Roster Move: Cubs sign pitcher Jordan Goldmann after impressive Pro Day |
Leave it to the Chicago Cubs to find talent or, in this case, potential talent through whatever resources they have. Over the past five seasons, the Driveline Academy has been acting as a training facility to increase a pitcher's velocity. Several success stories have come from that Academy, and the Cubs have been at the forefront as they have signed a handful of guys that have come out of Driveline.
Wednesday marked a different approach for this team as they were not only in attendance at the Thread Athletics Pro Day but also took plenty of notes on what they saw. One of the things they saw was a young pitcher who had improved so much since his High School and college days that they felt he was worth a look, as the Cubs and Jordan Goldmann have agreed to a contract. For those unfamiliar with Thread Athletics Pro Day and how it works, this Pro Day is another resource for noticing undrafted players. Tyler Zombro, whom the Cubs hired to lead their pitching infrastructure this season, came from the Thread, so you have to wonder how involved he is during their pro days. Knowing that, and knowing that Zombro has a great relationship with everyone involved at Thread, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Cubs would sign at least one player from this pro day, with Goldmann being the man they liked the most. The 23-year-old Goldmann hails from the Northeast and pitched his college ball at Le Moyne College in New York. During his time with Le Moyne, his numbers weren't great. He made 27 career appearances, 22 of which were starts, and went 7-9 in those 24 games with 96 strikeouts. While his record wasn't terrible, his 6.45 ERA was an issue, as he tended to get hit extremely hard on the mound. Those numbers make you question why the Cubs would consider bringing him in, but there is far more to this acquisition when you look under the hood. When you look back at what Goldmann did in college, the lack of command was, without question, an issue, but so was the lack of velocity as he sat between 85 and 86 with his heater. In a day and age where velocity is king, his heater was essentially the speed of most changeups, and hitters teed off on him because of it. Less than a year after finishing school, Goldmann made a few tweaks, and after busting out a heater that averaged 94 MPH during the pro day with some riding action to it, the Cubs were intrigued by his sudden bump in velocity. His fastball wasn't the only thing that stood out for Goldmann. He used an improved 91 MPH sinker with late movement and his Gyro Slider, which could emerge as his best pitch. Goldmann also showed off his improving changeup as he displayed his entire repertoire. Given what the Cubs have done with their pitch lab in recent seasons, you have to wonder if the movement on his pitches was something they were attracted to enough to make this signing. This organization goes after players who display one good pitch to get them in their lab to see how to maximize that pitch. His Gyro slider could be that pitch for Goldmann, but don't overlook the fastball averaging close to 9 MPH faster than it was in college with even more movement. Ultimately, this is strictly a scouting play as Goldmann will likely be stationed in Mesa to begin the season and could be in for a long developmental journey ahead. However, the staff has taken a massive step forward in one season, and if it did that without constant developmental help, who's to say it can't take an even more significant step with the Cubs? Second guy off the board as Jordan Goldmann signs with the Cubs! ✍️ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxudmipOnx8 The Cubs are expected to dive farther into the Thread Pro Day in the coming days and are also considering bringing in the right-handed pitcher and Chicago native Kenny Serwa on a free-agent deal. If the last name Serwa sounds familiar, it may be that he was the ace of the Chicago Dogs pitching staff last season as part of the American Association of Baseball. Across 20 games and 19 starts with the Dogs, Serwa was the definition of an innings eater as he pitched a team-record 119 1/3 innings, going 6-6 in those games with an ERA sitting at 4.22. He also walked only 23 hitters for the season to go with 103 punchouts, as his ability to get guys out in different ways was impressive. Like Goldmann, Serwa has seen a sudden uptick in velocity, going from 90 MPH before reaching the Dogs to around 94 at the Pro Day. He backed that up with a 91 MPH sinker and an 83 MPH curve, as those would be three great pitches to build around. What stood out the most with Serwa was his knuckleball, as he offers not one but two separate knuckles. The second of those knuckles is your normal high-70s to low-80s knuckle that floats into the zone. The primary knuckle makes your jaw drop as he throws the world's hardest knuckleball that can touch 88 MPH. Considering the movement most knuckles bring to the table, seeing one come into the zone at 88 would be a strange sight for any hitter, and that alone could be an elite pitch.
Goldman threw 85-87 in college. Less than a year later, he ripped 94-95 mph with a four-seam, sinker, gyro slider, and a changeup that averaged under 4" IVB and 19+" HB. 🤯
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