Jeimer Candelario is the name that gets added to the list of Top Hitting Prospects going into the 2016 season. Candelario, much like Willson Contreras, has been a part of the Cubs minor league system for a long time now. After a steady ascension up the tiers of the minors, Candelario really showed out as Contreras's running mate in AA Tennessee last year.
128 Games, (.277/.339/.431/.770), 46 doubles, 13 HR, 0 SB, 8.0% BB, 15.8% K
Switch-hitting Candy continues to check every obstacle off of his list as he climbs the ladder through the minor leagues. At 22 years old, the then 17 year old third baseman was a very raw prospect showing a great power potential and a lot of question marks moving forward. Flash forward to 2016 and Jeimer has shown off that power with 13 homers and an impressive 46 doubles. He has also improved that batting average and contact rates with a .277 batting average and a 15.8 % K which is looking to stay steady even as he climbs the ranks. The most recent hurdle he was able to surpass was being placed on the 40 man roster this offseason, the Cubs avoiding the chance of losing him in the Rule 5 draft.
The biggest question mark going into 2015 was if his glove would allow him to stick around at the hot corner and the answer seemed to be a less than resounding yes. Don't expect him to be Nolan Arrenado or even Javy Baez over there, but do expect him to play adequate enough defense to possibly push Kris Bryant out to left field.
The ideal situation with Candelario would be that his hit tool stays consistent to what he has proven over the past few years, while his power to continue to come around while making some of those doubles into homers. By doing this, Jeimer might be in store for 2017 call up to the big league club. His role could be anything from a starter at third while moving Bryant to left (assuming Schwarber can eventually make the switch behind the plate), to a pinch hitter off the bench that spells Bryant or Rizzo on occasion, to even a potential trade piece.
No matter how you spin it, Jeimer Candelario will make an impact for the Chicago Cubs-- and soon.
Switch-hitting Candy continues to check every obstacle off of his list as he climbs the ladder through the minor leagues. At 22 years old, the then 17 year old third baseman was a very raw prospect showing a great power potential and a lot of question marks moving forward. Flash forward to 2016 and Jeimer has shown off that power with 13 homers and an impressive 46 doubles. He has also improved that batting average and contact rates with a .277 batting average and a 15.8 % K which is looking to stay steady even as he climbs the ranks. The most recent hurdle he was able to surpass was being placed on the 40 man roster this offseason, the Cubs avoiding the chance of losing him in the Rule 5 draft.
The biggest question mark going into 2015 was if his glove would allow him to stick around at the hot corner and the answer seemed to be a less than resounding yes. Don't expect him to be Nolan Arrenado or even Javy Baez over there, but do expect him to play adequate enough defense to possibly push Kris Bryant out to left field.
The ideal situation with Candelario would be that his hit tool stays consistent to what he has proven over the past few years, while his power to continue to come around while making some of those doubles into homers. By doing this, Jeimer might be in store for 2017 call up to the big league club. His role could be anything from a starter at third while moving Bryant to left (assuming Schwarber can eventually make the switch behind the plate), to a pinch hitter off the bench that spells Bryant or Rizzo on occasion, to even a potential trade piece.
No matter how you spin it, Jeimer Candelario will make an impact for the Chicago Cubs-- and soon.
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