RHP Adbert Alzolay, RHP Oscar De La Cruz and INF David Bote added to Cubs’ 40-man roster
The Cubs selected the contracts of right-handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay and infielder David Bote from Double-A Tennessee, and right-handed pitcher Oscar De La Cruz from High-A Myrtle Beach.
And OF Jacob Hannemann cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa.
With Monday’s roster moves, the Cubs’ 40-man roster stands at 36 players.
Adbert Alzolay, 22, combined to go 7-4 with a 2.99 ERA (38 earned runs in 114 1/3 innings) and a 1.10 WHIP in 22 starts last year between Myrtle Beach and Tennessee, earning mid-season Carolina League All-Star honors along the way before reaching the Double-A level for the first time in his career. Alzolay also pitched for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League and earned Rising Star status.
The Venezuela native was originally signed by the Cubs as a non-roster free agent on Dec. 6, 2012 and has gone 29-18 with a 3.30 ERA (140 earned runs in 382 innings) with a 1.10 WHIP in 81 career professional appearances, 60 as a starter, covering five minor league seasons. Alzolay went 6-2 with a 2.04 ERA (12 earned runs in 53 innings) and a 0.83 WHIP in 12 outings (three starts) with short-season Single-A Eugene in 2015 before earning mid-season Midwest League All-Star honors in 2016 with South Bend, his first full-season league, when he went 9-4 with a 4.34 ERA (58 earned runs in 120 1/3 innings IP) and a 1.22 WHIP in 22 appearances, 20 as a starter.
David Bote, 24, was named a mid-season and post-season Southern League All Star in 2017 after batting .272/.353/.428 (128-for-470) with 30 doubles and 14 homers for a .792 OPS. Bote drove in 59 runs in 127 games with Tennessee. Bote posted a .353 on-base percentage and a .438 slugging percentage, good for a .792 OPS. Bote was also named an Arizona Fall League Rising Star after batting .333 (23-for-69) with four doubles, 14 RBI, a .395 on-base percentage, a .536 slugging percentage and a .931 OPS.
The right-handed batter and thrower was selected by the Cubs in the 18th round of the 2012 Draft and is a career .262/.351/.400/.792 hitter (486-for-1,855) with 117 doubles, 11 triples, 39 homers and 237 RBI in 547 minor league games covering the last six seasons. He is a native of Longmont, CO.
Oscar De La Cruz, 22, went 4-3 with a 3.46 ERA (21 earned runs in 54 2/3 innings) and a 1.24 WHIP in 12 starts for Myrtle Beach last season. Overall, De La Cruz has gone 20-10 with a 2.83 ERA (80 earned runs in 254 2/3 innings) and a 1.09 WHIP in 53 minor league appearances, all but four as a starter, covering the last five seasons. De La Cruz earned 2015 mid-season and post-season Northwest League All Star honors when he went 6-3 with a 2.84 ERA (23 earned runs in 73 innings) and a 1.00 WHIP in 13 starts with Eugene. De La Cruz was limited to nine starts in 2016.
The Dominican Republic native began this year ranked as the number five prospect in the Cubs’ system by Baseball America. He originally signed with the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent on Oct. 1, 2012 as an infielder but converted to a pitcher in 2013.
Notable omissions include INF/OF Chesny Young, OF Jeffrey Baez, RHP Trevor Clifton, RHP David Garner, LHP Carson Sands, OF Charcer Burks, LHP Jose Paulino and RHP Jake Stinnett (click here for the most in-depth list of players in the Cubs’ system, and explanation of the Rule 5 Draft, that is available). These players have been left unprotected and are now eligible for the Rule 5 Draft next month.
