The first wave of Chicago Cubs’ youngsters has served notice to the rest of baseball, but a second wave, brimming with talent, is climbing fast and might even eclipse the impact of the first wave.
Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein’s pleas for patience over the cacophony of myopic instant-gratification Cubs’ fans are sounding increasingly prescient. From the day he joined the Cubs, Epstein assured a restless fan base he would build the team with a young core of players largely acquired through the draft and supplemented with trades and International signings.
At present, the Cubs’ every day lineup is comprised of five players age 25 and younger, including rookies RF Jorge Soler, 3B Kris Bryant (who opponents are now pitching to in the same manner in which they pitched to Barry Bonds) and 2B Addison Russell. 1B Anthony Rizzo, a veritable MVP candidate, was acquired in one of Epstein’s first trades; and although SS Starlin Castro was acquired by the previous regime, it was Epstein who signed him to a contract extension through 2019 that gave the Cubs the cost control and financial flexibility that enabled them to sign ace LHP Jon Lester to a six-year contract last offseason.
As exciting as these baby Cubs are, there is a second wave of prospects who should further improve the Chicago Cubs’ chances of achieving Epstein’s goal of sustained success, whether they end up wearing Cubs pinstripes of serving as valuable trade bait.
While they might not recall the 1961 race between the Yankees Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris to eclipse Babe Ruth’s single-season homerun record, AA Tennessee Smokies teammates C Kyle Schwarber and 1B Dan Vogelbach, both 22, are staging a spirited battle for Southern League hitting supremacy.
In 155 plate appearances through May 18, the left-handed hitting Vogelabch was batting .333 with 11 doubles, four home runs, 22 RBI and a league-leading 28 walks. His .983 OPS is second in the league to Schwarber’s, as is his WRC+ of 183. (WRC+ measures a player’s weighted runs created compared against the league average after controlling for park effects).
Not to be outdone, Schwarber, in 137 plate appearances, was leading the league in OPS (1.015), home runs (9) and WRC+ (210) to go with 24 walks and 23 RBI. The left-handed slugger also narrowly edged Vogebach for the league’s best walk rate of 18.2%.
The Cubs’ public position is that Schwarber is the team’s catcher of the future (incumbent Miguel Montero is signed through 2017). An alternative might be for Schwarber to man left field. Vogelabch is a one-position player who is blocked by Rizzo. If the National League implements the designated hitter rule before or after the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires following next season, Vogelbach could be an ideal candidate to fill that position for the Cubs.
Two other upper-tier prospects are vying for a future in the Cubs’ outfield. Left-handed hitting Billy McKinney, acquired from Oakland in the Jeff Samradjiza trade last season, was recently promoted from High A Myrtle Beach to Tennessee after hitting .340 in 125 plate appearances. The 2013 first round selection added five doubles, four homers and a .978 OPS. Despite having not played in the Carolina League since May 11, McKinney’s 17 walks and 25 RBI were still among the league leaders.
Though he has been in the Cubs’ organization since 2012, former first round pick and right-handed hitting CF Albert Almora just turned 21. The ace defender was hitting .291 in 123 plate appearances, though he had only five extra base hits, leading to a mediocre OPS of .703. Nevertheless, his walk rate, compared to a 36-game stint at Tennessee last season, had improved from 1.4% to 6.7%, his strikeout rate from 16.0% to 8.9% and his WRC+ from 64 to a slightly-above-average 101.
The critical question surrounding Almora is whether he can impress the Cubs’ brass enough between now and season’s end to give them pause before offering Cubs’ CF Dexter Fowler, just 29 years of age, a long term contract extension.
Position players are not the only ones who should excite Cubs’ fans. Erstwhile starter RHP Carl Edwards, 23 and the key piece in the 2013 Matt Garza trade, has pitched strongly out of Tennessee’s bullpen, a move designed to limit his innings following an injury-marred 2014 season.
In 11 games covering 19.2 innings, the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, sporting a mid to high 90’s fastball and plus curveball, has yielded 11 hits and 15 walks and produced an ERA of 3.20 and a respectable WHIP–though he needs to reduce the free passes–of 1.35.
The breakout hurler in the Cubs’ system this season has been Duane Underwood. The second round pick in the 2012 daft and just 20 years of age, Underwood is dominating the Carolina League. The RHP whose fastball flirts with 100 MPH, has a 4-0 record and 1.09 ERA through six starts and 33 innings. He has allowed 20 hits and 10 walks while fanning 25 and producing an excellent WHIP of 0.909.
Several other prospects, including 18-year-old SS Gleyber Torres of Low A South Bend, who is torching Midwest League pitching, validate the near consensus ranking of the Cubs’ farm system as the best in the major leagues. We will continue to profile the next wave of prospects throughout the season.
Chicago Cubs’ fans, get your surfboards ready.
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