We all knew that Chicago Cubs pitching prospect C.J. Edwards had a great year. He came to the Cubs midseason in the Matt Garza trade, in the midst of a dominant year at Low-A. On arrival, he was immediately promoted to High-A, where his dominance was documented by Cubs fans on a game-by-game, nay, a strikeout-by-strikeout basis.
But best of the best? I don’t know that I saw that coming.
That’s the word today from MiLB.com, which has named Edwards its Pitcher of the Year for 2013. Edwards, as you may or may not know, comes complete with a great backstory, about which you can read in the MiLB.com piece announcing the award.
Edwards’ final line on the year, between Low-A and High-A: 1.86 ERA, 1.006 WHIP, 1 HR, 116.1 IP, 41 BB, 155 K. Utter dominance.
As for his future, scouts remain mixed on whether Edwards is a high-upside, high-impact reliever (primarily because of his lean frame – although he’s well over 6′ tall, he isn’t even 160lbs), a mid-rotation starter, or a front-of-the-rotation type.
His jump to AA next year, to start the year or perhaps midseason, might tell us what kind of future he has. In any case, adding this major award to his trophy case is another of many signals that he’s got a bright future.