(670 The Score) After a slow start to his minor league season, Cubs shortstop prospect Ed Howard has showcased improvement lately.
Howard, 19, is hitting .293 with a .749 OPS for Class-A Myrtle Beach in nine games in July. The uptick came after he hit .208 with a .533 OPS in May and .107 with a .352 OPS in June. He missed time in late May and early June due to a lower-body muscle strain.
Howard’s progress has been music to the ears of the Cubs, who weren’t surprised by his early struggles. Howard last played a normal baseball season in 2019, when he was still a junior at Mt. Carmel High School. The pandemic wiped out his season in 2020, when the Cubs selected him at No. 16 overall in the amateur draft.
“Ed is such a unique a fun case,” Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Friday morning. “I think we all understand the context here, where we drafted a high school player that is from a colder-weather climate and didn’t have a senior year. So he essentially goes from playing his junior season in high school in Chicago to a full season of A-ball where right out of the chute he’s facing some pretty talented arms. I think it took him a few games, a few weeks to get his legs underneath him and to get to the level of competition. In my opinion, we’re starting to see him not only play up to that level but in some ways even start to play over it offensively. But he’s still going to need a little bit of time, and I think he’s still working through some things. But that stellar defense is still there. The ability to contribute on the bases is there. And if you go see him in person and watch these at-bats, they’re all competitive. It’s just a matter of time with Ed. He’s right on track. Now actually having seen him play for the firs time, I couldn’t be more excited about where he’s at. He’s as exciting of a talent as last year when we took him.”
Howard is hitting .220 with two homers, nine RBIs, 12 runs, two steals and a .578 OPS in 30 games for Myrtle Beach this season.