The Call-Up

Josh Vitters

by Kevin Goldstein

The situation: With Ian Stewart out for the year and Luis Valbuena proving to not be a suitable stopgap, the Cubs decided to give former first-round pick Josh Vitters a look, rewarding him for a breakout year at Triple-A Iowa, where he was batting .304/.356/.513 in 110 games with 17 home runs.

Background: It feels like Vitters has been in pro baseball forever, but he's still just 22 years old. The third overall pick in the 2007 draft, Vitters was seen as one of the best pure hitters in the minors early in his career, but he stagnated, not by playing poorly, but rather by never taking the big step forward that was projected for him. In just four months this year, though, Vitters has already set career highs in doubles and walks, and was just one off his season high in home runs.

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