CHICAGO -- The list of Chicago Cubs rookie Jorge Soler's early season accomplishments continues to grow with each game. And he will just be starting his second week in the big leagues when he takes the field Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Here's what he has done so far in his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, in going 12-for-26 (.462) including three home runs, five doubles and 10 RBIs through seven games:
• Over the past 60 years, only Yasiel Puig, Paul Molitor and Mitchell Page produced at least 10 hits and 10 RBIs in their first seven career games.
• Soler tied the modern major-league record for consecutive games with an extra-base hit from the start of a career with five. The only other players to accomplish that in each of their first five big-league games were Will Middlebrooks in 2012 and Hall of Famer Enos Slaughter in 1938.
• Soler hit three home runs in his first three games. Javier Baez did the same earlier this season. The Cubs' duo joined Joe Cunningham (1954) as the only three players since 1900 to go long three times that quickly.
• And Soler is the fourth player in history to have an RBI in at least six of his first seven major-league games.
Soler's start is even better when you consider his age (22) and time in the minor leagues. Because of injuries he has totaled only one full season of at-bats despite being down on the farm from 2012 to '14.
"His at-bats are very close to what's been described to what he's been doing in the minor leagues," manager Rick Renteria said Wednesday. "If you described them from the minor-league reports, it's exactly what's happening here right now. It's a great thing to see."
That easy transition is the reason Soler is accomplishing so much. An initial burst has been followed up with plenty of good at-bats, even when the hits aren't coming. Pitchers haven't found a weakness as he has muscled balls to left field and also showed incredible power to the opposite field.
"He's got a gift," Renteria said. "He's got a great eye and is very calm in the box."
It's important to understand the difference between Soler and fellow Cuban phenom Jose Abreu. Abreu came ready-made. He started this year with the White Sox at 27 years old with plenty of experience in Cuba. Soler is five years younger and with that much less time on the field.
"What he's doing at that age and experience level is unbelievable," teammate Carlos Villanueva said.
And of course the difference between the starts Soler and Baez have had to their careers surrounds plate discipline and the swings and misses. Soler's strikeout percentage is about 21 percent. Baez is nearly double that number. You get the feeling that gap between the two may always be there.
So what's next for Soler? A hit on Friday would give him one in eight straight games. Only four players since 1920 have begun their careers with a hit in eight straight to go along with 10 or more RBIs. The last time it happened was 1993.
ESPN Stats & Information along with the Elias Sports Bureau should just monitor his every at-bat. At this rate, there's bound to be a new accomplishment whenever he steps to the plate.