During the 2007 season, the Chicago Cubs came up just $63,001 shy of boasting a payroll of $100 million. And as if that wasn’t imposing enough of a reason to believe that the Cubs mean business, now they have prospects, too. By teaming the advancement of previous in-house prospects like Geovany Soto and Sean Gallagher with Kosuke Fukudome’s $48 million contract and a strong 2007 draft class, things are looking good for Chicago’s North Siders.
1. Josh Vitters, 3B (8/27/89)
When
18-year-old hitters sign their first professional contracts, there’s
one theme that just keeps recurring: the fact that most high school
hitters have some serious patience to develop. That is, of course,
unless your name is Josh Vitters. Already a polished hitter, Vitters
carries the potential to both get on-base and slug at a high level.
There has been talk that the 6-foot-3, 195-pounder’s average abilities
on the hot corner may leave him destined for an outfield corner,
but there’s no question that he’ll hit his way into a Major League
lineup regardless of positioning on the diamond. Vitters may have
struggled to the tune of a .118/.164/.118 vital—in a meager 51
at-bats—in his professional debut, but the next decade-plus of
production will more than make up for that in front of the Cubs
faithful.
2. Geovany Soto, C (1/20/83)
After
going just .253/.357/.342 in Triple-A in 2005, Geovany Soto only proved
that he needed more time down on the farm. And after posting a
.269/.351/.383 vital line in his second stint in the Pacific Coast
League in 2006, the San Juan, Puerto Rico native proved that he needed
to undergo a big change. Soto did just that, making large modifications
by first getting smaller. After losing 30 pounds
in the offseason, Soto shined in his third Triple-A stint, posting a
mind boggling .353/.424/.652 vital and imposing .444 wOBA in 2007.
While attaining numbers such as these at the Major League level is very
unlikely to say the least, Soto definitely carries the rare potential
of become a slugging big league backstop in a ballpark near you soon.
3. Kosuke Fukudome, OF (4/24/77)
At
29 years of age, Kosuke Fukudome enjoyed the best season of his
professional career in 2006, posting a stellar .351/.438/.653 vital
line. Unfortunately for his new employer, this showing helped the
Chunichi Dragons a whole lot more than the Chicago Cubs. And
unfortunately for Fukudome, he experienced a major power outage one
year later (his slugging percentage fell 133 points to .520) in his
final season prior to heading to the United States. Hailing from
Kagoshima, Japan, Fukudome projects to be a solid Major League hitter,
with some forecasting a solid vital
between .285/.360/.455 and .295/.380/.475. But seeing as Fukudome will
turn 31 in April, he simply doesn’t have a high enough longevity
quotient remaining to tab a higher selection on this list.
4. Sean Gallagher, RHP (12/30/85)
Posting
WHIPs of 1.28 and 1.13 in Double-A and Triple-A, respectively, a season
ago, Sean Gallagher was ready for a taste of Wrigley Field and Major
League Baseball. The Majors, however, must have tasted horrible, as
Gallagher walked 12 batters while striking out five in (resulting in a
0.42 K/BB rate and 2.11 WHIP) in 14.2 innings with the Cubs. While this
first nibble suggested that the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder needed a tad more
MiLB seasoning, a 14.2-inning sample should be viewed as just that.
Gallagher netted a 22.7% strikeout rate (2.85 K/BB) in Triple-A last
season. Having just turned 22, there’s no reason not to expect the
former 12th-rounder to start finding that kind of form at the Major
League level as early as next season.
5. Josh Donaldson, C (12/8/85)
Taken
with the No. 48 overall pick this past June, Josh Donaldson has wasted
little time proving himself worthy of being the Cubs’ sandwich round
selection. In 203 Northwest League (A-) at-bats, the 6-foot,
195-pounder posted an impressive .346/.470/.605 vital line, thanks in
part to a keen eye (37:34 BB to K) at the dish. Behind the dish,
Donaldson’s inexperience still shows at times. The Auburn University
product started his collegiate career as a third baseman before moving
behind the plate. Some believe he’ll become a solid defensive catcher; some believe he’ll move off the position—maybe even to second base.
Regardless of what vantage point he ends up seeing the field from on
defense, Donaldson has a Major League slot in waiting as long as he
remembers to bring his bat with him to the plate.
Honorable Mentions:
After tabbing Vitters and Donaldson with their first two selections, the Cubs didn’t let up on brining in more blue-chip talent this past draft. Third-rounder Tony Thomas (2B, 7/10/86) went .309/.404/.547 in the Northwest League in his pro debut, but will lose some value if his lackluster defense causes him to move away from second base (the Cubs, however, plan on keeping him there). While he didn’t experience much success in High-A (1.65 WHIP), Jeff Samardzija (RHP, 1/23/85) started making strides in his six Double-A starts, posting a 1.22 WHIP and 2.22 K/BB rate in 34.1 innings. Ranked No. 38 in our Preseason Top 100, Donald Veal (LHP, 9/18/84) had a hard time replicating his High-A success from 2006 in Double-A in 2007, falling off from a 1.09 WHIP to 1.53 number a season ago. The fact that he walked 12.5% of all would-be hitters suggests that his future may now be best suited for the bullpen. And from the department of developing, toolsy talents, be sure not to overlook Tyler Colvin (OF, 9/5/85) or Eric Patterson (2B, 4/8/83).
Adam Loberstein can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.