Maybe Starlin Castro’s emergence has something to do with it, but after often sitting out the early-July spending spree in Latin America in recent years, the Cubs have invested in three significant prospects these last few days.
The most notable of the bunch is 16-year-old shortstop Enrique Acosta, who received $1.1 million to sign out of the Dominican Republic. He’s expected to outgrow his current position, but he had one of the most promising bats of this summer’s class of 16-year-olds.
The Cubs also added two 16-year-olds out of Venezuela in catcher Mark Malave and third baseman Ricardo Marcano.
Castro’s emergence likely has opened some eyes and showed the Cubs brass that it’s worth buying a few lottery tickets. Castro, who was signed out of the Dominican Republic without any fanfare in 2006, just made his first All-Star team as a 21-year-old.
For some quotes and more info on the prospects, check out David Kaplan’s article on CSNChicago.com.