The Chicago Cubs had the No. 1 ranked farm system in the MLB coming into the 2015 season. Many of their top prospects - Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Jorge Soler and Javier Baez - have been promoted and remain with the team. However, the organization is not done boasting some of the league's premiere talent.
Shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, 18, has emerged as the Cubs' top prospect due to the promotion of Schwarber. Baseball America ranked Torres No. 2 in the organization behind Schwarber in their Midseason Prospect Update and wrote:
"Just 18, Torres had been one of the low Class A Midwest League's top hitters, with a smooth swing and solid present strength. The MWL's youngest player, Torres has caught up to the speed of the game defensively; he has middle-infield hands and will stay at shortstop unless or until he outgrows it physically."
Various rumors surrounding the state of the Cubs' middle infield suggest Russell is the team's shortstop of the future, and Baez, if his performance holds up throughout September, could be the starting second baseman next year (and beyond). Starlin Castro was benched in favor of Russell in early August, and despite his recent offensive surge, it appears he could be on the outside looking in, as rumors indicated the Cubs will revisit trade scenarios for the 25-year-old in the offseason.
Russell, 21, and Baez, 22, figure to be the future of Chicago's middle infield. So where does that leave Torres?
The Venezuelan product was named the Midwest League Prospect of the Year after batting .293/.353/.386 with 53 runs scored, 3 home runs, 62 RBIs and 22 stolen bases in 119 games with low Class A South Bend. He was promoted to high Class A Myrtle Beach at the beginning of September, per MiLB.com, which means he's likely on track to hit Double-A at some point in 2016.
If his ascension is as successful as Russell's was (Russell appeared in Triple-A as a 19-year-old), what are the Cubs going to do with Torres if he's ready for the MLB in two years? ESPN Insider Keith Law has a lot of good things to say about Torres, but perhaps alludes to the fact there may be a logjam once the youngster is ready for the big leagues.
"Torres has a very easy, sweet right-handed swing, keeping his head steady throughout, with great hand-eye coordination that allowed him to still line out to center field even when he was fooled by a changeup and met the ball well out in front of the plate. He's incredibly smooth at shortstop, especially coming across the bag on a double play, with good hands and plenty of arm for the position. The Cubs didn't exactly need another star infield prospect, but that's what they appear to have in Torres, who needs only to get stronger to be one of the top prospects in all of baseball."
Then again, manager Joe Maddon is fixated on having a versatile lineup. Yesterday he said he's "certain" Baez would be a "good outfielder too," via Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune. The Cubs have found a way to utilize a number of players in different positions this year, so it's likely Maddon is capable of doing the same once Torres is ready at some point down the road.
It's certainly very early to be discussing this, but with the way the development of the organization's prospects has been going, the arrival of Torres within the next couple of seasons isn't too outlandish to think about.
In the meantime, the Cubs are on pace to make the postseason for the first time since 2008 with all of these young players. This bodes extremely well for the future, and it's likely Torres is part of this talented core at some point down the road.
