Cubs Prospect Profile: Brett Bateman |
As we continue to explore the Cubs' top prospects, we have almost reached the middle portion of the list. The teens are typically where you start to see the prospects viewed as potential difference makers, and the Cubs have plenty of those guys.
On the flip side, the Cubs also have plenty of prospects considered unknowns, but that is the case for most MLB organizations because you never know if a prospect will pan out or not. Despite the Cubs Minor League organization struggling to win games apart from AA Tennessee, they have plenty of talented players at the lower-level minor leagues who are on the verge of breaking out. You started to see some of that last season with guys like Jonathon Long coming out of nowhere to do what he did, but that is only the beginning of what is to come for this team. One often-overlooked player has quietly gotten off to a great start to his professional career and has already reached AA less than two years after being drafted. His name is Brett Bateman, and he checks in at No. 17 overall on the Cubs Top 30 list. One of the many talented outfielders in the Cubs system, Bateman is about as far of an opposite as one could be, as he isn't a power-hitting guy. At 5-10 and 170 pounds, Bateman may never be the power hitter you look for in an OF bat, but that may not matter as he brings so much more to the table. During his time with the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Bateman emerged as one of the best contact hitters in the country and settled in as the everyday leadoff hitter for his final two seasons. His junior season is a prime example of how well he does when it comes to making contact, as he hit .355 that season with an amazingly low nine percent strikeout rate. He followed that up with a solid performance in the Cape Cod League as he hit .500 across his 13-game stint. With several teams starting to get away from the home run or bust and returning to a contact-first approach, the Cubs did their homework on him and drafted him in the eighth round of the 2023 MLB draft. It was a move that raised many questions, but given what he did in the Cape Cod league before arriving in the Cubs system, you had to love what you saw. Bateman wasn't around long in 2023, seeing action in 32 games, but he was solid for the most part in those 32 games. His .283 average across those 32 games was a positive sign, as were the 16 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Bateman also took more walks (26) than strikeouts (19), which is what he did a lot of with Minnesota. Looking to build off that showing in 2024, Bateman again began the season with South Bend before getting the bump to Tennessee before the season's end. Across those two levels, Bateman saw action in 107 games and went on to hit .272 in those games. That is a decline from 2023, but his .382 OBP made most look away from that average, as Bateman got on base more than enough times. To go with his high OBP came the speed factor of his game, as he went on to steal 30 bases and was a threat the moment he reached first. Bateman also connected for his first career homer to go with 30 RBIs while also walking nearly as many times as he struck out. As is the case with many old-school leadoff hitters, Bateman has a very disciplined approach at the plate and rarely chases pitches outside the zone. He tends to make contact when he does offer at a pitch, as there isn't very much swing-and-miss in his game. Like a young Juan Pierre or Luis Arraez, when you look at his swing, Bateman uses a short and quick swing to make contact and sprays line drives and grounders all over the diamond. Power will never be part of his game; some would call him the left-handed version of Nick Madrigal, but he is far more consistent. While offensive production isn't going to be his strength, speed and defense will be, as he was one of the best base stealers in the Cubs organization. That plus speed, mixed with great baseball instincts, makes him a lock for CF, as he looked smooth in CF most of the season. Although he may not be at the level of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Bateman still has the potential to be a Gold Glove-caliber defender as he falls right in line with the Cubs current trajectory.
