One day before he would play his one-and-only at-bat of the MLB All-Star weekend Futures Game (he grounded out), Matt Szczur was told by the Cubs organization to pack his bags; his stay in Peoria was over. Now, the former Peoria Chiefs center fielder will take his hot streak to Daytona, Florida to the Cubs' High-A affiliate.
At Peoria, Szczur batted .314 with 55 runs, 27 RBIs, five home runs and 17 stolen bases in 66 games. He will turn 22 later this month and may find himself in the majors eventually.
"(The Cubs) are going to give me time. I still have a lot to learn just because I haven't been playing baseball year round," Szczur said.
Despite only getting one at-bat, Szczur's USA prospects team beat the international prospects 6-5.
"Oh my God, it's awesome -- I'm surrounded by such great players," Szczur said. "It's very humbling as well to be surrounded by guys who are just unbelievable and are going to be in the big leagues pretty soon. It's a great experience. Mike Piazza is the manager. You couldn't ask for anything more. My family is here."
Szczur claims that he doesn't miss football anymore and has no plans to mimic Bo Jackson and take another stab at the NFL once he has established himself in baseball. After visiting Wrigley Field as a fan last summer, Szczur's new dream is to make it back there as a player.