Brett Jackson will now play for Team USA and will no longer play in the Arizona Fall League. He has been replaced by Josh Vitters who will now play the outfield for the Chicago Cubs organization in the AFL. Vitters will get a chance to impress the new General Manager this off season, something he really needs to do if he is going to play at the major league level next year.
Brett Jackson played for Team USA last year and played well before an injury ended his time with the team. This works out well for the Chicago Cubs because Jackson will be with the Cubs regardless of whether he was in the AFL or with Team USA this off-season.
Vitters on the other hand gets a much needed chance to impress the Cubs brass. He began to come on at the end of the year for AA Tennessee and he needs to continue his good hitting in the AFL to convince the Cubs that he can be a factor at the major league level.
Josh Vitters has a world of talent, but injuries have deterred his career so far. He played in the AFL last year after missing half the Tennessee season with an injury. He did not play particularly well in the AFL last year and will need to really perform well to show the Cubs new GM he is ready for the big show.
With Josh Vitters being so close, will he seize the moment and live up to the promise and potential that the Cubs saw when they took him number three in the draft 4 years ago. I said earlier that this was a big off season for Vitters, but with this opportunity the stakes just got a lot higher.
This may be the last chance for Josh Vitters to make a first impression.