, and managing potential basestealers, and you have a position that requires vigilance at the highest level.
“If you take one pitch off throughout the course of a game, it costs you a home run,” Armas said. “It could cost you a passed ball. It could really cost you a game overall.”
Though Armas and Pabon now embrace the multi-faceted challenge of catching, they both played elsewhere on the diamond during their younger years in baseball. Armas, a southern California kid who stayed home to play college baseball at the University of San Diego, blossomed his love for the game
on the other side of the country at age 12. Competing at the 2015 Little League World Series in Pennsylvania, he entered a multi-sport athlete and left with his sights narrowed.
“That point was when I realized that baseball was the sport that I wanted to keep doing for the rest of my life,” Armas said.
On that once-in-a-lifetime Sweetwater Valley Little League team, Armas was more of a middle infielder with smooth hands. He didn’t find his long-term home behind the plate until his freshman year at Saint Augustine High School. Due to an injury, the varsity squad needed a catcher. Armas had experience playing the position in Little League, and so he stepped up to fill the void.
Seven years later, Armas and catching have gone together quite well. Last spring at San Diego, he backstopped his way to the West Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year award and an NCAA Tournament appearance. A month later, he was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Cubs.
While Armas just joined the organization, Miguel Pabon has been in the system since Ariel’s early high school days. Hailing from Puerto Rico and
Ariel Armas (left) dumps a water cooler on Miguel Pabon (right) during a post game interview on May 10, 2025. Credit: Ethan Levy
... continued from previous page.
inspired by the likes of Derek Jeter and Carlos Beltran, Pabon grew up a skilled shortstop with dreams of playing professionally in the United States.
The Chicago Cubs gave him that chance at his natural position in the 34th round of the 2018 draft. However, Pabon’s development went on hold for a number of reasons right after that. In 2019, he required surgery to repair a labrum injury. A year later, the pandemic sent him back home, leaving him without playing a Cubs-affiliated game for two full calendar years.
“The Cubs did a really nice job of sending me programs and stuff that I could do,” Pabon said. “And then once everything started to open up a little bit later in the pandemic, then I started lifting, trying to stay in the lab as much as I could, hitting in the cage, went to the field whenever I could just to stay in shape as much as I could.”
When Pabon returned to the organization and debuted in South Bend in 2021, he played all over the infield. That changed when current Cubs assistant general manager Jared Banner approached him during 2022 Spring Training. Banner asked Pabon if he would give catching a try, and Pabon agreed on the condition that he would have all of 2022 to learn.
Working closely with Arizona Complex League Cubs manager Edgar Pérez, whom Pabon knew from his time scouting in Puerto Rico, the former shortstop learned how to catch. For Pabon, receiving was easier than expected. Blocking, on the other hand, was not.
“When I saw any pitch going through the dirt, I was frightened by it,” Pabon said. “So that was the hardest part about it because anything in the air, I felt comfortable with it because it
felt as close to the infield as possible. But anything that looked close to the ground, I was horrified about.”
The challenge for Pabon was that, at shortstop, he could always move his feet with the objective of catching the ball. For a catcher in the act of blocking, the feet can’t move, and the priority becomes keeping the ball close.
Despite those major differences, Pabon has grown as a catcher by keeping a similar mindset from his former position.
“When I made the change, my biggest thing was just trying to feel like a shortstop, but I'm behind the plate,” Pabon described. “I want to be as athletic as I possibly can. I'm just behind the plate. That was my mindset, and it still is.”
As South Bend’s catchers for the entire first half, Armas and Pabon know what it takes to prepare. On any given start day, the catcher not only joins all other position players in identifying an opposing pitcher’s gameplan. He also works with his own pitchers to determine their own plan of attack for hitters on the other side.
“The catching position is not one of those things where you can roll out and expect to be great every single day,” Armas stated. “It really takes a lot of preparation, early work, the days you have off prioritizing the bullpens you're able to catch. The pitchers every week are working on new things, new habits that they can put themselves in to be as successful as possible, whether
7,
Armas catching game one of a doubleheader on June
2025. Credit: John Mersits
... continued from previous page.
it's throwing a new pitch, having a new feel with their lower half, trying to move down the mound better.”
Planning for success in between games goes beyond the X’s and O’s, too. Confidence is everything for pitchers, and Armas and Pabon go the extra mile to build confidence in their rapport with each arm. That might happen during an off day on the golf course or a conversation in the clubhouse.
“I want [the pitcher], on whatever pitch I throw down, he has confidence that he can throw it because I'm trying to put him in the best place possible,” Pabon said. “As a pitcher, you want to be sure and be confident in the pitch that you're gonna throw, so that's my jobgetting you to believe that you’ve got to be confident in what you're gonna throw because it's gonna put you in a good spot.”
The confidence between batterymates is especially important given that, at the professional level, catchers call for each pitch. That’s an adjustment to make for someone like Armas, who had been accustomed to pitch calls coming from the dugout in college baseball. However, he’s come to love the art of calling games, a process that succeeds when pitchers get ahead in the count and have positive mound presence.
“First-pitch strike is ultimately one of the most important things,” Armas said. “If you're really falling behind as a pitcher and not getting ahead of batters,
it really puts you in a bad position where you’ve got to start throwing more in fastball-heavy counts. Also just the presence of a pitcher, you can really tell their confidence in how they're going about their business, how they're communicating with the first baseman or the catcher or whoever it is on the mound.”
Of course, no two pitching performances are the same, each featuring unique circumstances from start to finish. Sometimes, the situation demands that the catcher leaves his post for a meeting on the mound. Both Armas and Pabon are strategic about their trips to the rubber, not only because they have a limited number of them during games, but also because each pitcher is different.
“If a guy is really struggling to find the strike zone, you go up there and you kind of let him know, ‘Hey, don't try to do too much,’ kind of settle him down or you give him a little joke here and there to get him back to who he really is,” Armas described. “Ultimately, when you go on a mound visit, you're not really trying to give the pitcher a ton of information. You're just trying to get him back to who he really is as a pitcher.”
As the summer months have arrived, Armas and Pabon have brought out the best in South Bend pitching, especially within the rotation. After guiding top-10 Cubs prospect Jaxon Wiggins to an ultra-consistent April, they worked with top-20 Cubs prospect Ryan Gallagher during his dominant month of May. In June, they helped Tyler Schlaffer and Evan Aschenbeck to Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors.
With weeks and months of experience only helping the catchers become more comfortable, look for more results like that throughout the season’s second half.
Pabon warming up before the game on June 20, 2025.
Credit: Kal Graybill
The Domino Effect
How the 2020 Chicago Cubs Yu Darvish trade turned the tide for both Reggie Preciado and the South Bend Cubs
By Brendan King
In Latin America communities, every December 28 is looked at as a day that is the equivalent of April 1, April Fool’s Day, in the United States. This is the case in places like Spain, Central America, and most countries in South America, including Panama. It’s a commonality on that day for newspapers and TV stations to print or broadcast stories that are fake, by using humor to do so.
South Bend Cubs infielder Reginald ‘Reggie’ Preciado, still playing with the San Diego Padres organization at the time, was home in Panama for Christmas in 2020. As he awaited the New Year, Preciado had made it cleanly through December 28 without falling for any pranks. But early in the day on the 29th, his phone rang.
It was a Padres staffer on the other end of the call. The Padres representative told Preciado that he had been traded to the Chicago Cubs, in a deal involving multiple other San Diego players and prospects, in exchange for right-hander Yu Darvish, and catcher Victor Caratini. As with custom on the December 28 Latin America April Fool’s tradition, what
Preciado runs to the dugout after an inning against the Beloit Sky Carp on April 26, 2025.
Credit: Mandy Coppinger
Preciado was expecting to hear next was "¡inocente, inocente!”, translated to "innocent one, innocent one!”. That’s what is said after the joke or prank is determined to be fake.
There was no humorous line following. Preciado had been dealt by the organization that signed him out of Panama when he was 16.
“I was with my family at home when I got the call,” Preciado said. “I really didn’t believe it. I got off the phone, and went to go tell my dad. He didn’t even believe me because it was the day after our April Fool’s.”
The lead-up to the Darvish trade, right around the holidays in 2020, was something that was ultimately expected by those covering the team after Chicago also let go of the likes of Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, and Kris Bryant. A rebuild was beginning in Chicago.
One section of the organization that was impacted before, during, and after the trade; The Minor Leagues. Especially so, the South Bend Cubs.
Let’s start before the trade. In 2018, headlines were made as Darvish, who was battling injuries for much of that season, returned to an active game mound for the first time in over a month with the Cubs organization on June 25, 2018 at Four Winds Field. It was one of
... continued from previous page.
the biggest rehab assignments to ever take place in Downtown South Bend.
The stands were packed with a crowd of nearly 7,000. Over 25 media credentials were distributed to local media, some from Chicago, and some from Japan. And the Owner’s Suite was transformed into a one-day press box because of the overflow of so many media members.
Darvish tossed five innings on that June night, and struck out five West Michigan Whitecaps. He was also working with a young 19-year-old catcher named Miguel Amaya.
On August 19, 2018, Darvish returned to Four Winds Field on a hot and toasty Sunday for one more rehab start. This one did not go as planned, as the righty left the game leading up to the 2nd inning during his warm-up tosses, after only 19 pitches.
That would be the last time South Bend would welcome Darvish. But in time after the two outings, Darvish raved about the amenities of Four Winds Field, and being welcomed by the fans. This would only be the start, however, of the trickle-down effect that Darvish would have on South Bend; Even though he was not personally responsible for what was coming next.
As the Darvish trade was being finalized by Major League Baseball, the Chicago Cubs were in the middle of retooling most of the club’s farm system. Players like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcántara, and Daniel Palencia were joining the organization all at the same time. Just around the same time where Preciado first became a Cub. The benefit for Reggie, of course was not only getting a fresh start with a new team, but also coming along with other players he knew from the Padres.
Chicago received a haul for Darvish. From a Big League perspective, MLB right-hander Zach Davies was included in the trade. Davies was a part of the Cubs rotation in 2021. However, when you peel back the layers, the Minor League teams are what benefitted most. Preciado was one of four teenage prospects that the Padres gave Chicago, along with Owen Caissie, Yeison Santana, and Ismael Mena.
“I had gotten to know all of those
Darvish pitching at Four Winds Field on June 25, 2018. Credit: Dr. Tim Reilly
The U.S. Navy is on a once-in-a-generation journey to completely transform its nuclear-powered submarine fleet and maintain a critical undersea advantage. Achieving this ambitious goal will require adding more than 140,000 civilian professionals across every state—including skilled tradespeople, engineers, project managers, and many others with a vast array of talents.
If you or someone you know is ready to contribute your expertise to this critical mission, visit BuildSubmarines.com to learn how to make a difference.
... continued from previous page.
guys in our time with the Padres,” Preciado said. “That definitely helped me. To know I wasn’t going alone was great because I had friends coming with me. Mena and I signed with the Padres in the same year, he was my best friend. We did tryouts together and all that. Same with Santana and Caissie. I met O.C. when he got drafted by San Diego.”
As the new Cubs prospects joined the organization, a familiar name to South Bend Cubs fans was there to welcome Preciado; Fellow Panama native, Miguel Amaya.
Amaya caught Darvish in both of his South Bend Cubs rehab assignment games, and then was one of the first to welcome his fellow countrymen prospect following the deal.
“He always talked to me in Arizona if I needed anything at all,” Preciado said. “I had never had a mentor like that, and I know that if I ever need anything he’ll be there for me.”
While Cubs fans still await the MLB debut of the prospects acquired for Darvish, South Bend Cubs fans have seen first hand what these players have come to offer. Of course, Caissie is considered a top Chicago prospect, and is on the cusp of making his MLB debut, currently with the Iowa Cubs. He’s a 2022 Midwest League Champion, and blasted one of the most memorable home runs in South Bend Cubs history in the Midwest League Title Game in Lake County in September of 2022. Santana was also an important part of that 2022 Cubs team, helping South Bend capture their second championship in three seasons.
Preciado is a very enticing prospect, however. And he’s still only 22-years-old. A former switch-hitter, Preciado is exclusively batting right-handed; A decision
that him and the Cubs made after the trade.
“I got hurt a couple years in a row,” Preciado explained. “The last injury was my finger. When I was doing my rehab, it hurt to swing left-handed. I always enjoyed hitting right-handed, so the Cubs and I had a meeting. We decided to simplify things. And with that, it allows me to stay in the field now being healthy.”
Named in honor of Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Reginald “Reggie” Jackson, Preciado’s namesake comes because his dad played rookie baseball professionally in the New York Yankees system. At the time of signing with San Diego, Preciado was considered the top international signee available out of Panama.
The trade he was involved in may have not been an April Fool’s prank, but Preciado now has the opportunity to prove that it was all meant to be. That opportunity is getting to Wrigley Field, a place he visited for the first time when the South Bend Cubs held a team workout at The Friendly Confines in April.
“That was a really special day,” Preciado said. “It’s an amazing reminder of what I’m working towards. And the best kind of motivation.”
Preciado finishes warm up tosses in the outfield.
Credit: Mandy Coppinger
SOUTH BEND
AROUND THE BASES Ethan Hearn
What is your favorite pre-game song/artists your currently listening to?
My current favorite artist to listen to is Brandon Lake. I also listen to a lot of EDM.
What is your favorite T.V. show to binge watch?
My favorite show to binge watch is the greatest show ever made The Office.
Who is your favorite baseball player of all time?
My favorite player is Barry Bonds because he put baseballs into orbit.
What is your go to pre-game meal/snack?
My go to pregame snack is a classic PB&J.
Are you superstitous at all?
I’m not superstitious just a little 'stitious'. I’ll keep my helmet in the same spot if I get a hit or keep the same piece of gum for the whole game.
Favorite thing to do in the off-season?
My favorite thing to do in the off season is go fishing and hunting. Fun fact that fans might not know about you?
I appeared in two Ben's Pretzels videos. One with Jacob Wetzel where we taste tested the different varieties and the other with Casey Opitz where we made pretzels. Do you have any hobbies?
My hobbies are hunting and fishing. When I’m not playing baseball that’s what you can find me doing.
If you could travel to one place you've never been to, where would you go?
I would love to travel to Panama, specifically the Panama Tropical Star Resort, it’s one of the top fishing spots in the world. What teammate(s) do you enjoy playing with the most?
My favorite teammate is Casey Opitz. He’s someone I can joke with on and off the field. We also like to hunt together in the offseason.
If you could pick a different position to play, what position would you pick? If I had to choose another position I would probably be a pitcher.
AUTOGRAPHS
Infielder Jefferson Rojas
