This is the fourth part in a series of position-by-position looks at the Cubs top prospects. Previous entries can be found below:
Listed after each player is their age for the 2010 season and the level at which they ended last season.
1. Starlin Castro, 20, AA TennesseeThis past year has been good to Castro, who has skyrocketed in the prospect world to elite status, recently being ranked the 11th best prospect by AOL Fanhouse, 12th by ESPN's Keith Law, 15th by USA Today, and 22nd by MiLB.com.
The main appeal to Castro is his high floor. If he doesn't improve any more from where he is now, he'll be a major league player for a number of years. He already has a line-drive bat that will produce high averages, as well as average speed and fielding at the shortstop position, and those attributes alone are enough to make him a valuable commodity.
There is debate about how high his ceiling is, with some pegging him as an MLB starter who never becomes an all-star, while some see him becoming one of the games best offensive middle infielders. The hope is that power will come as he grows up and fills out, and that the strides he made with his plate discipline over the last half of the season end up being for real. But even considering his youth, there aren't enough good reasons to assume those improvements will come.
His fielding is solid, and he'll be able to hold down shortstop at least for the first portion of his career. Down the road, there is concern that his speed will deteriorate, leaving him without the necessary range to stay there. That may force him to second eventually, a move which may be expedited by the emergence of Hak-Ju Lee (see below).
How good Castro ends up remains to be seen, but it looks more and more like he will be the best position player the Cubs have developed in a while. He should start this season back at Tennessee, and in all likelihood will find himself promoted to Iowa at some point and maybe even to Chicago if he keeps up his meteoric rise.
2. Hak-Ju Lee, 19, A- Boise
As mentioned above, Lee could present a real threat to Castro within a few seasons. The Korean import brings a rare and valuable skill set, as a leadoff hitter with plus speed and great on-base skills. His fielding is spectacular also, due to some excellent range, a penchant for web-gems, and a rocket arm. After some more reps and with a little more focus in the field, he has the potential to be one of the games best.
Offensively, he's something of a slap hitter at this point, and he doesn't project for much power at any point. He's not quite a walks machine, but he finds ways to get on base. Once he's on, pitcher's have to keep him in mind due to his game-changing speed, which rates as a 65-70 on the 20-80 scouting scale.
The only knock on Lee is really how raw he is. He's still young, and he has a lot of work to do and needs to polish his game. He's probably at least 2 or 3 years from being in the conversation for a major league promotion.
Although, he might just make his Wrigley debut in another role: singing the National Anthem.
3. Darwin Barney, 24, AAA Iowa
A slick fielder with a weak bat, Barney probably will never have a chance to take over at short for the Cubs, barring unforseen circumstances. The plan is for Theriot to stick there until Castro's ready, and for Castro to fill it until Lee pushes him off. If Barney wants to throw his name in the ring, he'll have to do something really impressive at the plate in 2010.
As mentioned, Barney's calling card is his glove. Touted by Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein among others as one of the top fielders in the minor leagues, Barney has excellent range, moves smoothly, and makes all the hustle plays scouts and teenage girls love. Defensive metrics like TotalZone don't concur, but they are probably not to the point where we can take their word over first-hand observers.
With a bat, Barney leaves something to be desired. A career .281/.336/.373 minor league hitter, he is sort of what people see Andres Blanco as; decent enough to start every once in a while and not embarass himself. As opposed to Blanco, he probably has the facilities to fulfill that expectation in a bench role. But there's little reason to think he will make any kind of leaps in power or patience that would thrust him from the background into the spotlight.
4. Junior Lake, 20, A Peoria
An enigma wrapped in a riddle, Lake was seen as Castro's equal after the 2008 season, when they were teammates in Arizona. They both hit fairly well and were seen as possible breakouts. Castro did, Lake didn't.
After a season with 18 BBs and 138 Ks, it may strike you as odd that Lake is any kind of prospect still. And it is odd. But the kid has some serious ability. In batting practice, he crushes line-drives. In the field, he shows an almost unmatched throwing arm from shortstop along with excellent athleticism. He's got a skinny frame and a face that looks 16 years old.
Of course, all that said, he needs to produce. And it's doubtful if he ever will. He got a bad reputation in Peoria last year for being lazy and making dumb plays in the field, and had some serious problems communicating with the coaching staff. He swings at anything and everything, and doesn't apologize for it.
With a .248/.276/.365 line, it's easy to want to just write off Junior Lake. But if somehow the light goes on, he has the capacity to make you look silly for doing so.
5. Wes Darvill, 18, R Mesa
A lanky Canadian, Darvill is pretty raw in his own right. I honestly don't have a ton of information on this kid, but what I do know is that he's athletic, projectable and left-handed, and those are the kind of guys you want in your low minors. He runs well, and reportedly has good bat speed that could make him a talented hitter when he adds some strength.
I'll throw out some lines on Darvill once the season starts, and give a more full report when I get better information.
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