The Cubs improve their fielding chances Luis Vazquez in the majors, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo (who is also Vazquez’s cousin). Vazquez, 24, will be making his MLB debut whenever he makes his debut.
With the Cubs’ next game coming up on Tuesday, Vazquez’s call-up seems fitting Nico HoernerHealth status. Hoerner hasn’t played since last Monday with a hamstring strain, and while the Cubs hoped Hoerner would be able to play Tuesday, the team may have decided that an official injury list is necessary for Hoerner to make a full recovery. Dansby Swanson he’s already in IL recovering from a knee and was expected to be active on Tuesday, so it’s possible Vazquez could join the Cubs if there’s an unknown setback in Swanson’s coaching.
Either way, the door is open for Vazquez to get his first shot at the big leagues. A 14th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2017 draft, Vazquez didn’t do much at the plate until last season, when he hit a combined .271/.361/.456 with 20 home runs over 528 plate appearances almost evenly split. between Double-A and Triple-A. The hot hitting continued into this season, as Vazquez slashed .270/.369/.409 with three homers in 164 PA with Triple-A Iowa.
This breakout year led the Cubs to add Vazquez to their 40-man roster last November ahead of the Rule 5 Draft, and to get more professional attention – MLB Pipeline ranked Vazquez the 13th best prospect in the farm system of Chicago, and Baseball America has him 14th. As Pipeline scouts report, Vazquez was able to direct his swing and contact better after learning to lower his hands at the plate, thus unlocking some extra power. Between this development and Vazquez’s respectable defense, both Pipeline and BA think Vazquez still has a path to a Major League role as a versatile bench player.
Vazquez’s glove work and throwing arm fit in the 60s on the 20-80 evaluation scale, and as Pipeline puts it, “he’s so good at shortstop that Chicago rarely gives him to other positions.” Vazquez has some experience at second and third base and shouldn’t have much of a problem at either position given his shortstop ability, making him an interesting option for the Cubs at least for a while. Miles Mastrobuoni again Nick Madrigal they’ve been filling the centerfield roles with Swanson and Hoerner, and if both players return Tuesday, Mastrobuoni could find himself sent back to Triple-A to make room for Vazquez’s promotion.
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