Chicago Cubs Prospects: Kyle Schwarber named organization’s Player of the Month

Schwarber’s month of May earns him honors

It just keeps getting better it seems for the

and their line of prospects moving through the system. Last year’s top pick for the Cubs has been named the organization’s player of the month for May, as in 28 games for Double-A Tennessee he hit .297 with eight home runs and 17 RBIs, while also taking 24 walks. Dare I say,

like numbers in the minors?

So what could this mean? First, it means that Schwarber’s bat will be, or may already be major league ready. Theo Epstein and Co. took him because they saw him as one of the best pure hitters available in last year’s draft. So far, they’ve proven they were right on point. The issue, of course, lies in where he will play. He’s a catcher, but many scouts outside of Chicago don’t see that happening. So many are calling for him to move to left field. Perfect, right? No.

Fellow prospect Javier Baez is on a little tear of his own. In 32 games at Triple-A Iowa, he’s batting .325 with seven home runs and 26 batted in. He’s still struck out 33 times, but look, this is who he is. It’s not going to change. If he can hit .300+ for power then it’s a win. So what if they call him up, put him at third and move Bryant to left? What about Kyle?

The problem of what to do with all these bats if they continue to do what they’re doing will be a dynamic that the Cubs will have to address at some point. It could happen as soon as July with a trade, but who get’s dealt is still a mystery. Could be Baez, or maybe even Starlin Castro. Would they trade the fastest Chicago Cubs player to 900 hits? So many good players, and only eight positions to go around.

This is a fantastic problem that will be interesting to watch play out. It’s possible that somebody that’s very good right now in Cubbie blue won’t finish the season in it. But who knows. With Epstein and Joe Maddon, anything is possible.

Next: Who might the Cubs call-up to DH?