Flying up the Minors, Schwarber on tear

Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs' No. 8 prospect, homered and scored three runs Thursday, helping Class A Advanced Daytona rout Clearwater, 18-2.

Schwarber, ranked No. 78 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, went 3-for-4 with two walks and three RBIs.

Schwarber has been on a tear since the Cubs made him the fourth overall pick of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft. He sped through the lower levels of the Minor Leagues, playing just five games with Rookie-level Boise and 23 with Class A Kane County before earning promotions.

Between the three stops, Schwarber is hitting .351/.448/.615 with 11 home runs in 49 games. Though he was primarily a catcher at Indiana University, he has settled into left field at Daytona. Thursday was his 13th start at the position in 21 games in the Florida State League.

Schwarber wasn't the only Cubs prospect to have a big game at the plate Thursday for Daytona. Outfielder Billy McKinney also went 3-for-4 with two walks, and first baseman Dan Vogelbach hit his 13th home run of the season and scored three runs.

McKinney, the Cubs' No. 9 prospect, is hitting .330/.424/.464 in 28 games since the Cubs acquired him from as a part of the trade that sent Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel to the A's.