Addison Russell is considered one of the best young players in baseball. And MLB Pipeline ranked Russell as the third best shortstop prospect in the game behind Carlos Correa (Astros) and Francisco Lindor (Indians).
While the scouting grades are pretty similar, Russell slots in just behind Correa and Lindor on most shortstop prospect rankings. Like Correa, Russell lost time on the field last year due to injury and is facing an important developmental year ahead.
Addison Russell has been compared to Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, a player Russell admired when he was growing up, and projects as a better defender at shortstop than either Starlin Castro or Javier Baez. Due to his size, some feel he may be a better fit at third base at the big league level, plus he has the power potential to move to positions, whether it’s third or second base.
Addison Russell batted .294/.332/.536 in 50 games with the Smokies after the trade. Russell hit 11 doubles, 12 home runs and finished with a .868 OPS. In 68 games in the Cubs and A’s system last year, Russell batted .295/.350/.508 with 14 doubles, one triple and 13 home runs for a .858 OPS.
After the season and a short break, Addison Russell played in 11 games for the Mesa Solar Sox. Russell was exposed to second base for the first time in pro ball and hit .196/.260/.348 with one double, two home runs and a .608 OPS. The Cubs shut him down early and Russell should be in big league camp this spring.
Addison Russell is expected to begin the season as Triple-A Iowa’s shortstop. Russell turned 21 last week (Jan. 23).
MLB Pipeline’s scouting grades for Addison Russell based on the 20-80 scouting scale: Hit 60 | Power 60 | Run 50 | Arm 55 | Field 55 | Overall 65
Addison Russell joins Kyle Schwarber, Dan Vogelbach and Kris Bryant as the other players from the Cubs’ system that were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s lists of the top 10 prospects at each position.
Kyle Schwarber checked in at No. 3 on the catcher’s list and Dan Vogelbach was ranked as the eighth best first base prospect in the game. Kris Bryant, arguably the top prospect in the game, topped MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the top third base prospects in baseball.
MLB Pipeline Position Rankings
Addison Russell is widely considered one of the top 10 prospects in the game. Russell is expected to see time at second base and third base in Spring Training. The Cubs view Russell as a shortstop but would like to expose him to different positions to increase his versatility moving forward. During the convention, Russell said he was open to learning how to play positions other than shortstop.