A year after the Jose Quintana trade, Patrick Mooney wrote for The Athletic about the other guy in the deal. The Cubs drafted Dylan Cease in the fifth round with an overslot signing despite Tommy John surgery being in his immediate future, because he hit the mid-90s so easily with a suboptimal frame.
“We just wanted to make sure they were on the same page,” Lockhart said. “We have such a phenomenal rehab and nutrition program. The thing about Dylan was he was kind of a skinny high school kid. The fact that he was able to stay in Mesa at our complex that whole time, I think he put on 25 or 30 pounds.
“To be able to have our guys be with him from the first time he picked up a ball until he got on the mound for his first game was huge. It was kind of a perfect scenario. You hate for guys to get hurt. [But] for us to really be able to walk him through from Day 1 – and if there’s any hiccups in the delivery or whatever – it’s easier to kind of break down or start fresh. Plus, just feed him like crazy and put good weight on him."
Cease's emergence is probably what helped the White Sox stay in the top three among MLB Pipeline's farm system rankings despite Alec Hansen's big step back and Dane Dunning's injury.
Durham 6, Charlotte 4
- Eloy Jimenez raised his average to .387 by going 3-for-5 with a double.
- Jose Rondon went 1-for-5, and was caught stealing.
- Ryan Cordell was 1-for-5 with a homer and a strikeout.
- Seby Zavala, 1-for-4.
- Carson Fulmer: 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
Mobile 9, Birmingham 5
- Joel Booker went 0-for-4 with a walk, two strikeouts and a stolen base.
- Alex Call was 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.
- Zack Collins went 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout.
- Danny Mendic, 0-for-2 with a walk, sac fly and a strikeout.
- Jameson Fisher went 0-for-3 with a walk.
Winston-Salem 11, Down East 0
- Luis Gonzalez went 1-for-3 with a double, walk and strikeout.
- Nick Madrigal made his High-A debut, going 1-for-5.
- Blake Rutherford was 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk.
- Gavin Sheets, 1-for-5 with a strikeout.
- Laz Rivera went off: 4-for-5 with a triple and a double.
- Ti'Quan Forbes went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts.
- Blake Battenfield: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Missoula 7, Great Falls 6
- Lenyn Sosa and Amado Nunez both were 2-for-5 with a double.
- Romy Gonzalez doubled, singled, walked and struck out twice. He also stole his eighth base.
- Bryce Bush went 0-for-4 with a walk in his Pioneer League debut.
- Konnor Pilkington: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
AZL White Sox 5, AZL Angels 3 (Game 1, 8 innings)
- Cabera Weaver went 1-for-3 with a sac bunt.
- Camilo Quinteiro, 0-for-3 with a strikeout and a bunt.
- Luis Robert went 1-for-4 with a stolen base.
- Luis Mieses was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.
- Lency Delgado went 0-for-2 with a walk and an HBP.
- Harvin Mendoza, 0-for-2 with a walk.
- Sam Abbott was 0-for-1 as a pinch hitter.
- Anderson Comas wnet 1-for-3 with a double.
- Kleyder Sanhez singled, walked and hit a sac fly.
- Kelvin Maldonado went 1-for-3 with a strikeout.
AZL White Sox 6, AZL Angels 5 (Game 2, 7 innings)
- Luis Robert played center and did damage offensively: 3-for-3 with a triple, double and stolen base.
- Luis Mieses was 0-for-3.
- Sam Abbott walked, struck out twice and was picked off.
- Josue Guerrero and Kelvin Maldonado were both 1-for-3.
- Brayant Nova, 0-for-2 with a strikeout.
- Hunter Kiel: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
DSL Orioles 5, DSL White Sox 3
- Harold Diaz went 1-for-4.
- Jose Rodriguez was 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He was also caught stealing.
