Minor League players, even top prospects, move up and down through the farm system with little or no notice or public general knowledge. That is not the case, though, with Chicago Cubs prospect Kris Bryant, a very highly-touted “can’t miss” prospect who is working his way through the Cubs system very quickly.
On Wednesday, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat reported that the Cubs have promoted Bryant, a third baseman, to Triple-A Iowa, putting him just one step away from the Major Leagues. Bryant has done all he can in his first year in Double-A as he led the Tennessee Smokies to a second-place finish in the season’s first half. Bryant slashed an incredible .355/.458/.702 with 22 HR and 58 RBI in 68 games. Projecting these power numbers over a full 162-game Major League season leads to 52 HR and 138 RBI. Obviously, many factors figure into actual results, but considering that Bryant did this well on a sub-.500 Smokies team shows that he is more than ready to move up.
Bryant was the #2 overall draft pick in the 2013 June draft, and he has already made it to Triple-A. In the second half of 2013, Bryant surged through Rookie ball, Low-A, and High-A. He then won the Arizona Fall League MVP award. Then, in Double-A this year, he hit .442 against left-handed pitchers and .337 against righties. He does strike out some (.310 rate) and have some trouble in the field (14 errors at third base), but the Cubs and their fans will gladly accept those faults — as long as he continues to produce.
Cub fans should not start betting on what date Bryant will make his Major League debut just yet. Team president Theo Epstein still says that Bryant is not quite ready to jump to the Majors. Muskat quoted this from Epstein:
“Is [Bryant] dominating Double-A right now? Of course he is. Does that mean his development is complete? No.”
That does not mean that Bryant definitely will not make his debut this season. The Triple-A season ends in the first week of September, and with the Cubs well out of the race already and very unlikely to get back in it, they will certainly give some of their best prospects a chance to showcase themselves. Junior Lake did so near the end of the season last year and stuck with the team. Jorge Soler, Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, and newly-drafted catcher Kyle Schwarber are also awaiting the chances. They need to get those debuts and butterflies out of the way in September so they can compete for roster spots out of Spring Training in 2015.
The Iowa Cubs, though, are in contention in the Pacific Coast League, and if they make the postseason, then the MLB debuts of Bryant and the others would have to wait a little while longer. The Triple-A postseason (or even the race for it) would then give them all experience in playing competitive baseball, which would only enhance themselves and the Major League Cubs in the near future.
PHOTO CREDIT: Ken Inness/MiLB.com