When the Chicago Cubs won the bidding rights for prized prospect Jorge Soler for nine years and $30 million they knew they were getting a talented, but extremely raw prospect. The 20-year old has since moved up from the Arizona Rookie League, where he batted .241 with two home runs and 10 RBIs in 14 games, to the Peoria Chiefs of the Midwest League.
The Class A level has been even more kind to Soler. He is now batting .338 in 20 games with three home runs and 15 RBI. he has a hefty .513 slugging percetnage and an on-base percentage of .398.
Comcast Sportsnet recently talked about his adjustment to the American game after defecting from Cuba:
"Soler is a 20-year-old kid. He is not a 20-year-old mature guy, he is a 20-year-old kid," said Peoria Chiefs hitting coach Barbaro Garbey, who is spending time working with Soler on a daily basis. "He has the power, he has the talent and he has the time because he is only 20 years old. Like him, I came from Cuba and it takes time to make adjustments especially when you don’t speak English and he doesn’t yet understand how hard you have to play every single day."
SB Nation's Bleed Cubbie Blue has also been a supporter of Soler:
No monster home runs for Soler on what was the final day of the season for the Cubs' Midwest League affiliate in Peoria, and from what we've heard, likely the last day for Peoria as that affiliate. It's ironic, then, that they finished the season at Kane County, likely to be the home for Cubs prospects in the Midwest League once the team finally gets an affiliation agreement signed.
Visit Bleed Cubbie Blue for more Cubs news, and make sure to check out Baseball Nation for even more coverage from around the league.