Sunday, July 20, 2014

Where Are They Now? 2011 Pro Debut Part 6

Last year I began a new series of posts giving an update on Cubs prospects that appeared in Pro Debut during its inaugural 2010 season. Three years seemed like a pretty good amount of time to follow up. With the release of the 2014 set, I restarted the series a few Sundays ago with players from 2011.

Previous entries can be seen here:

Part 1 (Hak-Ju Lee and Brandon Guyer) can be seen here.
Part 2 (Reggie Golden and Hunter Ackerman) can be seen here.
Part 3 (Aaron Kurcz and Austin Reed) can be seen here.
Part 4 (Elliot Soto and D.J. LeMahieu) can be seen here.
Part 5 (Dustin Geiger and Dallas Beeler) can be seen here.


Nicholas Struck was drafted by the Cubs in the 39th round of the 2009 draft. In 2010, he played for both the Single A Peoria Chiefs (the team pictured on the card) and had a brief stint with the High A Daytona Cubs.

A hot start in Daytona in 2011 led to two more level changes, first to Double A with the Tennessee Smokies and then up to the Triple A Iowa Cubs. Struck spent the entire 2012 season in Tennessee with a 14-10 record and a 3.18 ERA and was the Cub Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

He started 2013 in Iowa but after going 6-8 with a 6.17 ERA, he finished the year back in Tennessee. Struck was released by the Cubs at the end of Spring Training this year but just a few days later was signed the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. So far this season, he has spent most of the time with their Double A affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts compiling a 1-5 record with a 7.29 ERA. He also spent two games with the Triple Albuquerque Isotopes.


Brett Jackson was another player who was in the inaugural 2010 Topps Pro Debut set. You can read my original write up here.

At the end of that post, I speculated Jackson would get a late season call up for 2013. Alas, he did not and the Cubs set a new roster size record regardless. Also as mentioned, he did split the 2013 season between Double and Triple A and rehabbed his injury.

This season, Jackson has spent the entire time in Iowa. In 67 games, he is batting .213 with 5 home runs and 18 RBIs. Not exactly September call up numbers if you ask me, especially with what else the Cubs have waiting in the wings.

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