Cubs Release Seven from Minor League Camp, While Hoerner & Ademan Move Down a Level
3/20 UPDATE:
The Cubs have released minor league RHSP Christian Bergman. He was in MLB Camp as an NRI until he was sent down to Minor League Camp last week.
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3/18 UPDATE:
RHP Mario Meza has been released so that he can pursue opportunties in the Mexican League.
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3/17 ORIGINAL POST:
In the aftermatth of 15 players being sent to Minor League Camp from MLB Camp on Friday, the Cubs released seven players from Minor League Camp Sunday morning, and several others have been reassigned to new squads to make room for the new arrivals from Sloan Park.
RELEASED:
OF Chris Carrier (2017 9th round draft pick - U. of Memphis)
C Benny Kaleiwahea (2018 NDFA - Tennessee Tech)
OF Kwangmin Kwon (2015 IFA - South Korea - $1.2M signing bonus)
RHP Brady Miller (2017 23rd round draft pick - Western Oregon)
RHP Nathan Sweeney (2016 32nd round draft pick - Cherry Creek HS - Greenwood Village, CO - $100K signing bonus)
1B-C Franklin Tineo (2014 IFA - Dominican Republic)
1B Kevin Zamudio (2015 IFA - Mexico - $150K signing bonus)
Kwon is easily the most noteworthy of the seven, having received a signing bonus in excess of a million dollars. My most vivid memories of Kwon are his winning the Home Run Derby at Instructs post-2015 and then being forced to wear a king's crown and a flowing robe and carry a sceptre while parading around the backfields, and then last year stopping to carefully sign an entire sheet of baseball cards (using Korean characters!) on the walkway between the fields while en route to stretching before a game on Field #6, and then getting yelled at for being late. And his teammates would sometimes give him a rash of shit for something he would do and he'd just smile and laugh along with everybody.
And Nathan Sweeney received a $100K bonus after being drafted by the Cubs in 2016. He had signed an NLI with the University of Arizona and so he was not expected to sign with any MLB club if drafted, which is why he wasn't selected until the 33rd round.
In addition to the seven players getting released, nine other players at Minor League Camp were moved-down one level:
IOWA to TENNESSEE:
INF Christian Donahue
INF Nico Hoerner
TENNESSEE to MYRTLE BEACH:
INF Aramis Ademan
C Michael Cruz
OF Brandon Hughes
MYRTLE BEACH to SOUTH BEND:
C Caleb Knight
1B Tyler Durna
INF Austin Upshaw
INF Delvin Zinn
There's still two weeks left before the Cubs need to make final decisions, but the rosters for the Cubs four full season affiliates are beginning to take shape.
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