The Chicago Cubs are looking towards the future. You can tell by their infield alone: 21-year-old Javier Baez at second base; 24-year-old Starlin Castro at shortstop; and 25-year-old Anthony Rizzo at first base. And now they have 22-year-old Jorge Soler in right field.
Javier Baez was called up on August 5 and faced the Colorado Rockies in his first MLB game. The second baseman went only 1-for-6, but that one hit was the game-winning home run in extra innings. The Cubs won 6-5 on the road and Baez delivered in his debut. Through 21 games Baez is batting just .198, but has seven home runs and 11 RBIs.
The Cubs also promoted Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday and he made his debut on Wednesday night. In the rookie league, Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa, the 22-year-old has hit .340 with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs and a 1.132 OPS in 62 games this year. Soler showed his worth tonight against the Cincinnati Reds and homered in his first major league at-bat off of Mat Latos. Check out the video below provided by MLB.com:
Soler started in right field on Wednesday night and managed to mirror teammate Starlin Castro who also hit a home run in his first MLB at-bat back in 2010. Baseball America ranked Soler as the No. 41 prospect in all of baseball coming into this year and he's already off to a good start, but we'll see how he progresses. They also ranked Javier Baez No. 5 and center fielder Arismendy Alcantara No. 100, who are both everyday players for Chicago after being called up this year.
If Soler pans out, the Cubs could make out like bandits because they signed the Cuban defector to a nine-year $30 million contract in 2012. The Cubs also still have their two best prospects in the minors: third baseman Kris Bryant (leads the minors in home runs with 43) and Addison Russell (No. 5 ranked prospect after promotions this year). Russell will play in the Arizona Fall League in October while it's likely Kris Bryant will be on the roster come spring training.
You can read more about Jorge Soler and the Chicago Cubs in this ESPN article.
