Prospect lists are interesting to dissect and have become a staple of Baseball’s second season. While focusing on the improvements being made to the big league roster, the prospect rankings provide a glimpse of which players could make an impact at the Major League level in the years to come.
Prospect ranking has changed considerably over the last decade. While no one knows who will be the next face of a franchise, a superstar, an average everyday big leaguer or one of the many players that did not reach expectations or touch his projections, the amount of data available and the way the players can be broken down give teams a better idea of how a player could perform in the majors than 10-15 years ago.
Not every player is going to reach his projection and not every player is going to make it to the big leagues with the team that drafted or signed him. Developing a player to maximize his value is key which makes self-scouting one of the most important aspects of a winning organization.
Patience is required when it comes to young players as well as realizing a player’s development does not stop once he is promoted to the majors.
The Cubs have built one of the best farm systems in the game with two of the top five prospects in baseball. The Cubs placed six players in MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospect list, four players in Keith Law’s top 100 and Baseball America’s Ben Badler thinks the Cubs have four of the top 20 players in minor league baseball in its system.
Here is a publication by publication breakdown of how the most respected names in the prospect game ranked the players in the Cubs’ system prior to the 2015 season.
Baseball America
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jorge Soler, OF
- Kyle Schwarber, C/OF
- C.J. Edwards, RHP
- Billy McKinney, OF
- Albert Almora, OF
- Gleyber Torres, SS
- Pierce Johnson, RHP
- Duane Underwood, RHP
Baseball America’s Best Tools in the Cubs System
- Kyle Schwarber – Best Hitter for Average
- Kris Bryant – Best Power Hitter
- Mark Zagunis – Best Strike-Zone Discipline
- Jacob Hannemann – Fastest Runner
- Matt Szczur – Best Athlete
- Duane Underwood – Best Fastball
- C.J. Edwards – Best Curveball
- Jake Stinnett – Best Slider
- Jen-Ho Tseng – Best Changeup
- Jen-Ho Tseng – Best Control
- Victor Caratini – Best Defensive Catcher
- Carlos Penalver – Best Defensive Infielder
- Kris Bryant – Best Infield Arm
- Albert Almora – Best Defensive Outfielder
- Jorge Soler – Best Outfield Arm
Full Report: Baseball America’s Top 10 Cubs Prospects for 2015
Baseball Prospectus
- Addison Russell – SS
- Kris Bryant – 3B
- Jorge Soler – OF
- Albert Almora – OF
- Kyle Schwarber – C
- Billy McKinney – OF
- Pierce Johnson – RHP
- Gleyber Torres – SS
- Dan Vogelbach – 1B
- Carson Sands – LHP
Baseball Prospectus’ Cubs Prospects on the Rise
- Justin Steele – LHP
- Jake Stinnett – RHP
- Mark Zagunis – C
Full Report: Baseball Prospectus: 2015 Top 10 Cubs Prospects
FanGraphs
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jorge Soler, RF
- Kyle Schwarber, C
- Albert Almora, CF
- C.J. Edwards, RHP
- Duane Underwood, RHP
- Pierce Johnson, RHP
- Gleyber Torres, SS
- Billy McKinney, OF
- Dan Vogelbach, 1B
- Eloy Jimenez, RF
- Victor Caratini, C
- Jake Stinnett, RHP
- Armando Rivero, RHP
- Jeimer Candelario, 3B
- Carson Sands, LHP
- Jefferson Mejia, RHP
- Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP
- Dylan Cease, RHP
- Paul Blackburn, RHP
- Corey Black, RHP
- Arodys Vizcaino, RHP
- Christian Villanueva, 3B
- Jeffrey Baez, OF
- Justin Steele, LHP
- Jonathan Martinez, RHP
- Jacob Hannemann, CF
- Daury Torrez, RHP
- Erick Leal, RHP
- Rob Zastryzny, LHP
Full Report: FanGraphs Ranks the Top 31 Prospects in Cubs System
Minor League Ball
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jorge Soler, OF
- Kyle Schwarber, C/OF
- C.J. Edwards, RHP
- Albert Almora, OF
- Pierce Johnson, RHP
- Billy McKinney, OF
- Duane Underwood, RHP
- Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP
- Gleyber Torres, SS
- Carson Sands, LHP
- Dan Vogelbach, 1B
- Eloy Jimenez, OF
- Victor Caratini, C
- Corey Black, RHP
- Armando Rivero, RHP
- Jake Stinnett, RHP
- Mark Zagunis, C/OF
- Jefferson Mejia, RHP
Minor League Ball’s Other Grade C+ Cubs Prospects
- Gioskar Amaya, 2B
- Jeffrey Baez, OF
- Dallas Beeler, RHP
- Paul Blackburn, RHP
- Jeimer Candelario, 3B
- Dylan Cease, RHP
- Jonathan Martinez, RHP
- Justin Steele, LHP
- Rob Zastryzny, LHP
Full Report: Minor League Ball’s Top Cubs Prospects for 2015
ESPN’s Keith Law
- Kris Bryant, 3B
- Addison Russell, SS
- Jorge Soler, OF
- Kyle Schwarber, C/OF
- Gleyber Torres, SS
- Billy McKinney, OF
- Albert Almora, OF
- Duane Underwood, RHP
- C.J. Edwards, RHP
- Jen-Ho Tseng, RHP
Keith Law’s Beyond Top 10
- Justin Steele, LHP
- Pierce Johnson, RHP
- Victor Caratini, C
- Dylan Cease, RHP
- Eloy Jimenez, OF
- Carson Sands, LHP
- Corey Black, RHP
- Rob Zastryzny, LHP
- Jake Stinnett, RHP
- Bijan Rademacher, OF
Full Report: Keith Law’s Top 10 Cubs Prospects for 2015
Baseball America’s 2015 Prospect Handbook will provide an even deeper look at the Cubs’ system and Chicago Cubs Online will release our ranking of the top 21 prospects in the organization just before the Cactus League games begin in early March.