Chicago Cubs: Pitching prospects are starting to show up

Jose Albertos, RHP

Albertos is another young arm for the Cubs. He was signed at the age of 16 and made his professional debut just a year later. While he worked just four innings at the rookie-ball level in 2016, Albertos struck out seven batters.

Following another 8 1/3 innings at rookie-ball in 2017, Albertos was promoted to Low-A. There, the 18-year-old made eight starts, posting a 2.86 ERA. In addition to that, Albertos struck out 42 batters in 34 2/3 innings pitched while walking 14.

In a total of 47 professional innings, Albertos has yet to yield a home run and is allowing just 5.9 hits per nine.

While Albertos has been impressive in his short professional stint, he has had some early troubles with staying healthy. So far, it has been nothing more than forearm tightness but the Cubs are being very careful with how much they use Albertos. That is, in part, the reason why the youngster has made just 11 starts in two seasons.

Outlook and ETA

Albertos continues the list of Cubs’ pitchers will live fastballs. The 19-year-old can run the offering up to 97-98 MPH while mixing in a better-than-average change-up.

What is currently missing from Albertos’ game is a breaking ball. Albertos has messed around with a slider, but it is nothing special and will need a lot of work if he wants to remain a starter at the higher levels.

Right now, it is too early to tell what Albertos’ role will be moving forward. The youngster will need to prove he can stay healthy before he worries about developing a third pitch. For that reason, it will likely be three-plus years before we see Albertos in the majors.