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 2 (Reggie Golden and Hunter Ackerman) can be seen here.
Part 3 (Aaron Kurcz and Austin Reed) can be seen here.
Part 3 (Aaron Kurcz and Austin Reed) can be seen here.
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| 2011 Topps Pro Debut #216 Elliot Soto |
Elliot Soto was drafted out of high school in the 13th round of the 2007 draft by the Minnesota Twins. He passed and ended up going to college at Creighton University and re-entered the draft in 2010 where the Cubs drafted him in the 15th round.
He made his "pro debut" later that year which is why he gets the foil stamp in the upper right corner of his card. Each year since, he has played for multiple teams but he hasn't been able to make it past Double A yet.
After last season, it was announced that Soto would begin this season suspended for a second violation of the minor league drug program. As of this writing, he's gotten into 33 games with the Tennessee Smokies (mostly at shortstop) but that is where I've heard Addison Russell from the Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel trade will end up. With a logjam of middle infield prospects the Cubs are collecting, Soto will likely be squeezed out somewhere.
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| 2011 Topps Pro Debut #246 DJ LeMahieu |
D.J. LeMahieu was a part of the 2010 Pro Debut set and you can see my quick write up on his career up through last year here. Since being recalled from Triple A in May 2013, LeMahieu has been the everyday second baseman for the Rockies. He finished last season playing in a career high 109 games, and is on pace to surpass that this year.
Funny enough, LeMahieu is shown on this card with the Daytona Cubs, the Chicago Cubs high Single A affiliate where he spent the entire 2010 season. By the time this set was released though, LeMahieu had playedin Double A (Tennessee Smokies), Triple A (Iowa Cubs) and made his Major League debut on May 30, 2011. I wouldn't swear by it, but he may have been the first one from this set to make his MLB debut.
He even showed up in the flagship Update Series.
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| 2011 Topps #US205 D.J. LeMahieu |
I remember when LeMahieu was a throw-in for Ian Stewart. Not many second basemen have the glove that Barney does, but I sure wouldn't have minded if they would have kept D.J. around.
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