Biographical

Portrait of Josh Vitters

Josh Vitters LF

Player Cards | Team Audit | Depth Chart

Career Summary
Years PA AVG OBP SLG DRC+ WARP
8 109 .121 .193 .202 46 -0.7
Birth Date8-27-1989
Height6' 2"
Weight200 lbs
Age34 years, 7 months, 1 days
BatsR
ThrowsR
WARP Summary

MLB Statistics

YEAR TEAM AGE G PA H 2B 3B HR BB SO HBP SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ DRAA BRR FRAA BWARP
2012 CHN 22 36 109 12 2 0 2 7 33 2 2 0 .121 .193 .202 46 -6.8 -0.7 -2.6 -0.7
Career3610912202733220.121.193.20246-6.8-0.7-2.6-0.7

Statistics for All Levels

'opp' stats - Quality of opponents faced - have been moved and are available only as OPP_QUAL in the Statistics reports now.
Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
YEAR Team Lg LG G PA oppAVG oppOBP oppSLG BABIP BPF BRAA repLVL POS_ADJ DRC+ DRC+ SD FRAA BRR DRAA BWARP
2007 BOI A- NWN 7 23 .257 .335 .384 .250 119 -2.3 0.7 -0.1 61 0 0.2 0.2 -1.0 0.0
2007 CUB Rk AZL 7 32 .272 .345 .388 .095 97 -7.4 1.0 -0.2 -58 0 0.2 0.0 -10.6 -0.9
2008 PEO A MDW 4 14 .276 .350 .392 .333 89 -0.7 0.4 0 65 0 0.1 -0.5 -0.7 -0.1
2008 BOI A- NWN 61 277 .254 .348 .370 .383 109 10.9 8.0 0.7 133 0 -3.0 -1.0 4.0 0.9
2009 PEO A MDW 70 288 .259 .333 .377 .330 104 13.8 8.0 0.4 143 0 -7.0 -2.9 13.7 1.3
2009 DAY A+ FSL 50 196 .255 .328 .358 .258 100 -6.4 5.7 0.1 68 0 1.4 0.4 -5.6 0.2
2010 DAY A+ FSL 28 120 .251 .323 .382 .341 89 8.7 3.5 -0.2 138 0 -5.0 0.4 4.6 0.3
2010 TEN AA SOU 63 228 .261 .339 .386 .244 102 -6.9 6.5 0.9 69 0 -4.1 -0.6 -6.1 -0.3
2011 TEN AA SOU 129 488 .263 .335 .402 .290 118 -5.6 14.4 -0.5 101 0 -11.7 -1.0 2.3 0.4
2012 CHN MLB NL 36 109 .251 .317 .399 .154 103 -11.5 3.0 0.4 46 9 -2.6 -0.7 -6.8 -0.7
2012 IOW AAA PCL 110 452 .278 .341 .430 .337 94 21.2 13.4 0.4 119 0 -7.7 0.1 12.0 1.8
2012 LEO Wnt VWL 2 7 .000 .000 .000 .000 0.0 0 0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0
2013 IOW AAA PCL 28 100 .273 .335 .408 .328 100 5.1 2.9 -0.2 127 0 -1.6 0.0 2.1 0.3
2013 CUB Rk AZL 5 17 .268 .357 .402 .125 93 -0.8 0.5 -0.1 58 0 -0.1 -0.2 -1.1 -0.1
2014 IOW AAA PCL 112 404 .269 .336 .417 .268 93 -20.8 12.1 -4.1 51 0 -10.5 1.2 -23.9 -2.5

Statistics For All Levels

Minor league stats are currently shownClick to hide.
Year Team lvl LG PA AB R H 2B 3B HR TB RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG ISO SF SH
2007 CUB Rk AZL 32 30 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 1 9 0 0 .067 .097 .067 .000 0 0
2007 BOI A- NWN 23 21 2 4 0 0 0 4 1 2 5 1 1 .190 .261 .190 .000 0 0
2008 BOI A- NWN 277 259 38 85 25 2 5 129 37 13 45 1 3 .328 .367 .498 .170 0 0
2008 PEO A MDW 14 14 1 3 3 0 0 6 1 0 5 0 0 .214 .214 .429 .214 0 0
2009 DAY A+ FSL 196 189 21 45 7 2 3 65 22 5 23 2 1 .238 .262 .344 .106 0 0
2009 PEO A MDW 288 269 42 85 12 1 15 144 46 7 42 4 0 .316 .354 .535 .219 0 0
2010 DAY A+ FSL 120 110 16 32 8 0 3 49 13 8 22 4 1 .291 .350 .445 .155 0 0
2010 TEN AA SOU 228 206 28 46 12 0 7 79 26 13 41 2 0 .223 .289 .383 .160 2 2
2011 TEN AA SOU 488 449 56 127 28 2 14 201 81 22 54 4 10 .283 .322 .448 .165 8 1
2012 LEO Wnt VWL 7 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0
2012 IOW AAA PCL 452 415 54 126 32 2 17 213 68 30 77 6 3 .304 .356 .513 .210 2 0
2012 CHN MLB NL 109 99 7 12 2 0 2 20 5 7 33 2 0 .121 .193 .202 .081 1 0
2013 CUB Rk AZL 17 13 1 1 1 0 0 2 0 4 5 0 0 .077 .294 .154 .077 0 0
2013 IOW AAA PCL 100 88 14 26 4 0 5 45 12 11 19 1 0 .295 .380 .511 .216 0 0
2014 IOW AAA PCL 404 375 33 80 14 0 11 127 38 23 107 4 1 .213 .268 .339 .125 0

Plate Discipline

YEAR Pits Zone% Swing% Contact% Z-Swing% O-Swing% Z-Contact% O-Contact% SwStr% CSAA
2012 418 0.4426 0.4809 0.7164 0.6649 0.3348 0.8537 0.5000 0.2836 0.0014
Career4180.44260.48090.71640.66490.33480.85370.50000.28360.0014

Injury History  —  No longer being updated

Last Update: 12/31/2014 23:59 ET

Date On Date Off Transaction Days Games Side Body Part Injury Severity Surgery Date Reaggravation
2014-08-21 - Minors - - - Fingers Fracture -
2014-05-24 2014-06-05 Minors 12 0 Left Fracture Great Toe -
2013-08-14 2013-09-05 Minors 22 0 Right Thigh Strain Hamstring -
2013-07-26 2013-08-12 Minors 17 0 Right Thigh Strain Hamstring - -
2013-05-25 2013-07-19 Minors 55 0 - Trunk Strain Ribcage - -
2013-04-08 2013-05-01 Minors 23 0 - Low Back Strain - -
2013-02-21 2013-03-17 Camp 24 0 Left Thigh Strain Quadriceps - -
2010-07-26 2010-09-19 Minors 55 0 Left Fingers Fracture -
2009-07-28 2009-08-09 Minors 12 0 Left Hand Inflammation -
2008-04-22 2008-05-04 Minors 12 0 Left Hand Inflammation -

Compensation

Year Team Salary
2014 CHN $
2013 CHN $

 

Service TimeAgentContract Status
0 y 60 dCasey Close1 year (2014)

Details
  • 1 year (2014). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 3/3/14. Sent outright to Triple-A by Chicago Cubs 10/30/14.
  • 1 year (2013). Re-signed by Chicago Cubs 3/4/13.
  • 2012. Contract purchased by Chicago Cubs 11/18/11.
  • Drafted by Chicago Cubs 2007 (1-3) (Cyprus HS, Calif.). Signed 8/15/07, $3.2M signing bonus.

2019 Preseason Forecast

Last Update: 1/27/2017 12:35 ET

PCT PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG DRC+ VORP FRAA WARP
Weighted Mean???????00??.000.000.00000.0?0.0

BP Annual Player Comments

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BP Articles

Click here to see articles tagged with Josh Vitters

BP Chats

DateQuestionAnswer
2014-05-13 11:00:00 (link to chat)Josh Vitters' failure is due to: 1 -- Inability to adjust to better pitching 2 -- Decision not to go to college 3 -- Lousy coaching in minors 4 -- Poor oversight from Cubs FO
(eliyahu from DC)
1. (Jason Parks)
2013-04-04 11:00:00 (link to chat)Wither Josh Vitters? A late bloomer a la Alex Gordon, or a bust (relative to expectations)?
(eliyahu from Washington, DC)
I don't see it happening. (Jason Parks)
2013-01-16 13:30:00 (link to chat)Are there any prospects, off the top of your head, who would benefit greatly from a "change of scenery"?
(jlarsen from Chicago )
I think one player that already received that was Andy Oliver, who went from the Tigers to the Pirates. He still has a big fastball from the left side and it just wasn't working with the Detroit developmental staff.

Though it's unlikely to happen because of the state of the organization, I think Josh Vitters could be helped by a trip to another organization. I still haven't given up on him being a solid big leaguer. (Mark Anderson)
2012-08-09 13:00:00 (link to chat)Do you expect Starlin Castro to switch positions any time soon? If so, when and to where?
(sitdancer from DC)
The Cubs are popular today.

I do believe Castro will change positions within the next three years. Ideally, you would slide Castro to center field and be done with it. The problem is he doesn't seem to profile well out there. That leaves third base or second base as the most likely locations. You'd like to think at least one of Josh Vitters and Christian Villanueva will develop, so I would guess Castro winds up at second base. (R.J. Anderson)
2012-07-03 14:00:00 (link to chat)What is Josh Vitters missing? .301/.352/.514 at Iowa, and Luis Valbuena is keeping him away?
(Geo from Garland)
Experience and track record. This is the first year Vitters is truly living up to expectations, and the Cubs (rightfully) don't want to rush him to fast, especially when they're not winning anything this year anyway. He has just 300 AB under his belt at Triple-A, so more seasoning would do him some good. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in August or, at the very least, September if he continues like this. (Derek Carty)
2012-05-21 14:00:00 (link to chat)Josh Vitters: Not as good as hyped or just taking longer than most to figure it out. (Please don't say a little of both.)
(eliyahu from Washington DC)
It really could be a little of both. (Kevin Goldstein)
2012-02-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)Is Brandon Drury similar to Josh Vitters in their hitting approach? Do you see either gaining enough discipline to contribute as a starter in MLB?
(BrowningNagle from Louisville, KY)
Drury is good, but I don't think he's in Vitter's zip code. (Kevin Goldstein)
2011-08-10 13:00:00 (link to chat)What is your current call on one Josh Vitters? He's squaring the ball up but BBs still lacking.
(Matt from Chicago)
He's never going to walk. He loves to swing and has one of the better raw hit tools in the minors. If only he could work himself into quality hitting environments he could hit .300 at the major league level. It's not going to happen and its a huge waste (Jason Parks)
2011-06-06 23:00:00 (link to chat)Do you think Baez was a reach at 9? Every one says bat speed bat speed bat speed but that's what they said about Josh Vitters.
(Eric from Chicago)
He's got crazy great bat speed, but is also a much better all-around athlete than Vitters. (Kevin Goldstein II)
2010-06-23 19:00:00 (link to chat)Do you buy the scouting line that Josh Vitters has such incredible plate coverage that we shouldn't be concerned about his inability to draw walks? The same was said about Hanley back in the day, and that turned out okay.
(Keith from Villa Park)
I dunno. I saw him play when he was with Peoria. Swung the stick real nice. The trick with drawing walks is that they're valuable in and of themselves, but they're also indicative of being able to pick which pitches you can really do something with, and which you should just let go by you. As he goes up the ranks he's going to eventually find pitchers who can challenge him; the trick is to see how he adjusts. (Colin Wyers)
2010-01-04 14:00:00 (link to chat)The Cubs will not compete for a WS until Starlin Castro and Josh Vitters are performing on league minimum contracts. That said, if the fans would allow it, do you think the Cubs would rebuild right now?
(Jack from Chicago)
Well, forget about the fans for a second, it's their contracts that won't allow it. They have just a ridiculous amount of money tied up for the next two years, and not only are they bad deals, but Hendry handed out no-trade clauses like they were business cards. They're really kind of screwed. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-12-29 15:00:00 (link to chat)Melky and Randall Delgado for Josh Vitters. Who says no? Braves get unload one of their several teenage arms for a more solid position prospect, Cubs get their CF. Braves clear $3M while dealing from their wealth of CFers.
(sunpar from New York)
That would be funny, like regifting a coffee table book for a Secret Santa and receiving a Wii in exchange. (Joe Sheehan)
2009-11-17 14:00:00 (link to chat)How concerned are you about Josh Vitters lack of walks?
(Ben F. from California)
I am concerned, in that he's the type of talent where it's the hardest to teach plate discipline. He honestly doesn't swing at a lot of bad pitches, his plate coverage is that good, but he needs to find a way to at least get into more hitter's counts. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-05-28 14:00:00 (link to chat)If Josh Vitters were called up today, would he hold his own or be overwhelmed (if it's possible to overwhelm that bat)?
(Henry from bedroom)
He would be absolutely horrible. He's in the Midwest League, it's all about potential. No way, no how he could hit in the big leagues right now. (Kevin Goldstein)
2009-04-08 15:00:00 (link to chat)So it's Josh Vitters and a vast wasteland of nothingness on the Cubs farm? I can see that. But given the pretty decent chance that vitters is traded for some part to win this year, shouldn't his odds be a little worse to be the cubs' top prospect next year? Not looking forward to 2012...
(Mike from Chicago)
Or is his chance of being traded even less because he's ALL THE CUBS HAVE? Interesting question. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-09-03 14:00:00 (link to chat)Does Josh Vitters retain top 50 prospect status after a great second half of the year? I have to admit, I was already about to call him a bust in June.
(Matt S from Chicago)
Josh Vitters can RAKE. Totally RAKE. Love, love, love him. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-08-20 13:00:00 (link to chat)This cake is great. It's so delicious and moist... by the way, Josh Vitters is attempting to tie the NWL record with a 26 game hitting streak today. How is he not getting talked about?
(GLaDOS from Aperture Science)
He's a stud, he can really hit. There, how's that? Seriously though, and I said this before he was drafted. You know who Vitters kind of reminds me of? Howie Kendrick with a little more pop. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-07-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)Your Future Shocks this year have been almost completely devoid of Cubs players, and the ones that do make it in are usually due to negative performance. This is a bad sign, right?
(Henry from New Jersey)
Bad system. If someone put up some big numbers, they'd make it. Here's some good news: Josh Vitters was a late cut in today's Ten Pack -- he's healthy, playing every day in Boise and raking. Music update: my girlfriend is now blasting Peaches. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-07-07 13:00:00 (link to chat)How does Josh Vitters compare to Braun/Gamel defensively(3B)? Is "average" his defensive ceiling? As a Cubs fan, it's really exciting to see him hit the ball well, but he doesn't walk that much. Does that say something about his eye, or is it common for the younger players to be overly aggressive and develop more patience later on? It seems that being more selective can only help you. (Follow up: Do the guys in Seattle teach their players not to walk? It's ridiculous!!!)
(Matt from Cube Farm)
I do think he'll be a solid but unspectacular defensive third baseman, which is WAY more than Braun or Gamel -- those guys are both in the lawn ornament category over there. Don't worry about the walks -- there is no guarantee that they will come, but he's one of those guys who does need to learn how to lay off some pitches, because in high school, he could hit anything, anywhere. The one guy he might remind me most of offensively might be, as strange as this sounds, Howie Kendrick. (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-06-26 13:00:00 (link to chat)What would the Cubs need to give up to land Sabathia? I would they they'd need to include Marmol at least.
(John from Maryland)
They don't have enough. Pie's value has cratered, and Josh Vitters hasn't lived up to the hype. Shapiro's too smart to trade Sabathia for a package centered around a reliever. (Dayn Perry)
2008-05-21 13:00:00 (link to chat)So, Josh Vitters. Is he already a bust?
(Brian from Chicago)
Sure, absolutely. Who needs more than 65 at-bats to judge anyone? (Kevin Goldstein)
2008-03-03 13:00:00 (link to chat)What is Josh Vitters's ceiling? Any comparable young major leaguers right now? What do you imagine the line for his peak season being?
(Matt from Saint Paul)
Howie Kendrick with a little more juice? It's a weird one, but the combination of great plate converage, tons of contact ability and good power brings that to mind. (Kevin Goldstein)


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