The Chicago Cubs continue to add pitchers on minor league deals, for little to no risk, and no one is calling them cheap dumpster divers anymore! Progress.
The most recent signing comes in the form of Tommy Nance, who joins the Cubs from the Windy City Thunderbolts. It’s at least the second pitching signing from independent ball for the Cubs this offseason.
Nance, 24, is a right-handed reliever, who spent 2010-2014 playing college baseball. Then, after an injury-shortened 2014, he made his professional debut last year with the Windy City Thunderbolts of the Frontier League.
[adinserter block=”1″]After 38 innings pitched in relief, Nance finished with a 4.74 ERA, but improved as the year went on. By the end of the season, he took over closer duties and finished with six straight scoreless innings.
There isn’t a ton of information out there on Nance, so it’s hard to tell just what the Cubs found most interesting about him. He did finish 2015 with a solid 9.47 K/9 and has always been pretty good at limiting home runs (0.47 HR/9 in 2015), so perhaps they see some back-end reliever upside in him.
As of now, there’s no indication of where he will begin his career in the Cubs’ organization, but I suspect it will be in the lower minors, where he can grow accustom to the Cubs’ system and methodology. After arriving, though, he is a candidate to move quickly through the system due to his age, 24, and experience in college and independent leagues. Overall, it’s another low risk, minor league signing. The more you make, the more likely you are to hit on one.