Starlin Castro - Castro remains on fire, adding to a September hard contact rate of 39% with a pair of doubles in the 9-5 win over the Brewers. Since resuming "most of the time" status on 8/24, Castro is 30-73 (.411) with 7 doubles and 5 homers. The Cubs have a wealth of options all across the field going forward, but with Castro signed for 4 more seasons he isn't likely to head to the bench over the long haul. He's a maddening player to be sure, but the talent is still there when he's inspired, and perhaps the idea that he can lose his job at any time due to the plethora of options available behind him will keep him motivated.
Jorge Soler - Soler has been a major disappointment this year, battling a couple of injuries and even greater contact issues than expected, but there are a few small glimpses of silver lining here. First and foremost, he's just 23 years old, so we are still on the growth side of the equation here. Secondly, he's managed a 28% LD rate and a hard contact rate of over 35% this year, so he has hit the ball with authority a decent portion of the time. Finally, he's come back from the DL in the midst of this pennant chase and hit 2 homers in 5 ABs as a pinch-hitter/backup OF, so of course the pop is still there. The Cubs still have rom for him next year with Fowler and Jackson both FAs at the end of the year, and I would imagine that he's still projected to be the starting RF if he has a decent spring. I still believe that he is a very solid high-upside choice as a 5th OF heading into 2016.
Kolten Wong - On the whole, Wong's second season doesn't look all that much different from his rookie campaign. He's struggled against LHP and shown a bit of power and speed, promising things from a 24 year old. The problem here is that Wong has been completely awful since the break, hitting just 239/299/322 with less hard contact, a lower pull percentage, and more groundballs. In short, his bat speed appears to be way down, and you've got to wonder if there's an injury involved here. He's had minor head and calf injuries this year, but neither seemed to be something that would impact his performance this much. I'd be hopeful that whatever is ailing him will be fixed come spring, as Wong definitely has the makings of a top-5 player at 2B, but I'll be watching any medical news on him closely as we move through the playoffs and winter months.
John Lamb - When Lamb is hitting his spots he looks very impressive, and that's exactly what he did to the Cards on Monday, tossing 6 shutout innings and striking out 6 while allowing 5 hits and a walk. He's definitely a high-upside guy heading into next year, with the typical high walk rate and FB rate that can be flammable offset by the swing-and-miss stuff. The SIERA of 3.55 gives you an idea of the potential here.
Michael Conforto - I remain high on Conforto, who homered again on Monday, heading into 2016. He certainly has the appearance of an OF that will provide value in both AVG and the power categories, and at just 22 there is plenty of time for him to become more productive against LHP....not that he's gotten more than a handful of PAs against them thus far. His BBS of 107.5 mph on his HRs gives you a good idea of the hard contact that he's capable of making, and his contact rate is quite a bit higher than most players with that type of bat speed. I'm of the opinion that the industry may have been a bit low in estimating his potential (although it's certainly still early), as a lower contact rate was anticipated at this level.
