Your 2014 VSL Cubs!
The VSL Cubs begin their 68-game 2014 season tomorrow morning with a game against the VSL Phillies.
The Venezuelan Summer League (known as the "VSL") was established as an MLB affiliated "Foreign Rookie League" in 1997, and was designed for players from countries in South and Central America like Venezuela, Panama, Nicaragua, Colombia, Brazil, and Curacao. Players from the Dominican Republic can play in the VSL, although most Dominican players who haven't yet graduated to North American minor leagues play in the Dominican Summer League (DSL). Also, U. S. and Canadian players cannot play in a "Foreign Rookie League" (the VSL and DSL), and no more than two Puerto Rican players can be on a VSL team's roster.
The VSL started with just six teams, but by 2001 the league had doubled in size to twelve teams. However, the league struggled to survive the first decade of the 21st century, and after the Pirates and Reds transferred their VSL affiliates to the Dominican Summer League after the 2011 season (creating DSL Pirates #2 and a second DSL Reds team known as "DSL Rojos"), there were only four VSL teams left (VSL Rays, VSL Phillies, VSL Tigers, and VSL Mariners).
The Cubs established their first "Foreigh Rookie League" team (DSL Cubs) in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) in 1997 (they had been providing players to various DSL co-op teams 1991-96), but the Cubs did not participate in the VSL until 2007, when a Cubs/Twins co-op team existed for just one season, The Cubs then established a second DSL team (DSL Cubs #2) in 2008 as the VSL Cubs/Twins co-op team folded. The Cubs operated two DSL teams (DSL Cubs #1 and DSL Cubs #2) for five sesaons (2008-12), and Venezuelan players deemed not yet ready for the AZL Cubs (Arizona Rookie League) were assigned to one of the two DSL affiliates. But then (somewhat surprisingly) the Cubs decided to transfer their second DSL team (DSL Cubs #2) to the VSL (locating the team in Los Guayos), creating a "VSL Cubs" team in 2013 that added a 5th team to the VSL (bucking the recent trend of MLB clubs either folding their VSL team or transferring their VSL team to the DSL).
The 2014 Venezuelan Summer League (VSL) regular season runs from May 12th through August 4th, followed by a post-season championship playoff between the 1st and 2nd place teams (since it's only a five-team league, there are no "divisions"). Because the VSL season begins and ends about three weeks prior to the beginning and end of the DSL season (the 2014 DSL season does not open until May 31st, but it runs until the last week of August), last year the Cubs transferred two of their better VSL players (VSL batting champion Roney Alcala and INF Bryant Flete) from the VSL Cubs to the DSL Cubs after the VSL playoffs concluded, and Flete and Alcala remained with the DSL Cubs through the conclusion of the DSL playoffs.
Because there are currently only five teams in the VSL, the regular season schedule follows a very specific pattern that is peculiar to the VSL. Each VSL team plays four games in a row against the four other VSL teams in exactly the same order and then the team has a day off (a bye). For example, the VSL Cubs play the VSL Phillies-VSL Rays-VSL Mariners-VSL Tigers (always in that sequence) and then have a day off. This sequence repeats throughout the VSL regular season.
Eleven members of the 2013 VSL Cubs (RHPs Adbert Alzolay, Francisco Carrillo, Jesus Castillo, Greyfer Eregua, and Victor Salazar, LHP Alberto Diaz, catcher Eufran Vargas, 1B-3B Roney Alcala, 2B-SS Bryant Flete, and outfielders Arnaldo Calero and Ricardo Marcano) plus 17-year old Venezuelan SS Gleyber Torres and 17-year old Colombian RHP Erling Moreno (who are making their pro debut in 2014) are presently at Extended Spring Training in Mesa, and because most (if not all) of them will likely be remaining in the U. S. this summer, the 2014 VSL Cubs will feature a number of newly-signed players.
Only 17 of the 33 players presently assigned to the VSL Cubs Active List were on the squad last season. One player (18-year old LHP Carlos Rodriguez) spent the 2013 season with the AZL Cubs, and there are 15 players on the roster who are new to the Cubs organization, including 13 professional "rookies" and two others (RHPs Jesus Arias and Julio Sanchez) who were signed after being released by other MLB organizations. Infielder Humberto Garcia is presently on the VSL Cubs roster, but he may end up with the DSL Cubs since he is Dominican. (Garcia was signed by the Cubs last May after being released by the White Sox, and was assigned to the VSL Cubs last season only because the newly-formed VSL Cubs were short of infielders, but that should not be a problem this season).
One of the more interesting names on the VSL Cubs 2014 roster is Danny Gutierrez, supposedly a 17-year old hot-shot shortstop prospect signed by the Cubs to a substantial bonus in 2012 (reported to be $185K at the time) but who did not make his pro debut (as had been expected) in 2013. Now it turns out that Gutierrez is (apparently) actually 23 years old (at least according to information provided by the Cubs).
So here is the 2014 VSL Cubs Active Roster. Both the VSL Cubs Reserve List and Active List roster limit is 35. 30 players can be designated "active" for any one game (at least 10 of the 30 must be pitchers), The players listed as "INACTIVE" on the roster have either been released or will start the season on the 7-day or 60-day DL.
2014 VSL CUBS (33 ACTIVE + 7 INACTIVE)
* bats or throws left
# bats both
VSL Cubs players making pro debut are in italics
PITCHERS (17+5):
Jesus Arias
Harrinson Bermudez
Alejandro Colorado
Enrique de los Rio
* Manuel Fuentes (INACTIVE)
* Victor Garcia (INACTIVE)
* Yapson Gomez
Salvador Jerez
Jose Leidenz
Gabriel Lima
Ivan Medina
* Angel Mejias
Yomar Pacheco
* Eugenio Palma
* Chris Pieters (INACTIVE)
Moises Ramirez
Brohiglyn Rivero (INACTIVE)
* Carlos Rodriguez
Cesar Romero (INACTIVE)
Julio Sanchez
Ramon Valera
Mauro Vides
CATCHERS (4):
Leonardo Gonzalez
Luis Hidalgo
Jhonny Pereda
Roberto Vahlis
INFIELDERS (7+1):
* Delbis Arcila (INACTIVE)
Wladimir Galindo
Humberto Garcia
Jesus Gonzalez
Danny Gutierrez
# Andrews Monasterio
Henry Pedra
Miguel Rico
OUTFIELDERS (5+2):
Luis Ayala
Moises Colasante
Victor Gomez
Jose Gonzalez
# Martin Hodwalker (INACTIVE)
Fidel Matos
MANAGER:
Pedro Gonzalez
COACHES:
Franklin Blanco (Hitting Coach)
Angel Guzman (Pitching Coach)
Recent comments
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Hagsag 1 hour 52 min ago (view)
Predictions on the Rule 5 draft this morning?
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Hagsag 2 hours 10 min ago (view)
Very, very interesting Phil. Thanks for the post.
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Arizona Phil 6 hours 21 min ago (view)
What was the stated purpose of the 1953 Bonus Rule?
COMMISSIONER FORD FRICK: "We want the kind of bonus rule that will discourage the Majors from paying out big bonuses, and encourage the little fellows (he is referring here to the minor leagues) to sign these youngsters and then sell them to clubs of a higher classification."
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crunch 8 hours 51 min ago (view)
g.cole - yanks - 9/324m
s.strasburg - nats - 7/245m
a.rendon - angels - 7/245m
boras has signed $814m of contracts for his guys this week. not bad.
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crunch 8 hours 58 min ago (view)
still waiting for rich hill to happen over here...i promise to be totally not impressed or happy about it. not a tj guy, but he's injured as hell and not expected to show up until mid-season at best.
whoever they pick to give a few million dollars over a couple seasons to not pitch for the cubs in any of them, i welcome them.
on a serious tip, there are rumors of a minor league deal for b.morrow.
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bradsbeard 9 hours 32 min ago (view)
Taijuan Walker is a good candidate.
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cubbies.4ever 10 hours 57 min ago (view)
So who is left in the free Agent market that has had Tommy John surgery? That seems to be a Prerequisite for Theo. Cotton and Winkler both did adding to all the other signings of Theo. I would love to see how many people Theo has signed or drafted who has had TJS.
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Charlie 19 hours 39 min ago (view)
I hope "isn't happening" was more like, "we'd love to continue to discuss this soon"--after extensions/trades of younger players are a bit more sorted.
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Charlie 19 hours 42 min ago (view)
If only they had revenue from having recently won the World Series and a string of playoff appearances along with a new TV contract! Then they could really spend.
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crunch 19 hours 59 min ago (view)
i wish this team was owned by billionaires rather than these...oh, nevermind.
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Dolorous Jon Lester 20 hours 37 min ago (view)
Apparently Cubs were approached by Rizzo's agent about an extension. They told him it wasn't happening.
Cubs organization is performing a master class in how to burn good will among fans!
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Arizona Phil 1 day 10 hours ago (view)
jdlym: The contract Brad Brach signed with the Mets includes a $850K base salary for 2020, a $1.25M club option for 2021, $400K in potential performance bonuses in 2020, potentially $2.25M in 2021 salary accelerators, and $500K in potential performance bonuses in 2021, so ordinarily the Cubs salary obligation to Brach would be the difference between Brach's new 2020 base salary ($850K) and what would have been his 2020 player option salary ($1.35M) if he hadn't been released by the Cubs.
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crunch 1 day 13 hours ago (view)
d.ross meets the media at winter meetings...video/audio
https://www.pscp.tv/w/1ypKdBvlvzyJW
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jdrnym 1 day 17 hours ago (view)
Hey AZPhil, when a player is released with money/years still remaining on his contract, does his next team *have* to give him the prorated major league minimum or can they offer more (meaning the original club owes less) to "outbid" other teams that may have had interest? I'm assuming that's what happened with Brad Brach, where the Mets signed him for 2020 at $850,000.
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crunch 1 day 18 hours ago (view)
jeremy jeffress agrees.
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Rob Richardson 1 day 22 hours ago (view)
It's high time if you ask me.
Comments
Marlins DFA Carlos Marmol.
Well, he did give us a couple
Henry Rodriguez replaces
EJax being EJax
odd, Kane County has Mother's
Happy Mother's Day to Cubster
So Ricky, you reluctantly put
d.barney's first 2-hit game
James Russell being James
Dallas Beeler, for I-Cubs, in
At some point I wonder how
What kind of consequences do
based on what's going on with
Bingo
Rob had a good point last
Pretty fair odds on the No. 1
The best we can hope for is
If they can get somebody to
Jackson is certainly more
If Ninja would sign for the
I don't think any pitcher is
The kids can't flock to their
Also, comparing Hamels and
http://www.chicagonow.com
http://www.chicagonow.com
i-cubs score 12 runs...baez
Jason Parks@ProfessorParks
Mitch Williams Ejected From
Wild Thing!
As a parent of two little
If we use money saved by
Jackson can be easily
I'm trying to imagine a Cubs
Don't think anyone is going
probably need a third team
probably need a third team with Yanks, Cubs probably want pitching prospects as you mentioned and Yanks are sorely lacking at the moment.
Similar to trading Garza
"Cubs don't have a legitimate
Will Remillard is a
Will Remillard is a legitimate catching prospect. He's the best defensive catcher in the Cubs system (he won the Catchers Skills competition at Instructs last year), and that helped to get him an NRI to Cubs MLB Spring Training this season. The only question was his bat, and he's been hitting very well (so far) at KC. This actually is Remillard's "rookie" pro season because he did not play after being drafted last June due to a back problem, and the Cubs thought enough of him to have him skip Extended Spring Training (Boise/Mesa) and go directly to Kane County despite no previous pro experience. BTW, Remillard was Josh Conway's catcher at Coastal Carolina.
Rafael Lopez played 3B at Boston College and then was converted to catcher after he transferred to Florida State, so he hasn't been catching as long as your typical minor league catcher (sort of like Steve Clevenger a few years ago). That said, Lopez is 26 years old (the Cubs drafted him as a 5th year senior in 2011), he is repeating AA, and he will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the first time post-2014, so he could get a September call-up if the Cubs plan on adding him to their MLB 40-man roster post-2014 anyway. FWIW, Lopez has received an NRI to Cubs MLB Spring Training each of the last two seasons, so he caught a lot of bullpen sessions and "live" BP while he was there and thus he should be very familiar with all of the Cubs pitchers on the 40-man roster.
Or what Jim Hendry calls them
Babe Ruth Bobblehead give
Jose Fernandez to DL
"unknown" injury, headed for
"unknown" injury, headed for MRI
pitched last game despite throwing up and feeling light-headed in first inning (got lit up against Padres), also seemed to have a big drop in velocity at some point during the game.
https://twitter.com/jeffwzimmerman/status/465...
elbow strain for Fernandez..
elbow strain for Fernandez...awaiting MRI results.
impossible...he's only thrown
Mock Draft
Mock Draft
http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2014-mlb-m...
Has Cubs passing on Kolek and taking Beede with the surprise of Nick Gordon going #2.
3 and a half weeks away...