Necessary post on Junior Lake

Junior Lake's had a pretty impressive first week in the majors.

Obviously he's not going to continue to bat .545 for the rest of his career, and back-to-back games with home runs won't continue to be expected on a weekly basis, but I've already found a lot to like about this kid. He's hit safely in all five games, with a pair of three-hit games and a four-hit game already under his belt.

Start with his debut last Friday. He roped the first pitch he saw down the line in left for a double and stole third on the next pitch. Monday night, he bunted for a single, followed that up with a home run, and followed that up with another bunt single.

I may have seen guys bunt for a hit and homer in the same game, but in 30+ years, I don't recall ever seeing anyone sandwich a home run between a pair of bunt singles. And better yet, one bunt was to the right side and the other was to the left. I played a little third base in my day, and that's a dangerous combination to try to defend. Play him in and he can smoke one past you for extra bases. Play back and you risk him dropping one down in front of you. As long as he can make contact, that can keep him out of extended hitting slumps. As the saying goes, "speed doesn't slump". He has power and speed, and he's actually demonstrated the ability to use them both.

But what I like the most so far is that he was expected to have a cup of coffee as an injury fill-in and go back to Triple-A after a week, and he forced the Cubs' hand to keep him with the parent club as the leadoff man. For a 23-year-old - three days younger than Starlin Castro - who was expected to maybe be a September callup, that's a very encouraging sign.

The next question is where he'll play. He's played only eleven games in pro ball as an outfielder, six in right at Iowa and now five with the Cubs in center, and made two errors. There's a learning curve involved in going from the infield to the outfield if you've never played there before, from positioning to routes to where to throw, and his defensive numbers don't favor a return to the infield to bump either Castro or Darwin Barney or jump in and split time with Luis Valbuena and Cody Ransom, who have produced a surprising amount of power this season at third.

We'll be seeing more prospects moved away from their natural positions over the next few seasons as infielders like Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Mike Olt, Dan Vogelbach and hopefully others force promotions up through the system, but for the time being at least, Lake's bat has to stay in the lineup.

Good for you, Junior. I'm anxious to see how you pan out once you and the league know each other better. Keep them on their toes and you'll be around for a long time.