Who is Mike Olt; Bust, Prospect, or Star?

In 2012, Mike Olt was on top of the world. He had just slugged 28 home runs in 95 games for the  Frisco Rough Riders (Rangers Double-A), and was called up to play in the MLB, in which he went 5-for-33 (.152 BA), and struck out 13 times. Although he had a poor performance in the majors, Olt was still a great player down in Double-A, and looked to be the Rangers third baseman of the future. Heading into the 2013 season, Olt was ranked 22nd on the MLB's top prospect list, and seemed to be on the way to the MLB. His stock was at its highest point. Until 2013. Where it fell. Dramatically. 

24 year old Mike Olt was moved to Triple-A Round Rock to begin the season, as expected. Rangers fans were anxious to see when their third baseman of the future would join the big league club. They knew he was close, and ready to be another power bat in the Rangers already stacked lineup. The season began, and Olt was anything but normal. His isolated power (SLG - AVG) took a gigantic hit from .291 in 2012, to .209 in '13. His average was .213, and far from the .288 average he had 2012. Olt was playing like a completely different player. Olt began blaming his poor play on his eyes. So, on May 7th, Olt took a trip to the disabled list with vision issues. He was batting .135 at the time. 

Olt had been diagnosed concussion in the Dominican Winter League in 2012, and that was thought to be the cause to his vision issues. So, he spent his time on the DL, but did not receive LASIK surgery. That could happen in the offseason. He then boosted his average to .213 by the Trade Deadline. The Rangers were looking to trade for Matt Garza, the Cubs ace, and Mike Olt was thick in the rumors. Garza was traded to Texas, and Olt was moved to Chicago, where he began playing for Triple-A Iowa. 

The numbers didn't improve. Olt is hitting .159 in 33 games (113 ABs) for Iowa with 3 HR and 7 RBI. Many think he's a bust. Many say he's still a prospect. Many also say that he can still become a star. Mike Olt, which of those are you? I'll give my take, but who knows what'll happen? He's got three different career choices, all of which have completely different outcomes. 

As you can see, Olt's play has deteriorated. It's fallen apart. It doesn't matter. We all just hope that when he receives his LASIK procedure he'll automatically become a better player. But, it's just not like that. Olt has to be able to put in the same effort he was in 2012. He needs to have the same mindset. Rather than go up thinking "home run or bust," go up thinking "let's find a pitch to drive." Yogi Berra said it best, "Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." Say Olt actually needs eye surgery, and get's it done. He still needs to have the MLB mindset to play in the MLB. 

The Cubs are thinking about calling up Olt. I am against that. If anything, they should have Olt shut down and given the LASIK procedure tomorrow. Because the more Olt strikes out, the more he doubts himself, and the harder it is to come back at full strength. At this point, I think Olt is a "wait and see" type. He shouldn't be given a tag of bust, prospect, or future star right now. The Cubs (and us), need to wait on Olt. This year isn't his year. But, if this becomes a consistent thing, Olt is bound to be finished playing baseball soon. 

Just like any prospect, it's very hard to predict a career. Whether they will be a star, bust, or an average player isn't known until the reach the MLB. Mike Olt needs to know that, and recognize what is wrong. Olt could be a very exciting player to watch, or a failure story. But, right now, he needs LASIK surgery to determine that.