Chicago Cubs: Checking in with the top prospects

Alex Lange, RHP, No.5 overall

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It may be difficult to fully figure out Alex Lange as he has just twelve career games under his professional belt. However the Cubs first-round pick in last seasons amateur draft has been solid.

Drafted out of LSU, Lange is just 22 years old and shows signs as another excellent addition to the starting rotation a few years down the road. Currently, Lange is in High A, where he has made eight starts this season, pitching thus far to a 2-2 record with a 3.64 ERA.

Rewind to the previous season, Langes first year, where he started four games and finished with a 0-1 record and 4.82 ERA. What is great about the course of those starts for Lange was his strikeout percentage. He posted a 31.7% clip.

This season there have been positives for Lange. First and foremost, his ERA is down considerably, at 3.64 ERA. Langes xFIP has seen a slight uptick from 3.01 to 3.49, however still respectable. The downside is, and this is something to be expected, his strikeout rate is down exponentially to 21.6%, a drop-off of nearly 10%. Lange is walking fewer people, though, which is a positive.

The last two of his starts have been superb. Lange is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA. In those two games and eleven innings, Lange has struck out twelve, walking only one batter. As Alex Lange continues to develop, Cubs fans can get excited about this guy and what his future brings to the organization. His scheduled ETA is 2019.