Cubs Prospect Perspective: Danis Correa

Danis Correa

Right-handed relief pitcher. Born August 26, 1999, Cartagena, Colombia
Cubs international free agent signing

Some of these prospectives will prioritize the person, and others the player. In this instance, my Correa article looks a bit at strategy. Keeping players with upside is the goal, once those players are identified. A large part of internal scouting is knowing which players to retain, and which players to make available. Correa pitched very well in A-Ball in 2021, and is pitching for the Mesa Solar Sox this fall.

Correa’s career began as a starter in the Dominican League in 2017. After eight starts, he graduated to the Arizona Rookie League. It’s a bit surprising to me that he could pitch long enough as a starting pitcher in the DSL to get two wins in eight early-season starts. He was better than the league, apparently. The tail end of 2018 and all of 2019 were spent in Mesa, with Correa logging only two innings in 2018, and missing 2019, entirely, due to injury. Toss in a lost 2020, and Correa had gone quite a while not having a regular pitching pattern.

Sent to Low-A Myrtle Beach in 2021, Correa began to make up for lost time rather quickly. In Myrtle Beach, he fanned at least one hitter in all eighteen appearances, and at least two in fourteen of them. He was the closer in the four-pitcher no-hitter, started by DJ Herz on June 23, unsurprisingly, polished off with a strikeout.

Velocity, especially in the upper 90s, is a large part of Correa’s game.

Eventually, Correa was promoted to South Bend. He’d tossed 26 innings in Myrtle Beach, allowing only 12 hits. In 11 South Bend innings, he allowed nine, fanning 16, with a total of 60 K’s for the season. All things considered, he was better than A-Ball in 2021. Which leads to the strategy question.

While some people, many old-school fans, might think it would be ridiculous for a team to “waste” a roster spot on a pitcher who has barely pitched in High-A Ball, I remind you: The Arizona Diamondbacks were 53 games out of second place going into the last weekend of the season. The Baltimore Orioles were 36 games out of fourth place. They won’t be competitive in 2022, and they know it. If they buy Correa for the future, they’ll select Correa for the future if he’s not on the Cubs’ 40-man roster. A look at Correa in the Arizona League will give him a chance to shine (and likely clinch a 40-man roster spot) or misfire (and give the Cubs a chance to not roster him).

The Cubs seem to have gotten better, for whatever reasons, at locating upper 90’s relievers. If that continues into the future, a popular narrative might be finally shelved. If the Cubs pipeline starts churning out better starting pitching, or more regular of a pattern of hitters, more narratives might have to be replaced. I wouldn’t miss them, at all. I’d much prefer fans to talk about specific players in the pipeline.

Correa has struggled in the Fall League so far. I’d still be good with him getting a 40-man roster spot, but Andy Weber seems to have pilfered a spot. I’m still leaning 35 or 36 on the 40-man roster on December 5 (including Wade Miley). That probably leaves Correa off. In which case, I hope he gets selected and is fantastic. Around here, the player is more important than the jersey.