Cubs hope Bartosh will fill lefty void

By Jim Callis
March 29, 2005

Dissatisfied with the performance of Will Ohman and Stephen Randolph as they sought a third lefty reliever for their bullpen, the Cubs looked elsewhere on Tuesday. The picked up Cliff Bartosh from the Indians in exchange for righthander Bear Bay.

Bartosh, 25, signed with the Padres as a 29th-round pick out of a Texas high school in 1998. He went to the Tigers and then the Indians on waiver claims after the 2003 season, and Cleveland was about to waive him again because he's out of minor league options. Bartosh made his big league debut last year, going 1-0, 4.66 in 34 appearances. He worked just 19 innings, allowing a .275 average and four homers while posting a 25-11 strikeout-walk ratio. His stuff is fairly ordinary, as he works with an average fastball and slider. In the minors, Bartosh has a career 27-34, 3.54 record with 51 saves in 310 games.

Bay, 21, signed as a draft-and-follow out of Angelina (Texas) JC in 2003 after the Cubs selected him in the 25th round a year earlier. He's a solid pitching prospect but was expendable because Chicago has depth on the mound. Bay went 11-9, 3.10 in 28 starts at low Class A Lansing last year, leading the Midwest League with 168 innings. He had a 139-30 K-BB ratio while opponents hit .262 with seven homers. Bay's biggest need is to add some strength to his 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame. He lacks consistent velocity on his fastball, which ranges anywhere from 85-94 mph, and tired late in 2004. His late-breaking slider is his strikeout pitch and he has made nice progress with his changeup. His curveball lags behind his other pitches. While Bay has no problem throwing strikes, he has to do a better job of locating his pitches within the strike zone. He has gone 19-12, 3.02 in 42 minor league games.