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Chicago Cubs: Jeimer Candelario and Dylan Cease win minor league player and pitcher of the month for April

By Dan Schmelzer

Mar 26, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario (7) hits an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2017; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs third baseman Jeimer Candelario (7) hits an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Chicago Cubs named prospects Jeimer Candelario and Dylan Cease minor league player and pitcher of the month of April.

It wasn’t long ago that the Chicago Cubs had the best minor league system. However, now that Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez and company are full-time major league players, their minor league rankings have taken a bit of a hit. Obviously, that doesn’t matter because those players are dominating at the major league level.

While they are not an elite system like they once were, the Cubs still have a ton of talent down on the farm. On Friday they announced their minor league player and pitcher of the month, with Triple-A infielder Jeimer Candelario and Low-A pitcher Dylan Cease taking home the awards.

Candelario had a big 2016 season where he hit .333/.417/.542 in the minor leagues. He played in Chicago for a short time last season while the Cubs struggled with injuries. Candelario has gotten off to a great start to the 2017 season at Triple-A Iowa, hitting .333/.443/.679.

Candelario is absolutely dominating at the minor league level, completing overmatching Triple-A pitching. He is probably big league ready but Candelario only plays third and first base. To say the Cubs currently have those positions locked down would be a massive understatement. Candelario is an obvious trade candidate this season, and if he keeps this up, the Chicago Cubs should get a nice return on him.

Cease’s start to the 2017 season is incredibly encouraging. We have heard about his massive upside on the mound for years but he has always struggled with injuries and the results on the mound have been mixed.

However, at Low-A, Cease has posted an impressive 1.90 ERA through five starts. He is walking batters at a high clip (15.6%), but his 38.5% strikeout rate is absolutely incredible.

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Cease has elite natural stuff. He is a nasty pitcher who has massive upside on the mound. If he can get his walks under control and stay healthy, Cease likely has a strong big league future ahead of him. His start to the season is obviously a great sign.

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