Did you think the Chicago Cubs' surge of prospects was over? Silly you. The team still has a number of talented young players in their farm system, and rumors suggest a couple of outfielders could be next up to make their MLB debuts.
After answering questions from Cubs fans, Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com made such a speculation.
"How about either Billy McKinney or Albert Almora? Let's say an outfielder goes down and one of them gets called up. Right now, McKinney has basically moved ahead of Almora, but I imagine whoever gets off to a better start at Triple-A is the guy who gets called up first. Also depends on the position."
According to Baseball America, Almora and McKinney rank No. 6 and No. 7 in the organization. It's not yet clear if either player will start the year at Triple-A Iowa because both perhaps have some improving to do at Double-A Tennessee.
Almora owns a .262/.308/.388 stat line with 89 runs scored, 8 home runs, 56 RBI and 8 stolen bases in 142 games at Double-A while McKinney hit .285/.346/.420 with 29 runs scored, 3 home runs and 39 RBI in 77 games with Tennessee last year.
Almora, 21, was selected sixth overall by the Cubs in the 2012 MLB Draft. He's primarily a center fielder, but also logged 18 games in left last year, which could be attributed to Kyle Schwarber's struggles at the position in the MLB. Maybe his defense can propel him to the MLB if the team wants to improve that aspect of their outfield at some point during the season.
"The Cubs have made so much noise with prospects lately, Almora has gone a bit under the radar," writes Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. "He has future Gold Glove potential as well, maximizing just average speed with terrific jumps and routes. Almora's arm is strong and accurate, too."
On the other hand, McKinney has experience playing all three outfield positions and his bat is arguably better than Almora's. A knee injury slowed the 21-year-old in 2015, but he best profiles as a left fielder, which could expedite his promotion.
"While it's not the smoothest swing, thanks to a bit of an arm bar, McKinney has excellent hand-eye coordination and strike-zone judgment, giving him plus hitting ability," Baseball America wrote in its scouting report. "He's an average athlete and runner who can play all three outfield positions adequately, with a fringe-average arm that fits best in left field."
McKinney came over to Chicago with Addison Russell in the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija to the Oakland Athletics in 2014. The A's selected McKinney with the 24th overall pick in the 2013 draft.
Chicago is not afraid to promote their prospects, so if Almora or McKinney get off to a fast start in 2016 and the team is enduring some issues in their outfield, don't be surprised if one of them gets the call.
Then again, both Almora and McKinney popped up in trade rumors as the Cubs look to deepen their starting rotation. If that's the case, their MLB debuts can come with a different team in 2016.
