Cubs' Bryant, Almora, Soler Named AFL All-Stars

Many of us are hoping that players like Kris Bryant, Albert Almora and Jorge Soler will be among those who will help lead the Cubs back to playoff contention.

They're already making an impact; late Monday, the trio was named to play in the Arizona Fall League's Fall Stars Game, as reported by Carrie Muskat at cubs.com. If the name of the game sounds different, it is; it used to be known as the "Rising Stars Game". "Fall Stars Game" is a little bit too cute for its own good, in my view.

Anyway, all three have been hitting well, but particularly Bryant, who in 11 games is batting .422/.471/.933 (not a misprint, that's a 1.404 OPS). He's 19-for-45 with six doubles, a triple and five home runs. Small sample size and all, and keeping in mind that the AFL is generally considered a hitters' league, that's still pretty impressive.

You can see the three future Cubs in action on MLB Network; the Fall Stars Game will be televised live this Saturday, November 2, at 7 p.m. CT. I'll have a game thread posted for it shortly before game time.