Center Field
2012 Overview: The position was a mess for all of 2012 with no individual player making more than 38 starts and six people starting at least 13 games. Marlon Byrd was shipped to Boston after a dreadful start while Reed Johnson enjoyed plenty of success before moving on to Atlanta. Joe Mather proved to be incapable of a major league job and Tony Campana provided good defense with tremendous speed and no other value. Campana has since moved on to Arizona.
The two primary center fielders remain: David DeJesus is slated to play center full-time in 2013, while Brett Jackson remains the center fielder of the future. The club's 2009 first-round pick, Jackson has proved to be the player the Cubs expected to have when they drafted him: he has good power, good center field defense, good speed, excellent walking ability, and a huge problem with strikeouts that threatens to curtail his career and significantly lower his ceiling. His experience in 2012 at Iowa showed the good while his time in Chicago showed the bad. In 467 AAA plate appearances, Jackson amassed a .256/.338/.479/.817 line with 15 home runs and 27 stolen bases. Unfortunately, over 142 major league plate appearances, he mustered just a .175/.303/.342/.645 line with 4 home runs, no steals, and a crippling 41.5% strikeout rate.
At Tennessee, the job was split between Rubi Silva and Matt Szczur. Szczur has the brighter prospect star of the pair given his excellent patience at the plate and big speed. At this stage, it seems clear that he has very little impact potential given no home run power, but he should make for a good reserve outfielder or a fringe starter. The combined .267/.360/.390/.751 line at Daytona and Tennessee for the 23-year-old confirms this, as does his 42 steals. Silva has showed solid batting ability in his career, but his walk rate has been paltry. As it is not complemented by a power projection, Silva needs to develop his walking ability or play pristine defense to have a chance to make it.
Taiwan Easterling manned center field in Peoria for most of 2012, but the now-24-year-old showed only some speed with light power, poor batting ability, and too many strikeouts. He is athletic enough to get another crack at showing his skills, but time is not on his side. On the other hand, Pin-Chieh Chen turned 21 last July and showed the kind of speed that keeps players in the game for a long time, swiping 36 bases. Although he has no power at all, he has a great walk rate - 11.5% in 2012 - that should enable him to keep playing for years to work on his batting average. His ceiling is likely that of a fifth outfielder.
In the low levels, only one name is truly exciting. After being selected with the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft and awarded a $3.9M signing bonus, Albert Almora showed the type of refined hitting ability that made the 18-year-old so sought after by clubs. Almora alarmingly mustered just two walks in 33 games, although his .321/.331/.464/.795 combined line featured just 13 strikeouts. He should have the chance to hit for high average with solid power, good speed, and excellent center field defense. While his ceiling is lower than that of most top-10 selections, Almora is a much better bet to develop into at least a solid major leaguer than most picks.
2013 and Beyond: DeJesus should, yet again, prove to be a dependable full-time player, even if his ceiling is that of a slightly above-average regular. Jackson turned 24 in August, so he is unlikely to completely rework his game. If he finds a way to make more contact without squeezing his walk rate or power, he should still be a good everyday center fielder as early as 2013. If the strikeouts continue, he is unplayable in a full-time role.
Szczur remains a name on which to keep an eye; if he can add some power or batting ability to his game, he could still develop into a solid starter, although that is unlikely. Almora, on the other hand, is the player to watch in the group. He is young enough that his entire game needs to develop. He is also young enough such that any development of his walk rate, power, or speed can be significant.
Overall Perception: DeJesus represents a good, league average short-term solution. Jackson remains one of the better center field prospects in the game and could be a big part of the club's future. And Almora, young as he is, could be one of the best center fielders in the game in a decade. It's a really solid group with the potential for more.
Final Rating: 7.0
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Previous entries
Corner Outfield
Shortstop
Third Base
Second Base
First Base
Catcher
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