Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Daniel Palencia continued his solid season with High-A South Bend. The lefty, acquired in a 2021 trade that sent Andrew Chafin to the Oakland Athletics, tossed four shutout innings, striking out five and walking just one, allowing one hit.
Though he has some of the best pure stuff in the organization, topping out at over 100 mph on his fastball and a slider that sits in the 90s, the encouraging development has come in the control department. After struggling initially with walks at the beginning of the season, Palencia has walked more than two batters in an outing only once since July 1.
His strikeout-rate has not dissipated in the meanwhile, the 22-year-old has struck out over 31% of the batters he's faced and has a ground ball rate of 45.7%. The developmental strides Palencia has taken are encouraging. Whether his future is as a starter or a reliever, the Venezuela native has a high ceiling to work with.
Triple-A: Iowa Cubs (61-71) at Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (70-61): L 16-0
Double-A: Tennessee Smokies (68-61) vs Pensacola Blue Wahoos (66-57): L 12-7
High-A: South Bend Cubs (72-58) at Cedar Rapid Kernels (73-57): W 4-1
Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans (77-51) vs Carolina Mudcats (67-61): W 10-3
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