Arizona Diamondbacks Sign Quebec Capitales' Chris Cox

The No. 1- and No. 2-rated Baseball America Independent League prospects have now both been signed by MLB clubs. 

In late October, the Miami Marlins signed No. 1 indie prospect Kevin Gelinas. Just a few weeks later, in late November, the Arizona Diamondbacks signed Chris Cox (St. George, ON).

Cox, who attended Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 39th round of the 2011 draft, but did not sign. The Brantford Expositor reports that Cox had bone spur issues in his throwing arm, putting a wrench into agreements with the Blue Jays. 

During his time with Canisius, Cox made 41 appearances. In 2011, he transitioned to the bullpen and, in nine appearances, went 1-1 with two saves and a 0.69 ERA (courtesy of Canisius College's GoGriffs.com). 

In his first season in professional baseball, Cox appeared in 36 games for the Quebec Capitales of the Can-Am League, finishing 15. In 44 innings, he allowed 49 hits and only gave up two home runs.

According to BaseballAmerica.com's J.J. Cooper, Cox can really dial it up. And when you hear 95 mph in a report, you take notice.

“Cox showed excellent velocity as a set-up man for Quebec," Cooper writes. "He sat at 92-94 mph and touched 95 with his two-seam fastball. His slider has good bite, but he struggles at times to throw it for strikes.” 

Cox isn’t the only Capitales player to make the MLB jump this offseason. Lefty specialist Tony Davis was signed by the Blue Jays less than one month ago.

Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario, Canada, and he can be reached at [e-mail]. You can follow the GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.