Chicago Cubs: Fear not, there is still quality in the farm system

Teen pitcher with an arsenal

Eighteen years old. That is all. He is just old enough to vote in America. The Mexican-born pitcher, Jose Albertos, is young and can pitch. But is still an unknown commodity. All signs point to a bright MLB future.

According to scouts, Albertos has a fastball that consistently hits 93-95 miles per hours, and can reach 97 MPH. And, he can locate it on either side of the plate. Yet, it is his devastating changeup that has the Cubs salivating. His age means there is time to teach him to develop his breaking ball.

This season, Albertos made two starts for the Single-A Eugene Emeralds. In those two games, he allowed three runs in 10 innings, striking out eight. The second game accounted for all three earned runs. It was also the games that witnessed Albertos struggled to find the strikezone. Of his 81 pitches, only 47 were strikes.

He is young and will grow. Could he be the first truly developed pitcher in the Cubs’ organization. We hope so.