Chicago Cubs: Minor league opening weekend was a fun affair for all

Chicago Cubs: The future of the franchise

Last but not least South Bend and Myrtle Beach had an up and down weekend, as the Cubs split their series and the Pelicans lost three of four games. Tyler Durna and Nelson Velazquez set the tone for South Bend, each recording five hits in the opening series.

Durna, a fifteenth-round selection of the Cubs in this past years draft, started his professional career off strong at Rookie ball by slashing .364/.357/.455. He worked his way up to Low-A Eugene but saw a slight decrease in his production as he slashed .259/.333/.383 however still kept his strikeout percentage at a respectable 18.7%.

Velazquez, meanwhile, is a former fifth-round pick of Chicago. He spent time between Eugene and South Bend last season. Last year, while at Eugene Velazquez slashed .250/.322/.458 with 11 home runs, 33 RBI, and 12 stolen bases. He is just 20 years old and is someone fans should be keeping an eye on this season.

Starting pitcher Cam Sanders, who the Cubs selected in last years draft as a twelfth-round pick, was solid in 15 games last season. Most impressively, he posted a 31.4% strikeout clip in 16 innings of work.

In Myrtle Beach, top overall prospect Miguel Amaya if off to a solid start. He is slashing .273/.273/.636 with a home run and four RBI. He did strike out five times which is something to keep an eye on. However as the teams top overall prospect, he can hopefully continue to flourish.

Bryan Hudson and Javier Assad both worked solid starts in their season debuts. Hudson pitched five innings, giving up two runs and strikeout out six. Assad, meanwhile, also worked five innings. He gave up a run and recorded five strikeouts. Both guys are worth keeping an eye on, yet Hudson seems to have a higher ceiling while Assad has a solid floor.