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JUNE 2021
The Surprise Rise of Max Bain The Story of an Undrafted DII Pitcher Signed off Twitter By Max Thoma
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How good are you guys at getting people to the pros?” That’s the first question Max Bain asked on his first-ever college visit. At the time he had a fastball between 80-82 mph and he was sitting down with the coach at Rochester College (now Rochester University), who chuckled and looked rather dumbfounded by the pithcer’s rather preposterous opening thought. See Rochester has sent just one player to play affiliated Minor League Baseball in the school’s history. Bo Ford played 13 games with the Gulf Coast League Orioles in 2009. That’s it. But it stands to show the character behind the man that is Max Bain; a confident, cerebral, motivated, goal-orientated pitcher who has undergone an overhaul of his mind and body in the last couple years. Bain grew up in Clarkston, Mich. and coiming out of Clarkston High School had three offers to go play college baseball, Rochester, Hope College and Northwood University. None of the three play in Division I and all of them are located in his home state. While he was full of confidence, at the time he was also full of untapped potential. Potential that wouldn’t show it’s full force until a few years later. Bain wound up going to Northwood, a Division II school in Midland, Mich. In his first three seasons he made 42 appearances, just four starts, and had an ERA of 3.49. His senior campaign he shifted to being a starter and in 14 starts regressed to an ERA of 4.17. He
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was over 300 pounds, had a fastball that sat in the mid-80s, and wasn’t putting up attention-grabbing stats, even in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. "At some point you have to ask yourself what makes you special?" Bain said. What makes you stand out to anyone trying to sign somebody? What makes me stand out to the point a scout says, 'I need to sign that guy.' And honestly I didn't have an answer. I was overweight, I wasn't throwing hard, didn't have especially good offspeed stuff... There's no way I get signed as the athlete I am right now." So Bain got to work. After playing independent league baseball for the Utica Unicorns of the United Shores Baseball League in 2019, the then 305-pound DII product changed the way he lived his life. He hit the gym for six South Bend starting pitcher Max hours a day, Bain in his third professional six -to-seven game since signing with the Cubs days a week for in 2020. Credit: Kyle Arnett approximately four months. Bain dropped 50 pounds. The weight loss was accompanied by a change in approach. In college he didn't want to go the route every other pitcher seemed to be going, to start a Driveline routine and try to kick up your velocity. Driveline specializes in data-driven baseball performance training. Previously he wanted to be a pitcher who countered others appraoches, trying to be a more high-80s finess and command pitcher, but Bain changed his mindset.
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ... Continued from page 1 The weight loss allowed him to get into different positions in his delivery that previously his body restricted him from. "I went down there and I got assessed for just how my body moves," Bain explained. "You're looking at a mobility screen, an overall strength screeen, learning about your body. And they told me that I was the tighest pro athlete they'd ever seen. My mobility was extremely limited, furthermore I had the strength just not the mobility to pair with it." The Driveline process helped Bain assess the way his body moved and assited him in creating a throwing schedule with weighted balls to allow the body to self-organize and patern movements better on the mound, as he says. Between the countless hours in the gym and the rigorous work put in with his new pitching routine, Bain really started to see tangible benefits.
Max Bain facing off against the Fort Wayne TinCaps in the series-opener. (May 25, 2021) The weight loss, added strength, and drastically increased mobility led to an uptick in velocity. Bain was now showcasing a fastball in the mid-90s, and he began to top out 10 mph higher than he did as a college and independent league pitcher. This was a kid with a chip on his shoulder. June 6, 2019. That’s what the tattoo adorned to his right bicep reads. It represents the end of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft. The tattoo below it is the number 1,217. In the 2019 MLB draft 1,217 players were selected; Max Bain was not one of them. Being undrafted has served only as extra motivation,
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and in 2020 all his hard work paid off. In the winter of late 2019 and early 2020 Bain’s life would change. He posted a video of himself throwing to live hitters in a batting cage and the video took off. It was picked up on twitter by Rob Friedman, the “Pitching Ninja”, who highlights mainly MLB pitchers with nasty stuff. 18 teams reached out to Bain after seeing the pitcher he had become. In the middle of a global pandemic and in the middle of the winter, he was somehow able to receive multiple contract offers from MLB teams, without even pitching in front of most of them in person. On January 27, 2020 Bain signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs. You’d be hard-pressed to find a player who has changed more in his game and in his life off the mound than the undrafted free agent signing from Northwood University. Even his approach on the mound was unrecognizable from his collegiate days. The right-handed starter was primarily a fastball pitcher in college and was more old fashioned when it came to his fastball usage as he mainly utilized the pitch low and away from hitters. But after analyzing his now high-velocity fastball that had topped out at nearly 99 mph on the radar gun, he started to adjust. The speed and spin rate of his heater allowed him to get away with throwing it up in the zone. With hitters so focused on launch angle and getting the ball in the air, high fastballs with a high spin rate can be lethal nowadays. And Bain actually credits some of his spin rate to a diagnosed medical issue with his body. Bain has a mild form of scoliosis. His spine actually leans just a hair to the left and he says that allows him to unlock his right side more, get additional range of motion of his scapular muscles, and get on top of the baseball more than a pitcher with a normally aligned spine. But Bain is quick to tell anyone that it’s not just about the velocity.
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ... Continued from page 2 “I’m more than a fastball guy, I think the common misconception with guys signed off of twitter or anything like that is that they just throw hard,” Bain said. “But I want to show that I’m more than that.” The pitcher on the mound this season for the South Bend Cubs features many additional pitches in his repertoire, which includes a fastball, cutter,
Max Bain pitching from the windup in his best start of the season, tossing five scoreless innings. Photo credit: Kyle Arnett vulcan-grip changeup, spike curveball and slider. He’s an unfinished product that is always tinkering and trying to dissect what works and what doesn’t on a case-by-case basis. Bain was trying to find the perfect balance with his cut fastball this spring but more movement on the pitch meant a loss in velocity, and when the velocity went back up, the movement decreased. So he made a change. After his first outing of the season he turned one pitch into two. The cutter remains as a higher velocity cutter with glove-side movement, but ever since his second start of the season vs. the Beloit Snappers, he has incorporated a slider into the mix. It’s hard to judge the early season results
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from Bain because as he points out this is the first time he’s ever pitched a full season with his new body, new arsenal, and new mindset. Even his motion has undergone alterations. “I get weird looks when I say this but I look at each pitch as an equation,” Bain said. “And I’ve tried to eliminate everything that I could that could be rangy. I want a consistent product.” What he’s talking about is trying to create a repeatable delivery that he can rely on every single pitch. He models his lower half after Royals reliever Josh Staumont, who he says moves off his back side very well and moves his pelvis together with his t-spine to create a fluid motion in unison. Even the angle of his pelvis when his front foot hits the ground is calculated. “At foot-strike I need my pelvis to be right at 45 degrees, every time.” His arm path has shortened in the last year, following a trend we’ve seen across baseball, including from 2020 AL MVP Shane Bieber. “I’m trying to maximize the efficiency of my arm motion, maximize the effectiveness of being on time every time. Last year Shane Bieber was my arm path guy, that was a guy I was trying to watch and learn from.” Signed off of twitter after As you playing DII baseball, Max Bain can tell Bain readies for his firs MiLB start doesn’t model Photo Credit: Kyle Arnett his game off of any one player. It depends on the pitch, the part of his body, or whether you’re speaking about what he does physically or mentally. And after even a brief conversation with him anybody could guess who he mirrors the
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JUNE 2021 mental side of his game from: Trevor Bauer. “The game is all so individual. I think sometimes I struggle and I get caught up in at-bats and what not and almost just remove the game situation,” Bain said. “I admire Trevor’s ability to have everything be so individual and to be so locked in on each hitter.” Max Bain is one of the best stories across Minor League Baseball in this 2021 season. The work has been put in on the mound and in the gym and now the 23-year-old who was signed based off of just 20-pitch bullpens on twitter is touching 96 mph in the fifth inning of games. But how far can he climb in the Cubs system, and can he reach the ultimate goal of playing in the big leagues? Well that’s a story untold, only time will tell. All we can know for sure is that there's a coach at Rochester who isn't laughing anymore and that if there’s anyone willing to do whatever it takes to make it, it’s Max Bain.
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South Bend pitcher Max Bain walks out to take the mound vs. the Dayton Dragons at Four Winds Field. Credit: Kyle Arnett
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM
DELVING INTO DELVIN ZINN
A Look Inside the Baseball Life of Chicago Cubs Prospect Delvin Zinn By: Josh Sperber
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any people grow up with dreams of becoming star athletes. For some it is idealized, just a pipe dream born out of idolizing the stars of games they watch on TV. There are a select few that learn the hard work and dedication necessary to become a professional athlete and perform consistently at an elite level. For Delvin Zinn, it was never just a dream. Playing sports at a high level was a reality he has been working towards since high school. Like many pro athletes, Delvin played multiple sports growing up, becoming a talented basketball and baseball player in his hometown of Pontotoc, Mississippi. Basketball was his first love, and Zinn developed into a quick, attacking point guard in high school. He modeled his game after Miami Heat legend Dwayne Wade, also known as “The Flash,” which proved to be a fitting nickname for Zinn as well. At 5’10, Zinn is a bit undersized for a basketball player, and he realized that of the two sports he would have more Delvin Zinn at the plate opportunity as a against Fort Wayne. baseball player at
Photo Credit: Kyle Arnett
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the next level. “At the end of my junior year, a lot of the baseball offers started coming in and the basketball offers slowed down a little bit” Zinn says. “My pops sat down with me and told me I would probably have a longer career playing baseball So I focused on that.” While he believes that he was just as talented on the court as the diamond, his passion and talent for the game took him into the next level as a baseball player. While Delvin remains a big basketball fan, his passion for baseball and skill on the diamond continues to shine at the pro level. In fact, playing two sports helped Zinn succeed as an athlete, and he utilizes a lot of the skills required of a basketball player to help him on the diamond. His footwork aids in his ability to position himself in front of balls in play. Hand-eye coordination and quick reaction times are crucial, particularly when hitting. And the speed and endurance from running up and down the court is probably the most prevalent part of Zinn’s game today. It allows for Zinn’s great range in the infield and cements his status as one of the best baserunners in the High-A Central so far this season. Zinn’s passion for the game began at an early age, growing up in the small town of Pontotoc, Mississippi. Delvin’s father was a big baseball fan, and he encouraged Delvin to play at an early age. There was no shortage of other inspiration and high-quality baseball in Mississippi, as the state has a deep history in the Minor Leagues. And though the closest Major League team was the Braves at roughly 500 miles away, the Minor League and collegiate teams proved enough to get him hooked. “I think atmosphere is almost the exact same. You go to Dudy Noble at Mississippi State or Swayze at Ole Miss, it’s rocking every night.” Familial encouragement and many great stadiums to watch baseball made it easy for the athletic Zinn to fall in love with the game.
Continued on page 8...
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ... Continued from page 6 Determined to play at the next level, Zinn stayed local with his choice of colleges, committing to perennial SEC power Mississippi State, just two years after their first College World Series appearance. Zinn was drafted to the Cubs upon graduating Pontotoc High School in the 28th round of the 2015 MLB draft, but chose to go to college instead of making the jump to the pros out of high school. After fall practice with the Bulldogs, Zinn ended up transferring to Itawamba Junior College later that fall. After hitting over .400 with 32 RBI in his first season with the Indians, Zinn moved up five rounds in the 2016 MLB draft and the Cubs finally got their man, entering the pros at just 19 years old.
Zinn celebrates an RBI double after giving the Cubs the lead on Opening Night against Quad Cities. Photo credit: Casey McDonald At 19, Delvin made his debut in the Arizona League for the Cubs in July of 2016. He struggled at the plate at first, but things changed when he returned to Arizona the following season. Zinn became a mainstay in the middle infield, hitting .228 with an on-base percentage of .302. But it was his defense which shined the brightest, committing just 10 errors in 40 games. He was a key cog in the Cubs run to the Arizona League Championship, earning five hits and driving in four over three games in the championship series. His defense earned Zinn a promotion here
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to South Bend the following season, and the higher level led to elevated numbers at the plate. His batting average jumped to .286 and he even slugged his first professional home run. This was a huge confidence boost for Zinn, As of May 28, Zinn has racked as he has placed up 17 stolen bases in just 21 games played. (May 25, 2021) a huge focus on improving his batting at the professional level. “I try to keep it as one game but at each level there is a difference. It can speed up on you at any time, but I’ve been here for a while and I’ve matured and figured out how to slow it back down.” In his third season in South Bend, Zinn is at the pace for greatly improved numbers across the board and has already topped his career high in stolen bases. He is averaging around one stolen base per game through the first month of the season and currently leads the High-A Central.
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Delvin Zinn readies for a play at shortstop against the Fort Wayne Tincaps. (May 25, 2021) Facebook.com/SouthBendCubs
JUNE 2021
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ...Continued from page 8 Baserunning has always been a point of pride for Zinn, and it has been one of the biggest parts of in game he’s improved upon. He is improving the timing on his jumps and letting his natural speed create a menace on the basepaths. His prowess on the basepaths earned him a move to the leadoff spot later in the opening month of the season. It proved to be an adept move by manager Michael Ryan, as Zinn’s ability to get on base and consistently advance helped spark the offense and increase run production in South Bend towards the end of May. Baseball fans love to compare their favorite big leaguers to the next guys up, and a strong comparison for Delvin Zinn is one of his favorite players growing up, Brandon Phillips. “I loved Brandon Phillips, I had all of his gloves growing up and tried to model my game after him.” It is a model that has been productive for Zinn thus far in his pro career. Phillips was a 17-year MLB veteran, primarily for the Cincinnati Reds. Like Delvin Zinn, he was a solid contact hitter with some pop, but thrived with his glove and talent on the basepaths. He finished in the top-10 in stolen bases three times and won four gold gloves over his Major League career. While Zinn prefers shortstop to second base (but does have the ability to play both positions), he thrives on the basepaths and has grown into a solid contact hitter. Patience at the plate is a skill that Zinn is working hard to develop, but his ability to find the gaps and get on base for infield hits makes him an ideal table-setter at the top of a lineup.
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It is a long road to the big leagues, and that is a fact not lost on Zinn, but playing in his fifth season has taught him a lot about the game and the constant adjustments that are necessitated by the rise in each level. But Delvin sets simple goals for himself and stays in a routine as much as he can. For 2021, he set his personal goals high: “To lead the league in bags while I’m here, square up and get more barrel to ball, and commit the smallest amount of errors as possible.” So far, he’s among the top batters on the South Bend Cubs through the first month, consistent in the middle infield and unstoppable when he gets on base. There’s plenty of season left, but so far so good.
Zinn poses for a photo after taking batting practice inside the 1st Source Bank Performance Center. Photo credit: Ed McGregor
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM
2021 SOUTH BEND CUBS COACHING STAFF Michael Ryan - Manager
Ryan is the manager the South Bend Cubs after joining the organization in 2020. Prior to that, he spent seven seasons as a manager in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, including 2017-2019 at the helm of Double-A Altoona. He led the Curve to the Eastern League championship in 2017, the first of twostraight campaigns with Western Division titles. A former outfielder, Ryan compiled a .258 batting average, seven home runs and 35 RBI in 149 major league games with the Minnesota Twins and the Los Angeles Angels.
Tony Cougoule - Pitching Coach
Cougoule took over the pitching coach duties in South Bend after joining the Cubs organization in 2020. Previously, he coached in the same role at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA from 2010-2019, Southeastern Community College from 2008-2009, and Azusa Pacific University from 2006-2007. Cougoule played collegiate baseball at Mount Mercy in Cedar Rapids, IA, earning team MVP and all-conference honors in 2003 and completing his master’s degree in physical education from Azusa Pacific University in 2007.
Paul McAnulty - Hitting Coach
McAnulty returned to South Bend to serve as the team’s hitting coach. In 2019, he helped guide the club to their fourth Midwest League Championship in the same role. Beginning his tenure with the Cubs organization as a South Bend assistant coach in 2018, McAnulty was a hitting coach in the Angels farm system from 2014-2016. A former outfielder, he appeared in five major league seasons with the San Diego Padres from 2005-2008 and Angels in 2010.
Eric Patterson - Assistant Hitting Coach
Patterson began his second year with the Cubs organization and assumes the duties of assistant hitting coach for South Bend. In 2019, he served as head coach of the Gwinnett Tides in the Sunbelt League (Georgia collegiate summer baseball). In 226 major league games, he batted .217 with 20 doubles, seven triples, 10 homers and 50 RBI. Patterson was selected by the Cubs in the eighth round of the 2004 draft out of Georgia Tech.
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM
SOUTH BEND CUBS TEAM ROSTER CURRENT AS OF MAY 28, 2021
MAX BAIN
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM
from parma to the pros
Matteo Bocchi's Journey from Italy to South Bend By Max Thoma
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occhi started playing baseball while attending elementary school in Parma, Italy. Two of his classmates came to class and asked if anyone else wanted to tryout for a club baseball team and Bocchi and eight other members of his class joined in to help field an 11-man team. When he was still just a kid his Emilia Little League team qualified for the 2008 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. The Italian squad didn’t win in a game in the tournament but the real accomplishment was simply getting there in the first place. “We were the first Italian team to actually make it to Little League World Series in over 70 years," said Bocchi. The right-handed pitcher always wanted to come to the United States to play baseball, ever since he a was a kid watching his favorite player Manny Ramirez play in the postseason, the first MLB game he says he ever tuned in to watch. And when Bocchi was 17 years old he took a major step in that direction by attending an MLB showcase that takes place in Europe every year. The advice he got from pro scouts there was that he had a projectable body but didn’t have the stuff to get signed right now. They told him he should try to come to the U.S. and play collegiately. A Balitmore Orioles scout invited Bocchi to attend the International Stars Showcase, after which he received a few offers and wound up accepting the opportunity to go play at Odessa College in Texas. Odessa is a two-year junior college and Bocchi was fortunate enough to see a big
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uptick in his workload and his numbers on the mound between those two seasons. As a freshman in 2016 he threw 33.2 innings and finished with an ERA of 6.15, but his sophomore campaign he logged 61.2 innings, a 4.23 ERA and finished with a record of 6-4 in 11 starts. “My goal was always to play pro baseball and college was a way to get to that goal," he said. "When I got to Odessa I had all the resources available to me to get better so I started reading more and getting to know what main factors could make me better. So I started eating more and working out more and my body got stronger, I gained some velocity and understood how to pitch a little more. That was really what helped me improve there and helped me get to the next level.” Coming from Italy where they don’t have collegiate sports, Bocchi didn’t know the nuances of junior college baseball versus playing baseball at a four-year college. His teammates and some coaches informed him he should look at attending another school after finishing his two years at Odessa. And when the University of Texas came calling, Bocchi knew he would end up is Austin. Bocchi’s first year at Texas he was teammates with Kody Clemens, the son of seventime Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champ Roger Clemens. “Roger was always there to help us, he was super nice, invited us over for dinner at Continued on page 26...
Matteo Bocchi pitching in relief vs. Quad Cities. (May 8, 2021) Instagram @SBCubs
FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ...Continued from page 24 his house,” Bocchi said. “The advice he would give us was always to attack the zone and have the mentality that you’re better than every hitter.” And that approach helped him to a 4-1 record with a 3.05 ERA mainly serving as a reliever in 2018.
Bocchi throwing from his three-quarter arm slot. Photo credit: Ed McGregor (May 8, 2021) The next fall is when the right-hander dropped down to the three-quarter arm slot you see him pitching from today. His pitching coach urged him to make the transition and in his senior season he was even better, finishing the year with a 2.45 ERA in 33 innings. Second-year Texas Head Coach David Pierce even turned to Bocchi to make a start with a trip to the College World Series on the line. Texas dropped game one of a super regional vs. Tennessee Tech which meant they needed to win the next two to make it to Omaha. “I was not in the starting rotation, and
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right after we won game two I was informed about the game three start,” Bocchi explained. “Right after we won the coach looked at me and said, ‘you’re starting tomorrow.' " Bocchi made his fourth start of the season the next day and tossed a season-high five innings, allowing just one run en route to a 5-2 win. Texas lost their first two games at the College World Series and got eliminated by number one overall seed Florida. But Bocchi, who played at the Little League World Series and who threw a nine-inning complete game shutout for Italy in the 2013 Under-18 World Cup, added another impressive accomplishment to the resumé. But the biggest accomplishment was still yet to come. On June 3, 2019 the MLB First-Year Player Draft got started, and on June 5 the draft concluded. Bocchi never heard his name called. However, just days later, it was the Chicago Cubs who made an offer. “It went from one of the worst days of my life to one of the best days of my life. I get called throughout the draft about maybe going top-10 rounds, then top-15 or top-20, and then I thought my goal of playing pro baseball was over when I didn’t get picked. I Continued on page 28...
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM ...Continued from page 26 was waiting for a miracle, and then the Cubs called me and I didn’t hesitate. Then I called my family and my friends, it was hard to even understand this was real.” Bocchi had a great first season in pro baseball. The Italian made eight appearances in the Arizona League, seven appearances with short-season Eugene and even one appearance in triple-a Iowa. He finished the year with just over 30 innings pitched, an ERA of 2.97 and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.5. “I only pitched one game in Eugene and the coach came up to me and said, ‘you’re going to Iowa.' I thought it was a joke and then I got the email with my flight so I was very surprised. It was an unreal moment, I didn’t think I’d be going from short-season baseball to triple-a… It was awesome, especially to throw a no-hit two and two-thirds innings in Iowa.” 2020 though, as it was for everyone, would be a different story. But not necessarily one with a bad ending. Bocchi was back home in Italy when the
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pandemic hit in March and called the Cubs Vice President of Player Development, Matt Dorey, to try to get him a flight to the United States so he wouldn’t be locked-down in Italy. Dorey informed him the MiLB season was being cancelled and to stay put. While locked in his house Bocchi still kept a regular workout schedule in his garage and spent two months throwing pitches into a blanket. And while it may have seemed rather
Bocchi pitching in his first outing ever at Four Winds Field. Photo credit: Ed McGregor (May 8, 2021)
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JUNE 2021 bleak at the time, the story actually took a rather positive turn. After two months the Italian Baseball League started playing again and while no one in the minors in the U.S. was getting a chance to play in live meaningful games, Bocchi made 12 appearances with Bologna and ultimately helped them win the league title.
“At the end of the day when I look back I was one of only maybe a few players that actually got the chance to play a decent level of baseball for the entire season.” Bocchi’s experience in the Italian League gave him some semblance of a normal offseason. Then he found himself In South Bend, pitching at the high-a level for the first time in his career to start the season. And ess than one month into the season he'd already been promoted to double-a Tennessee. Bocchi is on the rise. Only seven players have ever come from Italy and made it to the major leagues, and former Seattle Mariner Alex Liddi is the only one to have graced an MLB field since 1962. So as the Italian relief pitcher conitnues his climb through the Cubs farm system, he approaches a summit rarely reached. “To make it there would be history for my country and that would be history for me,” Bocchi said enthusiastically. “I mean like that’s the goal I’ve had since I was a little kid, that’s the dream.”
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM
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7
FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM Cole Roederer OF Full Name: Cole Roederer
Height: 6’0”
Born: Newhall, CA
Weight: 183
Resides: Acton, CA
B/T: L/L
Opening Day Age: 21
DOB: 9/24/99
Acquired: Round 2C 2018 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 2
Original: Round 2C 2018 Draft by CHC
College: N/A
Year
Team
ORG
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
2018
Mesa 2
League Level AZL
R
CHC
.275
36
142
30
39
4
4
5
24
18
37
13
4
.354
.465
.819
2019
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
.224
108
384
45
86
19
4
9
60
52
112
16
5
.319
.365
.684
.238
144
526
75
125
23
8
14
84
70
149
29
9
.328
.392
.720
MiLB Totals
21
Brennen Davis
Height: 6’4”
Born: Chandler, AZ
Weight: 210
Resides: Chandler, AZ
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 21
DOB: 11/2/99
Acquired: 2nd round of 2018 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 2
Original: 2nd round of 2018 Draft by CHC Year
Team
2018
Mesa 2
AZL
2019
South Bend
MID
League Level
College: N/A
ORG
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
R
CHC
.298
18
57
9
17
2
0
0
3
10
12
6
1
.431
.333
.764
A
CHC
.305
50
177
33
54
9
3
8
30
18
38
4
1
.381
.525
.907
.303
68
234
42
71
11
3
8
33
28
50
10
2
.391
.479
.869
MiLB Totals
24
OF
Full Name: Brennen Davis
Nelson Velazquez
Full Name: Nelson Javier Velazquez
Height: 6’0”
Born: Carolina, Puerto Rico
Weight: 190
Resides: Carolina, Puerto Rico
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 22
DOB: 12/26/98
Acquired: 5th round of 2017 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 3
Original: 5th round of 2017 Draft by CHC
College: N/A
OF
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
2017
Cubs 1
AZL
R
CHC
.236
32
110
26
26
5
2
8
17
15
39
5
2
.333
.536
.869
2018
South Bend
MWL
A
CHC
.188
31
112
6
21
1
0
0
7
7
43
3
0
.242
.196
.438
2019
Cubs 2
AZL
R
CHC
.316
6
19
4
6
1
0
2
5
2
5
0
0
.381
.684
1.065
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
.286
72
262
33
75
16
4
4
34
21
77
5
3
.338
.424
.762
Eugene
NOR
SS-A
CHC
.250
72
264
35
66
18
2
11
33
23
81
12
4
.322
.458
.780
.253
213
767
104
194
41
8
25
96
68
245
25
9
.319
.425
.744
MiLB Totals
32
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FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM 11
Chase Strumpf
Full Name: Chase Aaron Strumpf
Height: 6'1”
Born: Atlanta, GA
Weight: 170
Resides: Dana Point, CA
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 23
DOB: 3/8/98
Acquired: 2nd Round of 2019 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 1
Original: 2nd Round of 2019 Draft by CHC
INF
College: UCLA
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
2019
Cubs 2
AZL
R
CHC
.182
7
22
5
4
3
0
0
1
7
7
0
0
.406
.318
.724
Eugene
NWL
SS-A
CHC
.292
26
89
17
26
8
0
2
14
15
28
2
0
.405
.449
.855
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
.125
6
24
3
3
1
0
1
2
1
7
0
0
.214
.292
.506
.244
39
125
25
33
12
0
3
17
23
42
2
0
.374
.400
MiLB Totals
3
Delvin Zinn
Full Name: Delvin Zinn
Height: 5'10”
Born: Pontotoc, MS
Weight: 170
Resides: Pontotoc, MS
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 24
DOB: 5/29/97
Acquired: 23rd Round of 2016 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 4
Original: 23rd Round of 2016 Draft by CHC
College: Itawamba CC
Year
Team
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
2016
Mesa
AZL
R
CHC
.182
11
33
1
6
1
0
0
2
1
12
0
2
.206
.212
.418
2017
Mesa
AZL
R
CHC
.228
40
114
16
26
6
1
0
9
12
31
3
1
.302
.298
.600
2018
South Bend
MWL
A
CHC
.286
59
217
17
62
3
1
1
21
14
37
3
6
.335
.323
.658
2019
South Bend
MWL
A
CHC
.273
64
231
38
63
11
2
2
14
18
58
14
3
.341
.364
.705
Myrtle Beach
CAR
A+
CHC
.242
53
198
27
48
10
0
0
13
12
40
16
5
.297
.293
.590
.259
227
79
99
205
31
4
3
59
57
178
36
17
.317
.319
17
League Level ORG
.774
INF
MiLB Totals
Tyler Durna
Full Name: Tyler Ryan Durna
Height: 6'0”
Born: Chino Hills, CA
Weight: 205
Resides: Chino Hills, CA
B/T: L/L
Opening Day Age: 24
DOB: 11/13/96
Acquired: 15th Round of 2018 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 2
Original: 15th Round of 2018 Draft by CHC
.636
INF
College: UCSD
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
AVG
G
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
K
SB
CS
OBP
SLG
OPS
2018
Cubs 2
AZL
R
CHC
.364
3
11
2
4
1
0
0
7
1
2
0
0
.357
.455
.812
Eugene
NWL
SS-A
CHC
.259
24
81
10
21
3
2
1
8
9
17
0
0
.333
.383
.716
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
.304
76
263
33
80
21
1
4
42
31
38
2
6
.387
.437
.824
Myrtle Beach
CAR
A+
CHC
.253
24
87
14
22
5
0
0
10
4
15
1
0
.316
.310
.626
.287
127
442
59
127
30
3
5
67
45
72
2
6
.363
.403
.765
2019
MiLB Totals
MICHIANA'S MORNING NEWS
34
Facebook.com/SouthBendCubs
FIRST PITCH GAME PROGRAM 25
Peyton Remy
Full Name: Peyton Michael Remy
RHP
Height: 6'2”
Born: Parker, CO
Weight: 170
Resides: Parker, CO
B/T: L/R
Opening Day Age: 24
DOB: 8/20/96
Acquired: 17th Round of 2017 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 3
Original: 17th Round of 2017 Draft by CHC
College: Central Arizona College
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
W-L
ERA
G
GS
CG
SHO
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
HB
BB
K
2017
Cubs 1
AZL
R
CHC
0-0
7.50
5
0
0
0
1
6.0
7
6
5
0
0
5
10 59
2018
Cubs 1
AZL
R
CHC
6-1
2.58
11
7
0
0
1
52.1
40
16
15
3
2
13
2019
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
4-4
2.80
23
12
0
0
2
80.1
55
28
25
4
3
35
73
10-5
2.92
39
19
0
0
4
138.2
102
50
45
7
5
53
142
MiLB Totals
19
Derek Casey
Full Name: Derek Olof Henrik Casey
RHP
Height: 6'2”
Born: Mechanicsville, VA
Weight: 190
Resides: Mechanicsville, VA
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 25
DOB: 2/15/96
Acquired: 9th Round of 2018 Draft by CHC
Pro Exp.: 2
Original: 9th Round of 2018 Draft by CHC
College: Virginia
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
W-L
ERA
G
GS
CG
SHO
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
HB
BB
2018
Eugene
NWL
SS-A
CHC
0-0
5.87
5
3
0
0
0
7.2
6
5
5
1
0
3
5
2019
South Bend
MID
A
CHC
5-7
5.02
22
21
0
0
1
104.0
112
65
58
13
3
33
82
5-7
5.08
27
24
0
0
1
111.2
118
70
63
14
3
36
87
MiLB Totals
8
Eury Ramos
RHP
Full Name: Eury Manuel Ramos (Ulloa)
Height: 6'3"
Born: Guananico, D.R.
Weight: 152
Resides: Guananico, D.R.
B/T: R/R
Opening Day Age: 23
DOB: 10/10/97
Acquired: Signed as NDFA, 2014 by Cubs
Pro Exp.: 5
Original: Signed as NDFA, 2014 by Cubs
K
College: N/A
Year
Team
League
Level
ORG
W-L
ERA
G
GS
CG
SHO
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
HB
BB
K
2015
DSL Cubs
DSL
R
CHC
0-1
4.41
14
4
0
0
1
32.2
32
23
16
2
4
13
24
2016
DSL Cubs 1
DSL
R
CHC
0-1
3.60
3
3
0
0
0
10.0
10
5
4
0
0
5
4
2017
Mesa
AZL
R
CHC
2-2
5.63
11
1
0
0
0
24.0
36
25
15
2
1
15
22
2018
DSL Cubs 2
DSL
R
CHC
0-0
2.25
2
2
0
0
0
8.0
2
2
2
1
0
4
7
Eugene
NOR
SS-A
CHC
2-5
6.29
12
9
0
0
0
44.1
51
35
31
4
3
21
41
4-9
5.14
42
19
0
0
1
119.0
131
90
68
9
8
58
98
MiLB Totals
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36
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