Category: Kris Bryant

What a year for top prospects

Admittedly in the past I haven’t paid much attention to prospects so I’m not going to try to compare those making their Major League debuts in the first half of 2015 to what may have happened in any previous years.

What I am going to do, is simply say, wow.

In regards to prospects and rookies, the first two and a half months of the baseball season have been spectacular.

Joc Pederson (he played 18 games in 2014, but is still considered a rookie) is on a tear in Los Angeles, Kris Bryant and Addison Russell have performed well in Chicago, Joey Gallo nearly hit for the cycle in his debut and that’s just the beginning.

Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Correa and Carlos Rondon have also debuted, while Byron Buxton and Francisco Lindor are set to get on the field Sunday.

While that’s already an impressive list of prospects, it doesn’t even include those that came to MLB internationally such as Jung Ho Kang, whom the Pirates signed from Korea and Yasmany Tomas, who the Arizona D-backs signed as a free agent out of Cuba.

Oh and don’t forget Giants right-hander Chris Heston who threw a no-hitter last week.

The amount of top prospects that have already been called up this season is remarkable and assuming they remain in the Majors and play at – or at least close to – expectations, it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch all these youngsters develop.

10 Things I’m Watching In 2015: Chicago Cubs

Baseball is finally here. To some it may feel like the season just ended, but to those that live and breathe baseball, it may feel like it’s been gone for an eternity. Either way, there are 10 days left until the first official team workouts here in Arizona and to help pass the time I will be releasing a daily blog post about 10 things I’m excited to watch in 2015.

These posts are in no particular order, so if I list your team or favorite player 10th, fifth or first, there’s no reason to read too much into it. I’m anxious for the upcoming baseball season and these are 10 reasons why:

Things I’m watching in 2015:

Cubs

It’s hard not to be excited and/or curious about the Cubs in 2015. After a tremendous off season there will certainly be a lot of eyes not only on Opening Night, but throughout the entire season.

While the Cubs made plenty of moves over the past few months, the biggest were the additions of Joe Maddon and Jon Lester.

It’s hard to argue with Maddon’s resume. Maddon had a winning record in six of his last seven seasons with the Rays and his team won 90 or more games in five of those seasons. Meanwhile, the Cubs have won 90 or more games just once (2008) since the year 2000.

While hiring Maddon would have constituted a solid off-season, the Cubs weren’t done as they then added Jon Lester via a six year deal worth $155 million.

Lester is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.46 ERA, but will have to adjust to the National League – although it’s hard to imagine that being any sort of drastic adjustment for someone who has been as successful as Lester.

The Cubs also upgraded their rotation when the brought back Jason Hamel. Although Hamel struggled with the A’s, he was 8-5 with a 2.98 ERA as a Cub last season.

Lester and Maddon were clearly the Cubs two biggest moves of the off season, but they aren’t the only reason, I’ll be watching the Cubs this season. Dexter Fowler was a solid addition to the Cubs outfield and the progress of Javier Baez will be interesting to monitor as well.

Jake Arrieta is also coming off of his best ever season as he posted a career high in wins (10) and a career low in ERA (2.53)

Kris Bryant has generated a ton of hype and whenever the Cubs top prospect makes his Major League debut, it will undoubtedly be a major story surrounding the team.

The Cubs are littered with players to watch this season and although it may take them a while to learn to win and completely change the culture in Chicago, the Cubs are going to be one of the most fascinating teams to watch next season.

The Cubs Are Exciting

I’m excited to watch the Cubs.

There I said it. It’s August 4th, the Cubs are 16 games under .500 and 13 games out of first place, but the last two months of the Cubs season are sure to be worth watching.

The Cubs will promote infielder Javier Baez, ranked as the Cubs No. 2 prospect on MLB.com’s list of the Top 20 Cubs prospects, and he is expected to make his Major League Debut on Tuesday.

Baez, the ninth overall pick in the 2011 First-Year Player Draft, is batting .260 with 23 homers and 80 RBIs in 104 games at Triple-A Iowa this season. He’s also hitting .283 with runners in scoring position.

However, in the 20 games since the Triple-A All-Star break, the 21-year old has hit .342 with nine homers.

Baez got off to a slow start this season, but his average has increased each month – .172 in April, .250 in May, .275 in June, .300 in July and .300 in three games in August – showing not only his talent, but his ability to adjust, learn the league.

Although the numbers are impressive, Baez’s call-up is about more than statistics.

It’s about hope. It’s about the future.

Yes, Cubs fans have been waiting for future for a long, long time and other prospects such as Arismendy Alcantara (the No. 4 prospect) and Kyle Hendricks (No. 19) have already debuted this season.

But this feels different.

Baez – along with Kris Bryant, Addison Russell and Jorge Soler – is one of the most hyped Cubs prospects in awhile.

Jed Hoyer and Theo Epstein have long had a plan to rebuild the Cubs and although it may have been too lengthy for some – as baseball rebuilds often are – the prospects are starting to come up and that is always an exciting time.

Baez’s promotion doesn’t guarantee wins, it doesn’t guarantee the Cubs will win the World Series in 2015 or even in 2016, but it does make the future a lot brighter.

It is always exciting to watch a new player come into the league especially one with the hype and talent of Baez.

With a line-up that consists of Alcantara, Baez, Rizzo and Castro the Cubs have become a team that die-hard fans and those interested in the building blocks of franchises should watch over the next couple of months.

I’ll be watching as well.