Matt Szczur was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fifth round after a stellar two sport career at Villanova where he started on both the Gridiron and the Diamond. His accolades run from offensive player of the year in football to one of the top career averages at Villanova for baseball. Enough of an athlete that there was a consideration of him being a professional two sport player. It took just $100,000 to get Szczur signed and started in 2010 with the Cubs because of his desire to also enter the NFL Draft. But the Cubs added a $1.4mm option for him if he decided to walk away from football to concentrate on baseball. After a strong start to his career, where he hit .347/.414./.465, Szczur decided to take the Cubs up on their offer and sign the Baseball Only Bonus. Szczur’s premium athleticism and his solid debut put a player dead on the radar into the Top 100 on our Baseball Instinct 360: 82°. Matt Szczur, OF, Cubs, 7/20/1989 – Szczur is one of the top athletes in the Cubs’ system. As an NFL hopeful, he was was often compared to Brian Westbrook for his speed and running ability, so we’re talking high end. He’ s still settling into baseball full time but the initial production has been good and he projects as a .290 hitter with double digit home run power and 25+ SB speed. Will start 2012 in the FSL. ETA 2014. Let’s take a deeper look at the tools and get a idea of what to expect in 2012 and into the future for Szczur and Cubs. The Bat With the bat, Szczur is still raw in his approach at the plate. But he has a high level contact ability and short stroke from the right side. He hit .314 in Peoria in 2011 with a 9.4% K rate. The walk rate of 7.0% was decent and a sign that he could develop the needed plate discipline. He has yet to turn his plus plus speed into an elite skill on base, having stole 19 bases in 2011. But the speed is there. A move to High-A Daytona had Szczur’s AVG drop to just .260 but it was primarily driven by a low BABIP at .270. A number that will correct itself. A good sign was a jump in IsoP from Low-A to High-A from .117 to .150. The power is coming around. The Glove With his plus plus speed, Szczur covers a lot of centerfield ground and projects as a plus defender with a hard nosed game. He’s worked hard at strengthening his arm now that he’s focusing on baseball and it’s come up to an average tool. If he’s able to remain healthy he should be an above average CF at the major league level. Our Instinct I projected Szczur heading back to the FSL to start the 2012 season with the hope that the Cubs would allow him to develop enough at the lower levels before really pressing onto the fast track, but he’s already been reassigned to Double-A. I think he’s up for the challenge, but expect some struggles as he adjusts. He still needs to refine his tools into skills. His speed can be elite in the 40 SB range if he’s given enough time, but chances are that he’s being rushed and living on sheer ability will limit his effectiveness in the basepaths. He’s going to continue to develop more power and as long as his approach with the bat remains the same he should hit for average. If he’s given the time to learn how to work pitchers into counts where he can utilize the raw power he’s developing he has 20 HR upside. But more than likely will settle somewhere closer to cracking double digits with a lot of speed induced extra bases. He may now be on track to make his debut in 2013 some time which will make Brett Jackson’s window in CF a small one. --

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