Baseball America continued its series of ranking the top prospects in each minor league and the best position player in the Cubs’ system topped Baseball America’s Midwest League list.
Gleyber Torres is considered the top prospect in a deep Cubs’ farm system and the 18-year old shortstop was ranked as the No. 1 player in the Midwest League.
OF/2B Ian Happ, the Cubs first round pick in June’s Draft, had a good stint in the league. Baseball America ranked Happ as the sixth best prospect in the Midwest League. Happ was No. 2 on Baseball America’s Northwest League list.
Gleyber Torres and Ian Happ put together good seasons and will continue to be recognized by the national publications in the prospect rankings throughout the winter.
• Baseball America Midwest League Top 20 Prospects
Gleyber Torres
Gleyber Torres doesn’t turn 19 until December and had a rather impressive first year of full season ball. Torres played in 119 games for Low-A South Bend prior to his promotion to High-A Myrtle Beach. Torres earned the late-season bump up to High-A ball and was able to celebrate the Pelicans winning the Carolina League Championship.
Torres batted .293/.353/.386 with South Bend. Torres had 24 doubles, five triples, three home runs and a .739 OPS. According to Baseball America, Torres “wears out the opposite field gap but he also has the power to pull the ball over the left field wall.”
Defensively, Torres showed improvement this season and uses his above average arm to play a little deeper at shortstop to make up for his lack of range.
Gleyber Torres was considered the best shortstop in the Midwest League.
Ian Happ
Ian Happ played in 38 games for Low-A South Bend after his promotion from Short-Season Eugene on July 25. Happ’s slash line might not be impressive, but in 38 games, Happ collected 35 hits and almost half went for extra bases (17). Happ batted .241/.315/.448 with nine doubles, three triples and five home runs for a .763 OPS.
The switch-hitting Happ impressed scouts from both sides of the plate. Happ works counts, gets on base and “should be a plus-hitter with potentially average power.”
When it comes to Happ, the question is not if he will hit, the question is where will he play in the field? Happ is working on his defense at second base during Fall Instructs. Multiple reports have indicated he has a lot of work to do before he could play second base on a regular basis.
Baseball America League Prospect Rankings
Nine different players from the Cubs system have been ranked by Baseball America among the top prospects of their respective leagues.
Arizona Rookie League
- RHP Dylan Cease (2)
Northwest League
- OF/2B Ian Happ (2)
- OF Eloy Jimenez (3)
- OF Donnie Dewees (11)
- LHP Justin Steele (12)
- LHP Carson Sands (13)
- RHP Oscar De La Cruz (16)
- RHP Pedro Araujo (19)
Midwest League
- SS Gleyber Torres (1)
- OF/2B Ian Happ (6)
• Baseball America Ranks Cubs RHP Dylan Cease Second Best Prospect in Arizona League
• Baseball America’s Northwest League Top 20 Prospect List Includes Seven Cubs
Baseball America has not released the rankings for the Carolina League (Myrtle Beach Pelicans), Southern League (Tennessee Smokies) or Pacific Coast League (Iowa Cubs).