Results tagged ‘ Barret Loux ’
Cubs invite 22 non-roster players to Mesa
Reliever Jaye Chapman was one of 22 players invited to Spring Training Friday.
(Photo by Stephen Green)
The clubhouse in Mesa, Ariz., will be a little more crowded later this month as the Cubs have invited 22 non-roster players to major league Spring Training camp. For some of the younger ballplayers, the invite serves as a chance to get acclimated to major league hitting or pitching. For the veterans, it could be another shot to break camp with a big league team.
The Cubs non-roster invitees include a mix of top prospects (Javier Baez, Nick Struck), familiar faces (Jaye Chapman, Casey Coleman, Blake Parker) and former major leaguers (Brent Lillibridge, Brian Bogusevic, Darnell McDonald).
Pitchers and catchers report to Mesa Feb. 12, and the first full squad workout is Feb. 17. Below is the complete list of non-roster invitees:
Right-handed pitchers: Drew Carpenter, Jaye Chapman, Casey Coleman, Dayan Diaz, Jensen Lewis, Barret Loux, Blake Parker, Zach Putnam, Nick Struck, Cory Wade
Left-handed pitchers: Hisanori Takahashi
Catchers: J.C. Boscan, Michael Brenly, Rafael Lopez
Infielders: Javier Baez, Alberto Gonzalez, Brent Lillibridge, Edwin Maysonet, Brad Nelson
Outfielders: Brian Bogusevic, Johermyn Chavez, Darnell McDonald
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 KFrom 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.
