Cubs prospect Ivan Brethowr drawing Aaron Judge comparisons from fans
The Cubs have a plethora of intriguing players in big-league camp this spring, but some fans have turned their attention to a minor-leaguer.
Ivan Brethowr is in minor-league camp but has appeared in 5 of the Cubs’ first 6 spring training games as a late-inning replacement.
That included a big-time highlight: A 108.4 mph homer against the Dodgers in the first game last Thursday.
It wasn’t just the result for Brethowr – it was how he looked as he demolished that ball deep into the left-field bleachers.
Standing at 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Brethowr looks a lot like if somebody simply put a Cubs uniform on Aaron Judge and sent him into the batter’s box.
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The stance, the swing, the homer โ Brethowr certainly has the “Judge” look down pat.
Naturally, that has Cubs fans calling Brethowr the next Aaron Judge:
That’s getting a bit carried away, of course.
It was an impressive swing of the bat by Brethowr and the physical comparisons are hard to argue against โ but there is only one Aaron Judge. Part of the allure of Judge is how difficult it is for players with a 6-foot-7 frame to hone their swing enough to make contact and produce consistently at a big-league level.
To be clear: Brethowr is a long, long way from being Judge โ even as a prospect.
Brethowr was a 7th-round pick of the Cubs last year out of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Judge was a 1st-rounder (32nd overall) out of Cal State Fresno in 2013.
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Brethowr put up strong numbers during his final year of college – 15 homers, 39 RBI, .275/.402/.566 slash line (.968 OPS) – but he struggled during his first 23 games in pro ball.
Appearing for the Cubs’ Class-A affiliate Myrtle Beach, the outfielder hit just .169 with a .274 on-base percentage and .253 slugging (.527 OPS) while striking out 26 times and collecting just 3 extra-base hits (2 homers and a double).
Judge put up a .958 OPS in A-ball in 2014 and was eventually named a consensus Top 100 prospect in baseball heading into the 2015 season.
But this is a fun little spring training comparison and the Cubs would certainly love it if they have a prospect morph into a facsimile of one of the best players in the game.