Armed with arguably the best prospect in the game in Kris Bryant and four of the top 20 minor league players in baseball, the Cubs retained the top spot in Keith Law’s ranking of the farm systems.
Last year, Keith Law ranked the Cubs as having the fourth best system in the game and by mid-season, after drafting Kyle Schwarber,trading for Addison Russell and Billy McKinney and the progress many of the players made on the developmental side, Law ranked the Cubs as having the best system in the game.
After promotions of Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara and Kyle Hendricks, the Cubs system is widely considered the best in the game. Keith Law, who has historically been very critical of the organization, thinks the Cubs have the top Minor League system in baseball.
Law noted one major change in his ranking this year is there are “more large-market teams in the top 10, as ownership groups in those cities recognize the value in building a better stable of prospects, which has included hiring better scouts and coaches away from other organizations.”
Keith Law thinks the “hype” around the Cubs system “is justified by the talent in it, with the strongest collection of top-shelf hitting prospects” he can remember since he started working in the game. Law pointed out the Cubs have “someone coming at just about every position other than catcher and first base, and most of them fare well both in traditional evaluation and in analysis of their performance to date.”
The Cubs strategy under Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer “has been to grab a polished hitter in the first round and load up on arms later” has produced a system “that’s full of hitting prospects but still a bit light on the pitching side.” Law does not think there will be enough at bats at the Major League level for Javier Baez, Arismendy Alcantara, Jorge Soler, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber, Starlin Castro and Anthony Rizzo “and that’s not even everyone who might end up pushing for playing time” so the front office has set themselves up to “flip a young hitter for a pitcher or even to swing a bigger deal.”
Keith Law likes the pitching prospects in the Cubs system that is “led by 20-year old Duane Underwood, but they are a few years away.”
Keith Law’s 2015 Ranking of the Farm Systems
- Chicago Cubs
- Minnesota Twins
- Houston Astros
- New York Mets
- Boston Red Sox
- Atlanta Braves
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Colorado Rockies
- Washington Nationals
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Texas Rangers
- Chicago White Sox
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Kansas City Royals
- Cleveland Indians
- Cincinnati Reds
- San Diego Padres
- Toronto Blue Jays
- New York Yankees
- Seattle Mariners
- Baltimore Orioles
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Miami Marlins
- Philadelphia Phillies
- Oakland Athletics
- Los Angeles Angels
- Milwaukee Brewers
- San Francisco Giants
- Detroit Tigers
Keith Law’s list of the top 50 prospects in the game is scheduled to be released Thursday (Jan. 29) and his rankings of the top 10 prospects for each organization are scheduled to be released Friday (Jan. 30).
- Keith Law’s 2015 Ranking of All 30 Farm Systems
- Keith Law Ranks Cubs System Fourth Best in Baseball (Jan. 28, 2014)
- Keith Law Ranks Cubs Farm System the Best in Baseball (July 22, 2014)