Prospects

[Johnny Sleeper]

Schwarber off to a fast start. Three games, .636/.643/1.182 w/ 2 HRs. Yes, that is a SLG over 1.000! Obviously, none of those numbers will hold up long-term and he is playing in a league that he is the average age for and should get promoted fast similar to Bryant last year. It is still much nicer to see a fast start then a slow start. He has caught two of the three games allowing 3 stolen bases along with 2 errors. I'm guessing they are going to give him a shot to keep catching the rest of this year then transition him to LF in the fall after he proves there is no way he can handle catcher.

Stephen Bruno, Vizcaino and Kris Bryant should all get bumped to AAA after the all-star break. Several prospects are starting to get close. The offense could take a big jump next year if some of the prospects deliver right away. I read Soler should be back to playing any day, hopefully he can stay healthy and end the year in AAA.

 

[Johnny Sleeper]

Kris Bryant with a busted toe. X-Rays were negative, but he's going in for an MRI today. If it is a hairline fracture or anything it could be the end of his season with "only" 40 HRs. Looking forward to seeing him in Wrigley next season.

Schwarber is doing solid in high A. .245/.379/.367. Yes, you'd like to see the avg and SLG higher, but his BABIP is only .284 which is lower then it should be. His K rate is under 20% and BB rate is 17%. I expect to see him in the AFL to get more reps at the plate then to do a lot of work on his catching to see if there is any chance he can stick there.

Almora is struggling in AA. .200/.231/.280, but his K rate is only 15%. The bigger issue is his BB rate is under 5%. A 2nd AFL trip could be coming for him. He is only 20 so his struggles at AA at this point are not a concern.

Soler continues to produce in AAA. .243/.349/.554 with a 19% K rate and 14% BB rate. His .245 BABIP is just crazy low. I think he gets a call up in September since he is on the 40 man roster and has a big league contract already so service time isn't an issue and he could use the reps since he has missed time with injuries.

C.J. Edwards and Pierce Johnson have had strong numbers, but the lack of innings is a concern. Johnson has only thrown 87 innings after failing to reach 120 last year. Edwards has only thrown Edwards hasn't reached 40 innings yet this year after 116 last year. They both have good stuff and it would be nice to see them stick in the rotation, but the endurance questions make them look more like high leverage relievers at this point. If the front office sees them as such they could get moved for an established starter this off-season. Johnson has a 1.19 WHIP, 3.93 FIP and 2.36 ERA with 76.1 IP in AA while Edwards has a 1.06 WHIP, 3.01 FIP and 2.65 ERA with 34 IP in AA.