Roster Move: Cubs sign pitching prospect Ethan Bell |
Dustin Riese
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- 20 hours ago
Even though the Chicago Cubs game with the White Sox was rained out on Friday, all was not lost as they continued to build a roster. At this point, most of the work is coming from the Minor League side as Jed Hoyer continues to add as much talent as possible.
That continued on Friday as the Cubs not only signed Jackson Kirkpatrick to a minor league deal but doubled down and landed 23-year-old righty Ethan Bell, also to a minor league deal. Not nearly the same imposing figure as Kirkpatrick, standing 6-1 and weighing just 190 pounds, Bell had an up-and-down career, which tends to be the case surrounding most Thread Athletic arms. Whether it be St. Louis University, where he began his career, or Yavapai College (Prescott, AZ), where he ended his career, Bell is another relief-only arm that has the stuff and potential to make a name for himself in the minors, but didn't post consistent enough numbers in college to land professional opportunity. Looking back at his college career, you will see that Bell appeared in 38 career games for St. Louis, all in relief, and tallied 70 innings. Even if the results weren't great, they were solid enough for him to stay around as he went 7-4 with the Billikens, posting a 4.76 ERA. While the ERA isn't ideal, his 37 walks to 92 strikeouts show he can overpower hitters even if the command does get suspect at times. Apart from what he was able to do in college, Bell also participated in plenty of summer leagues, which is becoming the norm for many college-level players. Not nearly the same amount of experience, Bell appeared in 20 games in three summers, throwing 26 innings in the process. His record wasn't terrible, as he went 0-1, but the 5.88 was an issue as it was more than a run higher than his college ERA. Bell also saw his command go downhill, as he walked 19 hitters compared to just 23 strikeouts. The lack of strikeouts with the uptick in walks isn't what you want to see from any young pitcher, but the Cubs are hoping this was more of an adjustment to a new league as opposed to losing it altogether. While Bell may not have the same Thread connection that the rest of these arms have, he did pitch in the MLB Draft league last season and had an opportunity to pitch in front of scouts. In nine games of Draft league action, Bell posted a 5.73 ERA, 11 IP, and 9 K. Again, these are not great strikeout numbers, but that is what he has become since finishing college. When you look at how often the Cubs found their names in the offseason rumor mill, some may think this signing came out of nowhere. While that technically is the case, the Cubs may have had something in place with him a while ago, especially knowing he pitched last summer in the Draft League. Given the new stateside roster restrictions, the Cubs may not have had room to sign him last season, but do now. With the Cubs now halfway through Spring Training and Minor League camp getting underway, it seems strange that they are waiting until now to add more arms. Well, considering the pieces they lost, it doesn't come as a surprise. In the past few days the Cubs have lost lefty Jeff Belge (the pitcher they got last year in the swap with the Rays for Richard Lovelady), and the MiLB transaction wire says the Cubs have released lefty Daniel Brown (2023 16th-rounder), righty Aaron Perry (minor league signing last year), and righty Matthew Thompson (the pitcher they got last year in the swap with the White Sox for Bailey Horn. They went and replaced them with Kirkpatrick and Bell, as the Cubs still have a few roster spots to account for. Regardless of what you think of this signing, Hoyer deserves plenty of credit for actively looking for depth in any way he can. Former Billiken @ethanbell44 in the pros! pic.twitter.com/lDoe79XePM Ethan Bell ➡️ #YouHaveToSeeIt
The @Cubs are signing Ethan Bell (@ethanbell44, @mvscrappers '24) to a minor league contract!
MV: 9 G, 5.73 ERA, 11 IP, 9 K, 3 GF pic.twitter.com/jbLRRHPxR0
