Prospectus Preview: 2012 Trades/Claims, Barret Loux

(Photo by Alex Yocum-Beeman/Frisco RoughRiders)

Other Prospectus Previews: 

• Down the Pipeline / Jeimer Candelario

• Close to the Majors / Nick Struck

Are you a pitcher? Do you have an electric arm or good peripheral statistics? Do you have a top-round pedigree but were pushed off the 40-man roster while you rehab from Tommy John or shoulder surgery?

Congrats, you’ve probably been scouted—or already acquired—by the Cubs.

It’s a joke the front office makes about itself, as the first year-plus of the Epstein/Hoyer/McLeod Era has proved the Cubs will acquire arms any way they can. Arodys Vizcaino and Hector Rondon could turn out to be steals if they end up as starters, though they’d also have plenty of utility as back-end relievers. Meanwhile, Barret Loux and Carlos Gutierrez are former first-rounders who have undergone shoulder surgeries. Of course, this list doesn’t include veterans like Scott Baker, who the Cubs hope will be a starting rotation bargain in his comeback from elbow reconstruction.

Loux is just one of more than 60 players covered in Vine Line’s annual Minor League Prospectus, which hits newsstands in February, with single issues available by calling 800-618-8377. It’s a perfect guide for Spring Training and beyond.

P | BARRET LOUX
Ht./Wt.: 6-5/215
B/T: R/R
Born: 4/6/89 in Houston, Texas
Acquired: 2012 Trade (TEX for G. Soto)
Tools: Pitchability, Slider
2012 STATS (AA): 3.47 ERA, 127.0 IP, 120 H, 41 BB, 100 K

From sixth-overall pick to unsigned free agent, it’s hard to imagine a more chaotic summer than Loux’s in 2010. The Diamondbacks declined to sign the Texas A&M ace after a physical uncovered a torn labrum. He’s since had two successful seasons with the Rangers, including a 2012 campaign that earned him Double-A Texas League Player of the Year honors. He is a four-pitch guy with an 89-93 mph fastball and a slider that is probably his best out pitch. He’s likely more of an innings-eating depth guy, as his stuff rates average across the board.

Other players featured in this section: Infielder Christian Villanueva; Pitchers Arodys Vizcaino, Hunter Cervenka and Hector Rondon.

Plus, tidbits on RHP Marcelo Carreño, RHP Carlos Gutierrez, RHP Kyle Hendricks and RHP Jaye Chapman.