As a 27 year old Cubs fan I've only had a couple of years that I actually had to pay attention to them past July. Most years we suck and we can expect to suck the following year simply because Jim Hendry was quite possibly the worst GM in the history of baseball. He had a few bright spots here and there but his propensity to pay over market value for over the hill players has hog-tied us for the last four or five years.
Finally, I think the Cubs have a the right people in the front office and a plan to be successful. Jed Hoyer and Theo have made a number of good moves since the came over to the North Side. The building blocks are in place for the Cubs now. They have finally stocked some talent in the farm system. Here's the top 5 Cubs down on the farm:
1) Javier Baez SS
At only 20 years old Baez has shown this year that he can rake. No matter what level the Cubs put him at he has been producing. I don't care what level you're at. If you're only 20 and can hit 34 HRs then I'm a believer. Take a look at his stats for 2013 between A and AA:
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB K SB AVG OBP SLG OPS
122 487 92 139 33 4 34 101 38 137 20 .289 .346 .579 .925
2) Albert Almora OF
Another young guy that is proving to be a complete stud both in the field and at the dish. Almora is a plus defender in center field that has a laser-rocket arm. At the plate, he's shown that he can mash the ball from gap to gap and has flashed some power that makes you think he could develop into a 20 HR big leaguer.
3) Jorge Soler OF
Soler was one of three Cuban outfielders to sign with major league teams in 2012. You've probably heard of the other two; Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes. As is life as a Cub fan you start thinking that both the A's and the Dodgers's got ROYs and here we are with a guy hitting .289 in A ball. Don't be fooled by the slow development process of Soler. He's huge standing at 6'4" 215 lbs and has displayed raw power that hasn't translated in to big home run numbers yet. Like Almora he is a plus defender in the OF with a huge arm.
4) Kris Bryant 3B
Drafted by the Cubs in 2013, Bryant was easily the most polished power hitter in the draft. At the University of San Diego he hit 31 HRs which was far and away the most in College Baseball. He won the Golden Spikes Award which goes to the top amateur baseball player in the country. He's a good athlete that played both infield and outfield in college and could potentially be moved to the outfield moving forward. On a side note his girlfriend isn't very hot so that means he may lack confidence.
5) Mike Olt 3B
We acquired Mike Olt from the Rangers in the Matt Garza deal. Thought to be untouchable in 2012, an eye injury and a slow start to the 2013 campaign allowed the Cubs to quite possibly make the steal of the trading season. As we all know Garza only pitched about five games a year for the Cubs anyway so being able to add a guy like Olt to the roster is a huge return. Olt has a great approach at the plate. In 2012 he was able to hit 28 HRs for AA Frisco and had an OBP of .398. Since coming over in the trade he has struggled but I think we'll see him in Chicago before the season is over.
I know we're the Cubs and all of these guys will forget how to play baseball the second the make it to Wrigley but it still gives me reason to hope.
Kris Bryant is doing it wrong. That is all
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