Inside The Cubs

Former Cubs No. 6 Overall Pick Returns to Diamondbacks After Marlins Release

A former top Chicago Cubs draft selection recently found a new organization, signing a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Dylan Sanders|
Jul 5, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, United States; Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. (5) catches a ball prior to a sim game at Wrigley Field.
Jul 5, 2020; Chicago, Illinois, United States; Chicago Cubs center fielder Albert Almora Jr. (5) catches a ball prior to a sim game at Wrigley Field. | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images

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Chicago CubsArizona DiamondbacksMiami Marlins

A former top Chicago Cubs draft selection recently found a new home in MLB, hoping to make his return to the Majors for the first time in three years.

Albert Almora Jr. was the No. 6 overall selection in the 2012 MLB draft by the Cubs. He debuted by the time he was 2022, but looks to have peaked in the first couple years of his career.

Fast forward to now, and he is looking for a path back to the Majors as he recently inked a new minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, per the Triple-A Reno affiliate.

The move happened on Thursday night, so it will be a few days before he makes his season debut for them. He was actually a member of their team last year and did well with a .292/.349/.438 slash line with nine home runs and 20 stolen bases.

He will be teammates with fellow former Chicago contributor Nicky Lopez, though their paths did not cross with the Cubs.

Almora was once a very promising young player. From ages 22 to 24, he posted a .289/.326/.412 slash line. It wasn't earth-shattering stuff, but was intriguing for someone his age in MLB. He was a plus-defender to boot.

In the four seasons that followed that, he posted just a .219/.265/.344 slash line with worse power and he averaged just 67 games per year. His glove was good, but not enough to warrant the deficiencies at the plate.

The 31-year-old was out of the league in 2023, but he was given another chance by the Diamondbacks last year.

He signed with the Miami Marlins back in January, but was released after posting just a .240/.289/.315 slash line with one home run in 44 games.

This new deal with Arizona certainly doesn't guarantee that he will make it back to the Majors, but he might get a shot if he can return to the form he was in last year.

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Dylan Sanders
DYLAN SANDERS

Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders

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