Chicago Cubs prospect Matt Mervis continues to prove himself

On Friday night, the Chicago Cubs Triple-A affiliate Iowa Cubs had their season opener against the Columbus Clippers. Cubs prospect Matt Mervis, who was left off the Opening Day roster after scorching earth throughout the minors last season, wasted no time picking up where he left off, notching a home run, an RBI double and a pair of walks. Check out the video below of Mervis hammering one out of the ballpark.

More video of Mervis' RBI double, which drove in Christopher Morel, who is also looking to get back to Chicago after making an impact for the team in 2022.

Notably, both of Mervis' hits came off a left-handed pitcher. Though the Cubs opted to have Mervis continue to fine-tune and hone in on his skills in Iowa so as not to put too much pressure on him right away, he will inevitably be up at some point, hopefully before summer. If Mervis is getting to the point where he is only hindering the Cubs by not being on the main roster, a move will have to be made fairly early in the year if you're the Jed Hoyer.

Although Eric Hosmer is a fine place-holder, the truth is, the Cubs need Mervis' type of production at the major league level if they are thought to compete at all this season. With Hosmer, Trey Mancini and Patrick Wisdom all capable of handling first base duties, it wouldn't be surprising to see Cubs brass keep him down on the farm for as long as possible, but if he keeps hitting, you must let him off the leash to go wild at some point.

If Hosmer is not effective in the Cubs lineup, it will be the catalyst for Mervis' call-up at some point. Mancini is likely here to stay, at least for the next two years, but Hosmer's league minimum price tag is easily waivable if the Cubs bring up their young slugger. With the help of an entirely revamped farm system, the clock is ticking down for the next great Cubs team to appear. At some point this season, Mervis will be hitting moonshots onto Sheffield Ave.