Iowa Cubs Minor League Free Agents
Baseball America published its annual list of minor league free agents earlier this month. There are 10 remaining free agents who played in the Chicago Cubs organization in 2017, with seven of them playing for Iowa this past season.
Baseball America published its annual list of minor league free agents earlier this month. There are 10 remaining free agents who played in the Chicago Cubs organization in 2017, with seven of them playing for Iowa this past season.
Andreoli has spent each of the last three seasons with the I-Cubs, appearing in 365 games. For his Iowa career, Andreoli batted .258 (340-for-1316) with 65 doubles, 21 triples, 31 home runs, 142 RBI and 102 stolen bases. He is second behind only Chico Walker (146) for most stolen bases in Iowa history. The speedy outfielder finished in the top two for stolen bases in the PCL in each of his three seasons in the league, including a league-leading 43 steals in 2016 and 26 steals in 2017, which were tied for most in the league.
Carroll made four starts for Iowa in 2017, going 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA (9ER/22.0IP) with eight walks and 16 strikeouts. The right-hander made his debut for the I-Cubs in game two of a doubleheader on August 15, after making 15 starts for the Kansas City T-Bones in the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball. Carroll has spent time in the Reds, White Sox, Rangers and Cubs organizations, making 47 appearances (19 starts) at the major league level for the White Sox from 2014-16.
Dominguez played 102 games for the 2017 Iowa Cubs, batting .284 (102-for-359) with 58 runs, 22 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 45 RBI and 12 stolen bases. The University of Louisville product made 66 starts at first base, 20 at third base, five in left field and two in right field. Dominguez strung together seven straight games with two or more hits from June 28 - July 4, becoming the first Iowa player to accomplish that feat since Javier Baez did it in August 2015. Dominguez has played a combined 22 major league games with San Francisco (2014) and Cincinnati (2015).
Freeman is the sole player on this list who played for the Chicago Cubs in 2017, appearing in 15 games. Chicago signed Freeman to a minor league contract on August 6 after he was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted .273 (21-for-77) with three doubles, two home runs, six RBI and three stolen bases for Iowa in 23 games. The middle infielder has spent time in the majors with the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Dodgers and Cubs in just two seasons (2016-17) and looks to latch onto a big league club as a utility infielder heading into 2018.
Ozzie Martinez - INF - Age: 29
Martinez appeared in 46 games for the I-Cubs this past season, batting .222 (32-for-144) with two doubles, one home run, 10 RBI and three stolen bases. The 29-year-old started 34 games at shortstop and five games at second base for Iowa. Martinez appeared in 34 big league games for the Florida Marlins from 2010-11, batting .258 (17-for-66) with four doubles, one triple, three RBI and one stolen base in his brief MLB stint.
Perez started 23 contests for the Iowa Cubs in 2017, accumulating a 7-10 record with a 5.01 ERA (67ER/120.1IP) to go along with 51 walks and 102 strikeouts. The right-hander rattled off victories in five consecutive starts for Iowa from June 15 - July 6. He tossed a seven-inning, complete-game shutout on August 17 in game two of a doubleheader. Perez spent time in the majors with Atlanta from 2015-16, going 9-9 with a 5.18 ERA in 34 games (31 starts).
Soto appeared in 81 games for the I-Cubs this past season, his second stint with Iowa. He previously played 29 games for Iowa in 2014, making him and John Andreoli the only players on this list to play for the I-Cubs in multiple seasons. In 2017, Soto batted .238 (58-for-244) with 15 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 29 RBI and five stolen bases. The smooth-fielding shortstop has spent time in the Cubs (2010-15, '17) and Marlins (2015-16) organizations.
Weeks played 63 games for Iowa in 2017, batting .235 (53-for-226) with 18 doubles, two triples, two home runs, 24 RBI and four stolen bases. The switch-hitter played five different positions for the I-Cubs: second base, third base and all three outfield spots. Weeks has spent time in five big league organizations, including big league time with the Athletics (2011-13), Orioles (2014), Red Sox (2014-15) and Padres (2016).
For Baseball America's full list of minor league free agents for the 2018 season, visit https://www.baseballamerica.com/statistics/players/mlfa.php.