Which Chicago Cubs pitching prospect will be the next to debut?

Chicago Cubs: Adbert Alzolay, SP: Iowa Cubs

Of all the names fans might expect, Adbert Alzolay should come as no surprise as the most likely option to represent as the next prospect to start a game for the major league Cubs. After getting shut down last season with an injury, Alzolay earned a recent promotion to Triple-A Iowa

Alzolay has exactly 21 innings under his belt for Iowa, spanning a total of four starts. Impressively, however, Alzolay has posted a 3.00 ERA with a 2.98 FIP and 3.39 xFIP, respectively. The one stat which stands out for Alzolay is his strikeout rate. To coincide with the punchouts, the right-hander has also managed to keep his free passes at bay. Currently, Alzolay is striking out a whopping 36.3 percent of batters faced while walking just 6.3 percent at the same time.

Alzolay currently ranks as the team’s number four overall prospect. He just turned 24 years old in March and has faced some trouble with staying healthy, making only eight starts last season due to a strained right lat. The good news is that it appears Alzolay is in full swing on the mound – evidenced by his production thus far.

More than likely, the only way Alzolay starts sooner rather than later is if a starter suffers an injury. Outside of Yu Darvish, the rotation is performing very well with Kyle Hendricks and Jon Lester leading the charge. Even Darvish has improved if we’re being honest. That being said, the future is a bright one for our young right-handed starter, and it is not long before he arrives at the Show.