Spring Training Rewind: Albert Almora

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Cubs prospect Albert Almora does not look like a 19-year-old on the field, but a confident veteran. His sterling play, both in the field and in the batters box as caught the eye of people around the game in his first Spring Training.

This included Baseball Prospectus` Jason Parks, Jeff Moore, and Steffan Segui as they have written rave reviews about Almora, which includes notes about Javier Baez and Kris Bryant.

"Almora carries himself in a manner that stands out only because of the context of his surroundings. On the backfields, in a batting practice grouping with other prospects, Almora arrived at the cage with the confident gait and overall familiarity of a major leaguer coming to his 10th spring camp."

Almora’s maturity sets him apart from other top prospects to deal with the success and failures in the majors, while being able to handle the Chicago media storm.

Almora finished with five hits in nine at-bats and made several nice plays in the field. Cubs’ manager Ricky Renteria also noted Almora’s performance after being sent down to minor-league camp.

"They’ve shown their ability to be professionals here in terms of how they carried themselves and how they worked, now it’s time for them to get down there and get some more at-bats and get ready for the regular season. Like all players, they were a little disappointed. But they know there is a purpose and a reason for everything that we do."

Almora did well in his first spring and displayed an impressive air of professional at only 19, with a great performance as well. He will likely start the season in Class-A Advanced Daytona in the outfield, the lowest level out of the core four group, looking to flourish in hopefully his first healthy year.

A successful campaign in Daytona could see Almora reach Double-A Tennessee this season and increase his chances to reach Wrigley Field after the All-Star break in 2015.