Half the teams in MLB sent scouts to a showcase in North Carolina to watch pitchers Rookie Davis, Adam Liberatore and former White Sox draft pick Brett Austin, who’s a catcher. The Cubs were one of 15 teams represented, as they continue to scout pitchers.
Per source: Interested teams included:
Padres
Yankees
Royals
Rangers
Pirates
Astros
Rays
Red Sox
Indians
Cubs
Cardinals
Braves
Twins
Blue Jays
Phillies— Emily Waldon (@EmilyCWaldon) January 31, 2019
While the Cubs want to add more depth at catcher, Austin is 26-years-old and has a career .624 OPS in 292 minor league games. So, the Cubs were most likely interested in the two pitchers, Davis and Liberatore.
Rookie Davis, 25, was drafted back in 2011, and while he hasn’t put up the most consistent numbers down in the minors, he hasn’t walked many batters in his minor league career, averaging 2.4 walks per nine innings. The right-hander pitched for the Reds in 2017, but in six starts and seven total appearances, Davis had an 8.63 ERA in 24 innings. Hip surgery limited him to only 26.1 innings in the minors last year.
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By the way, “Rookie” is his nickname, but he should’ve just stuck with William Theron Davis. Very strong name.
The Cubs also got a close up look at left-handed pitcher Adam Liberatore.
He’s 31-years-old and has pitched for the Dodgers since making his MLB debut in 2015. Liberatore has a career 3.55 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 88.2 innings, but he’s only throw 16.1 innings in the majors in the past two seasons. Elbow and groin injuries limited him in 2017 and 2018.
In 2016, Liberatore appeared in 58 games for the Dodgers, throwing 42.2 innings and recorded a solid 3.38 ERA, with 47 strikeouts and 17 walks.
So yeah, the Cubs are looking for very low cost guys because they’ve also spent time scouting Drew Storen among others coming back from injuries.
But hey, if you’re still holding on to some hope that the Cubs might actually surprise everyone and make a run for Bryce Harper, check out the latest episode of the Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast, where we discuss how Harper’s free agent pursuit is now actually getting started.
The Cubs may or may not have met with Harper again recently.
NEW EPISODE!
The Bryce Harper and Manny Machado free agent pursuit has officially started! #WhiteSox #Cubs
Subscribe, download and listen! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
iTunes: https://t.co/z9sLDan22y
Spotify: https://t.co/5HMNVgbEh5https://t.co/GG2ZSq34iI— Pinwheels and Ivy Podcast (@PinwheelsIvyPod) February 1, 2019
