Oscar De La Cruz

Forearm soreness kept De La Cruz on the shelf until mid-July, but he was stellar across three stops, making the majority of his starts with Low-A South Bend. He gave up more than one run in just three of his nine starts and struck out six or more on six occasions despite never logging more than five innings. While De La Cruz is entering his age-22 season, he only has 198 innings of game pitching under his belt, as the Cubs converted him from shortstop to pitcher after signing him in 2012. His low-to-mid-90s fastball is a plus offering with late life that he commands well. An above-average curveball is his second best pitch. Given his lack of experience, it is not surprising that his changeup is still a work in progress, lagging behind the rest of his repertoire. His athletic 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame leads to projected gains in command and possibly velocity. De La Cruz has the ceiling of a No. 2 starter and floor of a setup man. Next up will be showing he can push 100 innings in a season.