Cubs Claim Lefty CD Pelham Off Waivers From Rangers
By Michael Luciano
The Texas Rangers needed to make room for Kyle Gibson after signing the former Twin on Wednesday, and 24-year-old CD Pelham was shown the exit door as a result.
Pelham didn't have to wait long to find out who his next employer would be, as the southpaw was claimed off of waivers by the Chicago Cubs.
The #Cubs claim LHP C.D. Pelham off waivers from the #Rangers.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) November 27, 2019
The 6-6, 235-pound Pelham is a former 33rd round draft pick that had to scratch and claw to make his way onto a big league roster. In his first extended action with the Rangers in 2018, Pelham posted a 7.04 ERA in 20 games. He was ghastly in the minors last year, posting a 11.81 ERA in 13 Triple-A games and 12.05 ERA in 29 Double-A Games. He walked 40 batters in just 32 innings last year.
Even the shortest of outings can attest to the fact that Pelham has a tremendous fastball with a sharp breaking ball, but needs to command it more effectively to become an effective pitcher at the big league level.
CD Pelham throws absolute smoke but also can't find the strike zone. Fixing that could be an interesting project for the Pitch Lab folks
— Friend of the Pod Jeff Everson (@EVR551) November 27, 2019
David Ross is a former catcher that has caught some of the wildest pitchers in baseball history, so he's a pretty solid choice to try to mold Pelham into an effective option out of the bullpen.