The Cubs announced Thursday the team signed OF Donnie Dewees, OF D.J. Wilson and 11 other draft picks including LHP Tyler Peitzmeier. The Cubs have signed eight of the team’s first 10 round picks in the draft.
Donnie Dewees and D.J. Wilson both signed over-slot deals. Dewees signed for $1.7 million ($1,292,100 pick value) and Wilson signed for $1.3 million ($503,100 pick value). The Cubs have committed $6,438,700 of its $7,236,100 signing bonus pool. The signing bonuses given to players outside of the first 10 rounds are unknown at this point.
Overall, the Cubs have signed 25 selections, including the following 13 new signees since the team’s last official update: OF Donnie Dewees (second round), OF Darryl (D.J.) Wilson (fourth round), LHP Tyler Peitzmeier (ninth round), 3B Matt Rose (11th round), LHP Kyle Twomey (13th round), RHP Kyle Miller (19th round), OF Alex Bautista (22nd round), SS Sutton Whiting (24th round), C Ian Rice (29th round), C Tyler Payne (30th round), OF Daniel Spingola (31st round), RHP M.T. Minacci (33rd round) and OF Donnie Cimino (37th round).
According to Mark Gonzales, RHP Fitz Stadler will honor his commitment to ASU (Arizona State). The Cubs selected the Glenbrook South High standout in the 32nd round of the draft.
OF Donnie Dewees
Donnie Dewees, 21, was named a semi-finalist for the 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award and was named the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year. The redshirt sophomore batted .422 (106-for-251) with 88 runs, 12 doubles, eight triples, 18 home runs and 68 RBI in 60 games for North Florida this season. Thanks to 30 walks compared to 16 strikeouts, the left-handed hitter recorded a .483 on-base percentage and a .749 slugging percentage, good for a 1.232 OPS. He led the nation in hits (106), runs, slugging percentage and total bases (188).
Earlier in 2015, Dewees held the nation’s longest hitting streak of 31 games, and he recorded two hit streaks of 16 games or more this season, helping the Ospreys to their first Atlantic Sun regular season championship.
Dewees in 2014 hit .340 (51-for-150) with 31 runs, nine doubles, one triple, three homers, 20 RBI and 20 walks for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod League. In 2013 with North Florida, the five-foot, 11-inch, 180-pounder was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American. A native of Crystal River, Fla., Dewees graduated from Crystal River High School.
OF Darryl (D.J.) Wilson
D.J. Wilson (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) was committed to Vanderbilt before the Cubs selected him in the fourth round and bought him out of his college commitment. The lefty hitting Wilson possesses well-above average speed but little power. He has the tools to be a quality centerfielder and makes accurate throws with average arm strength.
Wilson has excellent bat speed according to Baseball America with solid contact skills and “some ability to drive the ball.” Wilson has drawn comps to the White Sox’s Adam Eaton.
LHP Tyler Peitzmeier
Tyler Peitzmeier (6-foot-2, 210 pounds) was Cal State Fullerton’s closer and was third in the nation with 16 saves. Peitzmeier throws from a high arm slot and relies on deception to get swings and misses according to Baseball America. Peitzmeier throws his fastball in the mid-to-upper 80s and has a “fringy breaking ball.” His best pitch is a solid-average changeup with good sink.
This past season, Peitzmeier was 5-3 in 30 games with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Along with the 16 saves, Peitzmeier allowed 16 runs, 14 earned, on 52 hits with 11 walks and 58 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings.
Tyler Peitzmeier finished his four-year college career with a 9-3 record in 97 games with a 1.89 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Peitzmeier struck out 112 batters with 29 walks in 124 innings.
3B Matt Rose
The Cubs drafted Matt Rose as a third baseman and his signing was announced as a third baseman, but he was added to Short-Season Eugene’s roster as a right-handed pitcher. Rose had success in college as a position player and a pitcher.
As one point this past season, Rose led the country in home runs. Rose has a lot of power in his 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame. An arm injury limited his time on the mound the last two years. And he played first base for Georgia State this year.
Rose batted .289/.391/.613 in 53 games with 16 doubles, a triple and 16 home runs for a 1.004 OPS.
Rose pitched in only three games, 2 2/3 innings, this past season. In three years at Georgia State, Rose appeared in 23 games and made seven starts. He was 4-3, saved seven games and allowed 25 runs, 20 earned, on 54 hits with 26 walks and 53 strikeouts in 59 innings (3.05 ERA, 1.36 WHIP).
The Cubs have not announced their plans for Matt Rose.
LHP Kyle Twomey
Kyle Twomey is 6-foot-3, 170 pounds and is 21 years old (Dec. 29). The lefty from USC was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Oakland A’s. Twomey went to college instead.
Twomey throws his fastball in the upper-80s and can hit the low-90s but he did not add the velocity many thought he would in college or add strength to his frame. His changeup is his best secondary pitch but features a below-average “get-me over curveball.”
This past season, Twomey was 8-2 in 16 starts with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. In 93 2/3 innings, Twomey gave up 36 runs, 30 earned, on 87 hits with 38 walks and 68 strikeouts.
RHP Kyle Miller
Kyle Miller had good numbers this past season for Florida Atlantic. The 6-foot-2, 165 pound right hander was 7-3 in 16 starts with a 3.62 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP. Miller gave up 43 runs, 33 earned, on 92 hits with 18 walks and 62 strikeouts in 82 innings.
The Cubs have not said if he will be used as a starter or a reliever. Scouting information about Kyle Miller was not available.
OF Alex Bautista
Alex Bautista played infield and outfield for Lindsey Wilson College. The 6-foot, 195 pound right hander turns 22 in September. Bautista was named a NAIA Baseball First Team All-American. In 60 games, Bautista batted .371/.466/.728 with 13 doubles, three triples and 19 home runs. Bautista walked 24 times with 34 strikeouts in 213 at bats with 27 stolen bases.
Alex Bautista hit .394/.441/.673 in 51 games as a sophomore for Clarendon College. Bautista had 17 doubles, four triples and seven home runs. Bautista was 21-for-22 in stolen base attempts.
SS Sutton Whiting
Sutton Whiting is a switch-hitting infielder that really bounced back during his senior season at Louisville. Whiting is 5-foot-8, 170 pounds and turned 23 in May. Whiting had given up switch-hitting until this past season. He is a natural right handed hitter, but according to Baseball America, his speed and approach worked better from the left side and that led to him only hitting as a lefty until his senior year. Whiting projects as a utility infielder in pro ball. He is not projected to hit enough to be an everyday player.
Whiting batted .302/.407/.369 in 63 games this past season with a .776 OPS. Whiting had 13 doubles and two triples with 38 walks and 54 strikeouts. In four seasons (208 games) with Louisville, Whiting batted .274/.388/.348 with 23 doubles, nine triples and three home runs for a .736 OPS.
C Ian Rice
Ian Rice is 6-foot, 200 pounds and hits and throws from the right side. In 55 games for Houston this past season, Rice batted .255/.427/.364 with nine doubles and three home runs.
The 21-year old catcher finished his college career with a .278/.425/.392 line that included 17 doubles, a triple and four home runs in 92 games for a .817 OPS.
C Tyler Payne
The Cubs selected the 5-foot-10, 210 pound Tyler Payne in the 30th round. Payne hit .355 during his college career with 15 home runs and 86 RBI in 146 games. This past season for West Virginia State, Payne hit .354/.413/.571 with 24 doubles, a triple and four home runs.
OF Daniel Spingola
Daniel Spingola is 6-foot-1, 173 pounds. The 22-year old outfielder hits and bats from the left side. This past season at Georgia Tech, he batted .259/.341/.346 with eight doubles, a triple, two home runs and a .687 OPS. As a junior, Spingola hit .319/.384/.451 in 64 games with nine doubles, eight triples and three home runs for a .835 OPS.
RHP M.T. Minacci
M.T. (Michael Thomas) Minacci is 6-foot, 170 pounds. Minacci is a right hander and turned 20 in June. Minacci attended high school at North Florida Christian in Tallahassee.
There is not much information, scouting or statistical, available on Minacci.
OF Donnie Cimino
Donnie Cimino was a two-sport athlete at Wesleyan University (baseball and football) and left Wesleyan as its all-time hits leader (240). Cimino hit .362 with a .478 OBP that included nine doubles, two triples and three home runs with 15 walks in 41 games (163 at bats) this past season.
Cimino is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and bats and hits from the right side. Cimino played center field for Wesleyan this past season.
2015 Draft Results
Cubs 2015 First-Year Player Draft
The Cubs signing bonus pool for the first 10 rounds of this year’s draft is $7,236,100 million. If the Cubs sign a player in rounds 11-40 for more than $100,000, the excess is counted against the team’s bonus pool. If the Cubs draft a player in the first 10 rounds they are unable sign, the assigned slot value is removed from their bonus pool allotment.
Draft Picks and Assigned Values for the Cubs first 10 rounds:
- Round One (Pick #9) – $3,351,000 – OF/2B Ian Happ – Signed: $3,000,000
- Round Two (Pick #47) – $1,292,100 – OF Donnie Dewees – Signed: $1,700,000
- Round Three (Pick #82) – $731,000 – LHP Bryan Hudson
- Round Four (Pick #113) – $503,100 – OF D.J. (Darryl) Wilson – Signed: $1,300,000
- Round Five (Pick #143) – $376,700 – LHP Ryan Kellogg – Signed: $376,700
- Round Six (Pick #173) – $281,900 – RHP David Berg – Signed: $50,000
- Round Seven (Pick #203) – $211,300 – RHP Craig Brooks – Signed: $5,000
- Round Eight (Pick #233) – $174,200 – RHP Preston Morrison
- Round Nine (Pick #263) – $162,800 – LHP Tyler Peitzmeier – Signed: $5,000
- Round Ten (Pick #293) – $152,000 – SS Vimael Machin – Signed: $2,000
- Round Eleven (Pick #323) – 3B Matt Rose – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Thirteen (Pick #383) – LHP Kyle Twomey – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Sixteen (Pick #473) – CF Michael Foster – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Seventeen (Pick #503) – RHP Casey Bloomquist – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Nineteen (Pick #563) – RHP Kyle Miller – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty (Pick #593) – 3B Blake Headley – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-One (Pick #623) – RHP Jared Cheek – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Two (Pick #653) – OF Alex Bautista – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Three (Pick #683) – LHP John Williamson – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Four (Pick #713) – SS Sutton Whiting – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Five (Pick #743) – C Marcus Mastrobuoni – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Seven (Pick #803) – 2B Angelo Amendolare – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Twenty-Nine (Pick #863) – C Ian Rice – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Thirty (Pick #893) – C Tyler Payne – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Thirty-One (Pick #923) – OF Daniel Spingola – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Thirty-Three (Pick #983) – RHP M.T. Minacci – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
- Round Thirty-Seven (Pick #1,103) – OF Donnie Cimino – Signed: (Bonus Unknown)
Cubs Announce Signing OF Ian Happ, and Nine Draft Picks [June 19] – Report includes information on OF/2B Ian Happ, LHP Ryan Kellogg, RHP Dave Berg, RHP Craig Brooks, INF Vimael Machin, INF Blake Headley, RHP Jared Cheek, LHP John Williamson, C Marcus Mastrobuoni and INF Angelo Amendolare.