Random stats of "the next IFA wave" from the cubs most recent splurge
Non-stateside
OF - Jonathan Sierra - Hit .264/.384/.341 in DSL with 14.1%/18.3% bb/k rates and also stole 12 bases in 263 PAs
Scouts compare him to Darryl Strawberry. Scouting on him prior to signing was below average defender but apparently scouts view him as a RF in the future. Power's not there yet with a .077 ISO. And keep in mind he was only 17 so while he's 6'3 he's only like 190 lbs right now. He's a lefty and wth that pretty impressive walk rate could move quickly. Not entirely sure what the super low minor OF depth is right now but he might have a shot to start in A ball. Of the top of my head, DJ Wilson and Kevonte Mitchel are both likely to be in A ball which might leave them with a shot for a LF. Cubs gave him $2.5 mil.
SS - Aramis Ademan - Hit .254/.366/.311 with 13.7%/11.3% bb/k rates and also stole 17 bases in 248 PAs.
Ademan was supposed to be the best defensive SS in the 2015 class. His .057 ISO shows there's not much power there and there probably isn't going to be more than average. But the fact he held his own in terms of average and OBP was a positive sign for a guy known for his glove. Cubs gave him $2 mil.
SS - Yonathan Perlaza - hit .256/.311/.386 with 7.3%/20.4% and also stole 17 bases in 245 PAs
Scouts compared him to a teenage Martin Prado. He's not the defender Ademan is but there is some hope he sticks at SS apparently. Unlike the first two, he's shown some decent power with a .130 ISO. Cubs gave him $1 mil.
C - Miguel Amaya - hit .245/.344/.322 with 8.7%/11.2% bb/k rates and also stole 9 bases in 242 PAs.
Amaya is sort of similar to Ademan in that when he was signed he was viewed as a glove first C. Of the guys who aren't stateside I personally think he is the most interesting because there's been some reports that his defense is possibly top 3 among all C prospects long term(see:
source). Like the rest he didn't hit for much power(.077 ISO) but like Ademan the fact he's holding his own is a big deal. There's just not many good C prospects. Cubs signed him for $1 mil
C - Henderson Perez - hit .226/.320/.284 with 10.1%/25.3% bb/k rates and stole 9 bases in 178 PAs.
I don't have much info on Perez. The guys above were more of the cream according to the typical scouting type places. That being said, money is general a good indicator of potential and Perez got $1.25 mil.
SS - Christopher Morel - didn't play near as I can tell but signed for $800k
RHP - Yunior Perez - 4.13/3.36 ERA/FIP with a 6.67 k/9 and a 2.54 bb/9
Perez signed for $600k. And while I previously mentioned money being a good indicator of talent, it's worth noting that IFA pitchers usually don't get a ton because they are very difficult to project. The top non-cuban pitcher in terms of signing bonus I believe was Jose Albertos(see below) who got $1.5 mil. I believe the #2 behind him was Alvaro Seijas who the cards gave $762,500 to. He apparently can throw 94 but doesn't have much else right now. He also has a good frame(6'4 190 lbs). So there's a lot of projection left.
LHP - Brailyn Marquez - 1.48/3.18 ERA/FIP with a 7.90/3.79 k/9 bb/9
Like Perez signed for $600k and like Perez has a decent frame(6-4/185). Little I dug up on him suggest he doesn't throw quite as hard and is more in the low 90's.
CF - Jose Gutierrez - .241/.291/.372 with 6.0%/15.1% and 12 SB.
Signed for $550k. Don't have much other info
2B - Luis Diaz - .247/.330/.309 with 8.1%/22.7% and 23 SB
Signed for $300k. Looks to have pretty good speed and hit decent enough.
C - Herson Perez - .213/.315/.277 with a 12.0%/21.3% and 9 SB
Signed for $250k
LHP - Faustino Carrera - 1.06/2.53 ERA/FIP 6.48/2.24 k/9 bb/9
Signed for $250k. On the smaller side(5-10/165) which may end up making him a reliever.
2B/3B - Orian Nunez - .278/.344/.394 with 9.3%/8.0% and 12 SB
Signed for $100k. Not much info on him but some what respectable numbers.
OF - Abraham Rodriguez - .255/.289/.355 with 4.2%/10.5% and 12 SB
Signed for $100k
Stateside
CF/RF - Eddy Martinez - At A ball not mesa mind you hit .254/.331/.380 with 9.7%/21.9% and 8 SB
Martinez is already in the cubs top 30 so I wont go on too much about him. He signed for $3 mil making him the highest paid guy and he was generally considered the highest rated. Those numbers don't look amazing but I believe he also basically had sat out an entire year from defecting and probably was a bit rusty. He also hit .266/.348/.379 vs RHP though LHP ate him up at .226/.288/.383. Also from may-july he was quite good hitting .280/.370/.433. I mentioned the rust in April(.235/.270/.353) but he also fell off hard in August(.217/.280/.293). It's possible he might have just been worn out by the end of the season. He played 126 games which his previous high in cuba was 40.
SP - Jose Albertos
Albertos has already popped up on some top 30 lists. Pretty advanced mexican pitcher who's a bit maxed out physically but who can throw upper 90's. Cubs shut him down before he had much action but unlike the first two he was in Mesa already.
SS - Isaac Paredes - hit .305/.359/.443 with a 7.0%/10.8% bb/k rate in Mesa and earned a 13 PA promotion to South Bend.
Paredes is apparently a bigger bodied guy who may be pushed to 3B but looks a bit like under valued find. Cubs signed him for $800k and making it to A ball before you turn 18 is seriously impressive. With an ISO of .138 in Mesa he's shown decent power so even if he does get pushed to 3B he's likely to be ok there. Like Torres this year he probably starts in A ball a 18. I'm not sure he'll reach quite the same prospect status Torres has so quickly but he's probably one to keep an eye on.
OF - Kwang-Min Kwon - hit .267/.353/.333 with 8.8%/29.4% though it was only over 34 PAs in mesa.
Signed for $1 mil. Won the Mesa HR derby but didn't play much this year.
C - Kevin Zamudio - hit .237/.291/.421 with 6.1%/29.1%
Signed for $150k. Apparently has decent power projection
RHP - Javier Assad - 2.87/3.59 ERA/FIP with a 10.04/3.11 k/9 and bb/9
Signed for $150k. Apparently throws 90-93. Some what decent size at 6-1/200. With that sort of k/bb ratio he's probably worth keeping an eye on. Any time you're hitting 10 k/9 it's worth watching especially considering 3 bb/9 while not amazing isn't terrible. Often you'll see high k rate pitchers have 4-5 bb/9 walk rates and still be considered top prospects at 10 k/9.
