The minor league season has been over for a while now. Just getting caught up in the excitement for new basketball and hockey seasons as well as the great start to the football season for the Bears has really got the best of me. However, while it may be completely dull and uneventful at this point, the baseball season is still going on, and there are still 2 baseball teams in this town. However, the only thing for either team to get excited about lies in the minor league system. In a two part series, I'm going to put together what I feel is the best possible team with what each team has in the minor league system. Starting tonight with the Cubs.
Catcher: Chadd Krist
Krist brings a very strong and refined defensive skill set at catcher, calling a good game and just have solid all around tools. His bat is not great, but he does do a good job at getting on base. He's not any sort of future superstar or anything, but he may very well be a solid starter or a very good backup.
First Base: Dan Vogelbach
There really wasn't much question here. Vogelbach is a patient hitter with a ton of power. He can both build up those walks and doesn't strike out much. His defense is still going to be a huge question mark throughout his career, but he has the offensive talent to be an impact player.
Second Base: Arismendy Alcantara
Alcantara really surprised a lot of people this past season. I wouldn't say he came from out of nowhere, but nobody knew he could be this good. His numbers did go down late in the season, but he's still getting used to playing a lot of games in a season. The most games he had played in his career before this season was 99 in 2011. In 2012 he played in 85 games. It was right in this neighborhood when we saw his production start to suffer. He was still able to stabilize by the end of the season and work through it, showing good resiliency. He'll be starting AAA at age 22, which is a very good age to be at that point.
Shortstop: Javier Baez
This was a tough one....okay, seriously though, while Baez may not be a shortstop in the future, he is right now. He just put up a phenomenal season, getting better and better as the season went on. With 37 home runs in 130 games. That pace puts him right there with most of the top power hitters in the bigs. He's looking very good at this point, and his chances of being able to be a big time player at the top level are looking better and better.
Third Base: Kris Bryant
Bryant came in and took a couple of weeks to shake off the rust. After that he was phenomenal. He put up huge power numbers and hit very well for average. If I had to guess, I'd say he starts at AA this coming season, but it may just be to see if he can hit AA pitching for a month or two before moving him up to AAA. It's clear that Bryant is plenty advanced as far as hitting goes. I wouldn't put money on him coming up by the end of the next season, but it's not out of the question either.
Left Field: Matt Szczur
He's probably a future 4th outfielder, and he could easily be in center field with his speed, but Almora's instincts put him there. Szczur would bring a leadoff type of hitter to the lineup with his great speed, solid ability to make contact, and good on base percentage.
Center Field: Albert Almora
This was another pretty easy pick. Almora was hurt for much of last season, but when healthy he was very good. His intangibles are his strongest asset, but he really doesn't have any glaring weaknesses. Look for him to have a big season next year and hopefully finish around AA, maybe AAA for a short time at the end of the season.
Right Field: Jorge Soler
Soler was really hurt for almost the entire time he played, but even then he still put up very strong numbers before being shut down for the season. In spring training he was really impressing everyone who watched him. With his solid speed and strong arm he should be a perfect fit for right field in the future. I see him starting next season either at AA, or possibly for a short time at high A just to make sure he's ready to move up to AA before moving him there. His temper does have a red flag after the bat incident last season, but that was one incident. If it's not repeated, he's fine.
Starting Pitcher: CJ Edwards, Pierce Johnson
I'm going with 2 starting pitchers for every team. Edwards is the better bet to be the potential ace there, with the higher ceiling, but Pierce Johnson has the higher floor. Both guys were outstanding for Daytona in the playoffs this past season, being a huge part in helping them to win their league championship. These are both guys who can rise quickly in the system and be very good arms in the future.
I do want to make a very special mention of Kyle Hendricks in there, who had a huge year and was the organization's pitcher of the year. I see him as, if things work out, a 3-5 starter while I see Edwards as a 1-2 and Johnson as a 2-3.
Relief Pitcher: Frank Del Valle, Zach Rosscup
Both pitchers were very good in relief throughout the season. Rosscup looks like he can be a strong setup man or middle relief guy while Del Valle very well may be the closer of the future for this team.
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