Juan Paniagua

Organization Prospect Rankings

• 
  Ranked Chicago Cubs #11 prospect in 2013
  It took three tries, but Paniagua finally found a home with a big league club when MLB approved his $1.5 million deal with the Cubs last August. He originally signed with the Diamondbacks for $17,000 in May 2009, using the name Juan Carlos Collado and an April 4, 1990 birthdate. He pitched parts of two seasons in the Dominican Summer League waiting for MLB approval that never came. MLB terminated that deal and declared him ineligible to sign for one year because of falsified paperwork. Afterward, he used the Paniagua surname and the same birthdate to sign with the Yankees for $1.1 million. Again, MLB rejected him and ruled him ineligible for year for using fraudulent documents. When he agreed to terms with the Cubs, MLB decided it couldn't determine his birthdate and let the team proceed as it wished. Even if he's older than his listed age of 22, Paniagua has a valuable right arm. Club officials saw his fastball sit at 94-98 mph and touch 100 in multiple-inning stints. His second-best pitch is his changeup, with his 82-84 mph slider more notable for its velocity than its break. Paniagua has a long, slinging arm action, leading many scouts to believe he's better suited for the bullpen. Chicago will audition him first as a starter and probably will send him to low Class A to open 2013.