Future Watch: Arizona Fall League preview, Part II

Former third-overall pick Josh Vitters hit two first-pitch home runs in the Arizona Fall League opener yesterday. With that, Baseball Prospectus’ prospect guru Kevin Goldstein continues with his second of three Cubs prospects to watch in the AFL. Subscribe to Vine Line today to receive Goldstein’s monthly update and for more coverage from top to bottom of the Cubs organization.

Josh Vitters, IF

The Cubs had high hopes for Vitters when he was the No. 3 overall pick of the 2007 draft, but his development has gone slower than expected, mostly due to an inability to lay off pitches outside the zone. While his 22 walks in 2011 aren’t much, they still represented a career high, and there was progress in his overall offensive game as well. while he no longer looks like a future star, a strong 2012 showing could at least get him back on the map.

And today, in his daily Minor League Update for Baseball Prospectus, Goldstein wrote, “The progress is incremental, but it is in the right direction, and the swing is still awfully pretty.”