One of the hottest topics of this spring training centers around Kris Bryant, the Chicago Cubs’ uber-prospect who is blowing up and lapping the field with nine home runs during the exhibition season so far.
In case you’re wondering, no other player has more than five homers.
The shame of it is, Bryant has become such a story not because of the hype and buzz he has created with his mammoth power and promising career about to get underway, but because he probably won’t start the 2015 regular season in the majors.
The Cubs can couch that likelihood all they want, saying Bryant still needs a little more Triple-A time to improve his ability to make contact at the plate or his defense at third base and/or in the outfield. But it’s no secret that the underlying reason why Bryant might not debut until late April is because doing so allows Chicago to tack on an extra year of team control through the 2021 campaign.
But what about other nearly MLB-ready prospects who are still in big league camps and on the verge of getting to The Show?
Some rookies-to-be are positioned to be in the bigs at the start of the 2015 season, like Joc Pederson of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Daniel Norris, Aaron Sanchez and Dalton Pompey, and Jorge Soler, Bryant’s soon-to-be Cubs teammate.
There are many prospects, though, who are this-close to the majors but ultimately might not be there on Opening Day for any number of reasons, from the need for more development in the minors to service time machinations to mediocre spring performances.
And despite strong showings, Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians, Corey Seager of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Texas Rangers’ Joey Gallo already have been sent down. We could—and probably should—see all three of them before 2015 is up.
But remember, not being there on Opening Day doesn’t mean these top youngsters won’t be there—and making an impact—soon enough.