Velocity Boost Carries Jen-Ho Tseng To Triple-A

Caratini would be a much bigger name if he didn’t play for a perennial contender that already incorporated so many high-profile prospects—or traded them away in blockbuster deals—and developed Willson Contreras into a frontline catcher.

Whether or not his future is in Chicago, Caratini this year batted .342/.393/.558 with 10 home runs and 27 doubles in 83 games at Triple-A Iowa. He is a switch-hitting catcher who recently turned 24 and didn’t look out of place while making his big league debut during three different callups to Chicago.

Best Pitcher: RHP Jen-Ho Tseng

The 22-year-old Tseng broke through as the potential homegrown starter the Theo Epstein regime has been waiting for, going 13-4, 2.54 in 24 combined starts between Double-A Tennessee and Iowa.

Adbert Alzolay has more upside as a possible power starter, and Dillon Maples has the unbelievable stuff to become a high-end reliever. But Tseng did it consistently at a higher level and smoothly transitioned to the Pacific Coast League by going 6-1, 1.80 in nine starts.

Tseng, who signed out of Taiwan for $1.625 million in 2013, boosted his velocity this season, going from roughly 88-92 mph to 91-94. He succeeds by sequencing his four pitches.

“We’ve been waiting for this big step,” said Jason McLeod, the senior vice president who oversees scouting and player development, charting Tseng since he was the organization’s 2014 minor league pitcher of the year. “The next two years, he was good but not great, and you were just wanting a little bit more out of him. And this was the year that happened.”

Keep An Eye On: RHP Dakota Mekkes

Mekkes could emerge as an interesting bullpen piece after giving up eight earned runs all season—while piling up 92 strikeouts—in 73.1 innings split between two Class A affiliates. The Cubs noticed those “Nintendo” numbers from the 6-foot-7, 252-pound righthander, who they drafted in the 10th round out of Michigan State last year.

“He does it a little different,” McLeod said. “(He doesn’t have) the traditional look, which is why I think he’s so effective. He’s another guy who’s really big, but he throws from a lower slot, and guys just don’t see the ball off him. He’s not the 95 (mph) with an overpowering slider guy. He’s just more deception—hitters don’t pick up the ball.”

—Patrick Mooney covers the Cubs for CSNChicago.com