CHICAGO -- There was hope that perhaps top Chicago Cubs prospects Anthony Rizzo and Brett Jackson would eventually arrive in the major leagues as a package deal.

Well, Rizzo is in Chicago now and Jackson doesn’t seem close. With 110 strikeouts in 286 at-bats at Triple-A Iowa, Jackson is on pace for a shocking strikeout total.

“It’s very alarming,” manager Dale Sveum said. “It’s almost a strange occurrence how many there are all the time. Even if he’s 3-for-5, the outs are strikeouts. Last night it was three more. It’s very strange. He’s on a pace to strike out 200 times in a minor league season which is not an easy thing to do.”

Sveum then marvels at how Jackson can still have an .825 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentages).

“You watch video and you don’t understand how he can put together some at-bats and have some uncontested at-bats too,” Sveum said of Jackson, who was batting .255 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs heading into Wednesday's game. “It’s a strange occurrence really for a guy with bat speed, quickness and that kind of athleticism. It has to get better.”

It doesn’t help Jackson that Rizzo set the bar so high for what the Cubs would like to see from their prospects. Rizzo not only batted .342 with 23 home runs at Iowa, he struck out 52 times in 257 at-bats.

General manager Jed Hoyer remarked Tuesday that he was impressed at how Rizzo forced his way into being recalled. Jackson is doing no such thing.

“Brett can determine his own future by just dominating down there and forcing our hand,” Hoyer said. “I hope he does that. He's a really good talent. He has a great future ahead of him. I think he'll be in a Cubs uniform for a long time, but when he forces us to call him up based on his performance then I think we'll see him here.”

At this pace, Jackson opportunity of being called up in September, when rosters expand, is no guarantee.