Anticipated Cub Debuts
By: Arthur Caron
As we embark on another season of Chicago Cubs baseball, all eyes will be on the game in Tokyo (set to start at 5am CT).
And while I want to see the Cubs come out with a W, I am even more intrigued to see Matt Shaw make his major league debut. Shaw’s status for Japan had been in limbo, but since getting back on the field, he’s hitting .316 in 16 at-bats and has played good, if not great, defense at third base.
The hype is real for this kid, but it got me thinking:
Who has had the most anticipated Cubs rookie debuts in modern times?
Going back to the year 2000, let’s explore 5 players who had Cubs fans dreaming of big things. I will also talk about the top 5 most successful Cubs debuts. Some players will make both lists.
Dream Big:
5. Kosuke Fukudome, 30 years old, OF, 2008 – 30th MLB-Ranked Prospect
Fukudome was the previous generation’s Seiya Suzuki as he had a highly decorated career in Japan (9 seasons overall with four 20-homer seasons and four seasons with 80+ RBIs) before trying his luck stateside . Kosuke was joining a team coming off a division-winning campaign in 2007 and he went on to make the 2008 NL All-Star team, helping lead the Cubs to the playoffs in 2008 and another division title. His overall stats left a bit to be desired only hitting .257 with 10 homers and 57 RBIs.
4. Pete Crow-Armstrong, 21 years old, OF, 2023 28th MLB-Ranked Prospect
PCA, as the Wrigley faithful call him, came up for a cup of coffee at the end of the 2023 season. While the team was still in the wild card hunt, he was mainly used as a pinch runner and defensive replacement. His defensive acumen and baseball IQ make him a must-see.
If he can get on base and hit enough, then the swap the Cubs made while sending Javy Baez to the Mets in 2021 will (if not already) look like a steal.
3. Kyle Schwarber, 22 years old, C, 2015 MLB-Ranked Prospect
Schwarber debuted as a catcher in June 2015 but was known for his great batting IQ and hitting titanic homers, helping him become the number 4 overall pick in the 2014 MLB draft. His emergence gave the Cubs reinforcements for an eventual playoff run in which he smashed a homer in the NL Wild Card Playoff off Gerrit Cole. He later followed up with a moonshot against the Cardinals that landed on top of the right field Wrigley Field scoreboard.
2. Kris Bryant, 23 years old, 3B, 2015 1st MLB-Ranked Prospect
The number 2 pick in the 2013 MLB draft didn’t disappoint, as he was Minor League Player of the Year in 2014. Coming up 15 games into the 2015 (IYKYK), he went on to exceed expectations, winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2015, hitting 26 homers, and making the NL All-Star team.
1. Mark Prior, 21 years old, SP, 2002 2nd MLB-Ranked Prospect
Prior, a powerful righty with “perfect mechanics”, who was taken 2nd overall in the 2001 MLB Draft, rose quickly through the minors to make his debut in May of 2002 at Wrigley Field. He was supposed to be Robin to Kerry Woods’ Batman and help usher in a successful era of Cubs baseball with 2 homegrown talents in the rotation that the Cubs haven’t had since at least the 1970s.
I think you know how the rest of this story goes… unfortunately.
Amazing Starts:
5. Starlin Castro, 20 years old, SS, 2010
Castro was the number 16th-ranked prospect when he debuted on May 7th, 2010 against the Cincinnati Reds in Cincinnati. He had what is quite possibly the best game of his career going 2-5 with a homer (in his first MLB AB) and 6 RBIs in a 14-7 Cubs win.
4. Javy Baez, 21 years old, 2B, 2014
Baez, the 7th-ranked prospect when he debuted in Colorado in August 2014, hit a go-ahead home run in the 12th inning of a 5-4 Cubs win. Going 1-6 that game with 3 Ks showed Cubs fans what was in store… good and bad.
3. Kosuke Fukudome, 30 years old, OF 2008
He debuted on Opening Day 2008, starting in RF and hitting 5th. He lived up to the pressure while going 3-3 and hitting a dramatic homer off Milwaukee Brewers closer Eric Gagne in the ninth. Although the Cubs would go on to lose in extra innings, he couldn’t have had a better showing in front of the Wrigley faithful.
2. Ryan O’Malley, 26 years old, SP 2006
O’Malley made his MLB debut in Houston in August of 2006, He went on to outduel Andy Pettitte in a Cubs 1-0 win. He pitched eight shutout innings giving up just 5 hits while walking 6 and only allowing 2 hits. He would only go on to make 1 more start in his career 6 days later, but this makes the list because he wasn’t a highly touted prospect.
1. Mark Prior, 21 years old, SP 2002
Making his debut at Wrigley against the Pirates in May of 2002, he didn’t disappoint going 6 innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 runs while striking out 10. Prior gave the Cubs fans a glimpse of his promise the next 1.5 seasons before injuries derailed a promising career leaving him as one of the biggest “what-ifs” in recent Cubs history.
Cubs fans! Who was your favorite debut, and whose debut do you remember most? Let us know in the comments below.