Chris Pieters Stats & Scouting Report

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The Cubs' pitcher-heavy 2016 draft helped provide plenty of playing time for Pieters, a Curacao native who signed for $350,000 in 2011 as a lefthanded pitcher. Short-season Eugene needed hitters, and he is one now after switching to hitting during Dominican instructional league in 2014. He has made quick strides, helping Eugene win the Northwest League title. Pieters has an athletic frame and the arm strength for any outfield spot, though his routes are so raw that he plays left field when not at first base. He has the bat speed to catch up to good fastballs, has some barrel awareness and repeats his flat-planed swing well. He's also an above-average runner who surprised scouts by stealing 20 bags in 23 attempts. He has yet to reach full-season ball and was exposed to the Rule 5 draft in both 2015 and 2016, and it may be harder to hide him if he breaks out at 2017 at low Class A South Bend.

Pieters might have the most intriguing background of any of any NWL prospect. Signed out of Curacao in 2011 as a lefthanded pitcher, he recorded a 9.31 ERA in 77 innings before the Cubs gave him back a bat in 2015. He's an athletic player who split his time between left field and first base and swiped 20 bags in 23 tries, which tied for fourth in the league. NWL managers were impressed with Pieters' ability to get the barrel to the ball, though his inexperience showed with 73 strikeouts, which tied for third most in the league. Others praised his smooth, flat bat path. He's still a little rough defensively at first base but looks better when he lets his athleticism take over in the outfield. One manager even thought center field could be an option. Pieters is 22 and will be Rule 5 draft eligible this offseason, but he has shown the tools to help him make up ground.