Former U of L relief pitcher Tony Zych has become a top prospect with the Chicago Cubs.LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- There is a new answer to the question about which player will be the next former University of Louisville baseball star to make the major leagues?
The new front-runner looks like Tony Zych, who closed for coach Dan McDonnell's program before he was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in 2011.
Zych is now pitching for the Cubs in the Arizona Fall League in suburban Phoenix. That is a gathering for only the best prospects from all 30 big-league organizations. On Wednesday, Zych was named to the AFL all-star game, which will be played Saturday night in Scottsdale.
Zych is 1-0 with an earned run average of 2.25 in the AFL. He has four strikeouts without a walk in eight innings while earning one save. Zych played most of last season in Class A ball but finished with the Cubs' AA team in Tennessee. He figures to draw an invitation to big-league camp in spring training because the Cubs are looking for arms.
Although Zych grew up in Chicago and played high school baseball at St. Rita, he always said he grew up a Yankees' fan, not a fan of the hometown Cubs or White Sox.
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