If you thought Kris Bryant was done, you were wrong. The Chicago Cubs top prospect is batting .381/.375/.714/1.089 with five runs scored, two home runs, seven RBIs and two stolen bases in five games with Triple-A Iowa. His promotion to the MLB can't be too far off.
Bryant started the 2015 season in the minors because Cubs president of baseball operations said the prospect needed to burnish his defensive skills. While many have said the reason was to delay Bryant hitting free agency due to service time considerations, Epstein noted he has never started a prospect on an Opening Day roster in his many years in charge of the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs.
Epstein didn't care about the rumors or speculation, but it doesn't look like he can wait much longer to promote Bryant.
Cubs third baseman Mike Olt was hit by a pitch on the wrist on Saturday and did not start the team's past two games. Olt's backup at third, Tommy La Stella, who has also played some second base, is dealing with a sore side and has played in only two games this season. Jonathan Herrera and Chris Coghlan have seen some time at third, but neither provides a reliable option if Olt and/or La Stella were to miss a decent chunk of time.
"...speculation has turned to top prospect Kris Bryant. Could he be called up from Triple-A Iowa if either La Stella or Olt needs a stint on the disabled list?" writes Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com.
"Maybe," Epstein told Rogers before Monday's game against the Cincinnati Reds. "We'll see. We'll just weigh all the factors."
"His performance last year and during spring training showed he's really close and that we're more likely to get him sooner rather than later but they just started," Epstein added. "We're trying to get him into a good rhythm down there. We'll see."
Epstein talked with Curt Schilling in the ESPN booth during one of the Cubs spring training games and elaborated upon the team's philosophy in developing their young players. Schilling noted if the Cubs didn't have Bryant on the 25-man roster in April, then they wouldn't have their 25 best players on Opening Night. Here's what Epstein had to say:
"I think it's very rare that teams take the 25 best players, the 25 most talent players [on Opening Day] ... It's just commonplace for players to complete their development. The way we've done it in Boston for 10 years and the way we've done here for three years, the most talented players, the best players, it's not always the right time for them. They need to complete their development and they have things to learn in the minor leagues ... I like to call guys up for their major league debut in the middle of the season when they're in the flow of the game, the grind of the season, they're comfortable ... We have a certain way of breaking players into the big leagues."
Epstein does have a point. Last season he called up Javier Baez and Jorge Soler towards the end of the year, after Baez had belted 23 home runs in 104 games at Triple-A and after Soler enjoyed a 62-game stint between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A (while also being sidelined with hamstring issues). They had needs to fill in the middle infield and outfield, which is why these players likely got the call over Bryant. Chicago had veteran Luis Valbuena as their starting third baseman, so Bryant was blocked from getting significant playing time. Additionally, Bryant has only two minor league seasons under his belt, while Baez and Soler each had at least three.
However, there is no denying Bryant's success this spring training. He batted .425/.477/1.175/1.652 with 14 runs scored, nine home runs and 15 RBIs in 14 games, leading the MLB in home runs and RBIs. Don't be surprised if we see Bryant make his MLB debut within the next couple of weeks.
UPDATE: The Chicago Cubs have placed Tommy La Stella on the 15-day disabled list, but the team called up pitcher Zac Rosscup from Triple-A Iowa, according to Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
