Baseball America’s 2016 Prospect Handbook is out and the best system in the game prior to last season dropped to 20th in baseball after graduating four impact players to the Major Leagues.
The Cubs system is ranked No. 20 in the newest handbook, about 10-15 spots lower than the front office’s view of the organization. The Cubs feel even with the promotions of Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler, the system should be ranked in the five to seven range, not in the bottom half of baseball.
The Cubs have the top prospect from the Midwest League in Gleyber Torres, the best catching prospect in the game in Willson Contreras and several players pushing their way to the big leagues. There is more talent throughout the organization now than in any point in recent memory. Most of the projectable impact players are in the lower levels. And a lot can change as players advance through a minor league system.
Position players remain the best prospects in the Cubs system despite the addition of young, projectable arms the last two years. Of Baseball America’s top 31 prospects in the organization, 16 are now pitchers.
Baseball America’s summary of the Cubs organization from the Prospect Handbook: “No team is better positioned for sustainable future success than the Cubs, who have a young, talented lineup under team control for the next several years. Having players like Kyle Schwarber and Addison Russell zip through the system hurts their farm system ranking where young pitching is the organization’s biggest need.”
Since 2012, the Cubs moved up one spot from 14 to 13 in 2013. In 2014, Baseball America ranked the Cubs’ system No. 4 in the Handbook. And last year, the Cubs owned the top spot in Baseball America’s pre-season rankings, and were considered the No. 1 farm system by most publications.
The Cubs pre-season ranking could change when the organizational rankings are released online.
Baseball America 2016 Organizational Rankings
Talent Rankings from the 2016 Prospect Handbook – 2015 Ranking in Parenthesis
- Los Angeles Dodgers (3)
- Houston Astros (10)
- Atlanta Braves (29)
- Boston Red Sox (5)
- Washington Nationals (12)
- Colorado Rockies (8)
- Texas Rangers (11)
- Philadelphia Phillies (22)
- Milwaukee Brewers (21)
- Minnesota Twins (2)
- Pittsburgh Pirates (7)
- Cincinnati Reds (16)
- Tampa Bay Rays (17)
- St. Louis Cardinals (15)
- New York Mets (4)
- New York Yankees (18)
- Cleveland Indians (23)
- Oakland Athletics (19)
- San Francisco Giants (26)
- Chicago Cubs (1)
- Kansas City Royals (13)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (6)
- Chicago White Sox (20)
- Toronto Blue Jays (9)
- San Diego Padres (14)
- Detroit Tigers (30)
- Baltimore Orioles (28)
- Seattle Mariners (24)
- Miami Marlins (25)
- Los Angeles Angels (27)
The Cubs’ organization finished the 2015 season with a 371-316 record, which ranked as the fifth best record of the 30 organizations. Five of the six minor league affiliates finished .500 or better and High-A Myrtle Beach won the Carolina League Championship. And more importantly, the Cubs won 97 games in the regular season a year ago.