Besides him, Carlos Correa, Trea Turner and Xander Bogaerts were also signed by the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres, respectively. Swanson was one of the elite shortstops available on the market and was the last to agree to a deal. In addition to the Illinois team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves (his former team) were also vying for the player. The contract also includes a clause that does not allow the infielder to be traded, according to Russell Dorsey of Bally Sports. Garcia has seen brief action at shortstop in the winter leagues.The Chicago Cubs have signed shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million deal, according to ESPN reporter Jeff Passan. While both are mainly second basemen, Strumpf has had some reps at third base. The Cubs also have Chase Strumpf and Reivaj Garcia in their Top 50. Part of the contact-first draft that also produced Nico Hoerner, Weber brings a change of pace at the plate that can make him valuable off the bench. Weber has also played third base, and has the athleticism to play both in the outfield and first base. Drafted as a second baseman, Weber has shown the ability to handle the shortstop position well. Older than the others on this list at 23-years old, Weber nonetheless deserves consideration. But after experiencing power-hitting shortstops in Addison Russell and Javier Baez recently, will Chicago embrace a contact-oriented/defense-first shortstop like Santana? Scouts feel the Santana has physically matured and is driving the ball more. The investment the front office made in Santana as part of the Yu Darvish deal projects him here. Out of all of the the candidates, Verdugo and the 20-year old Santana are considered the best defensively at short. Verdugo does have the frame to hold up at the position. The 20-year old from Mexico has played mainly short, but also second and third over his career. And with Chicago acquiring a number of bright new shortstop prospects, Verdugo may end up lost in the shuffle. Further, the Cubs tend to gravitate to shiny new objects. But once that happens, the Cubs seem to lose interest in the player as a prospect. The Cubs have converted a number of infield prospects to catcher over the past few years ( Gioskar Amaya, P.J. However, a plus arm makes him a better fit in the outfield than Pertuz. Made got a lot reps at second base in the Cubs’ Fall instructs. He has an uppercut swing that will need work. Made is a little more of a mystery at this time, but is around the same size as Hernandez and Howard. The biggest difference for Made is that he may not be as advanced at this point. 821 OPS while stealing 23 bases in 60 games.Īlmost a forgotten prospect, the 18-year old Made falls into a similar category as Hernandez and Howard. While he is still a work in progress defensively, Morel has an incredible power/speed combination. Yet, the 5’11”, 165-pounder has the same over-the-top athletic skills. The younger brother of Cubs Top 10 prospect Christopher Morel, Rafael is a little shorter and heavier than his sibling. In a position that values athleticism, 19-year old Morel may be the most athletic of the bunch. Look for the more mobile of the two to make the move to right, leaving third to the other. Each one rates as a plus in arm strength, agility, and baseball IQ. Howard is a little more physically mature at 19-years old and 215-pounds, while Hernandez is only 17-years old and 175-pounds. Two almost equal prospects, how each matures and develops will determine where they may finally end up. Third Base/Right Field: Cristian Hernandez/ Ed Howard What Pertuz has always shown is the ability to make contact the offensive profile that the Cubs prefer at this position. But, at only 6′ and 156-pounds, Pertuz doesn’t project there. The next most frequent the native of Columbia has played is third base. Although he doesn’t have the power projection that is usually part of the position, that could change as Preciado physically matures.ĭespite the fact that the 20-year old Pertuz has played short more than twice as much as any other position, a move to second appears to be in the cards. While scouts like his defensive skills, many of his counterparts are rated higher in that area. The largest target out of group, Preciado also has a frame that projects to add up to 25 more pounds. This was a fairly easy prediction as the 17-year old switch-hitter is already 6’4″, 185-pounds.
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