NEWSLETTER
It’s the second preseason top-100 prospect list of the week, and it’s the second one that is mighty high on the Chicago Cubs farm system. Today’s from Baseball America is not quite as high as Baseball Prospectus’s was, but, then again, that might actually just be a matter of how you value prospect tiers.
You can see the full list from Baseball America right here, and you’ll notice that there are just five Cubs prospects, as opposed to the nine that were on BP’s list. But let’s level-set a little bit: five prospects on a top-100 list is quite good! And nine prospects on a top-101 list is kinda bonkers. So if your expectation for EVERY list was that the volume of Cubs prospects was going to be bonkers, well, that’s not rational.
And there are two more qualifying factors here!
For one thing, BA also published a “next 15” prospects list, and two Cubs prospects make the cut. So, hey, seven in the top-115, which is tied with the Orioles for the most.
And for another thing, those five Cubs prospects in the top-100? They’re actually all in the TOP-50:
18. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
24. Cade Horton, RHP
31. Matt Shaw, INF
43. Michael Busch, INF
47. Owen Caissie, OF
Only the Orioles have as many top-50 prospects, according to Baseball America.
Overall, the top Orioles’ prospects are higher than those of the Cubs, so this is another rankings set where I don’t think I’d make the argument for the Cubs as the top farm system in baseball. It’s going to be the Orioles when all is said and done, probably across the board, and the Cubs will probably be a consensus top-three system. Which is great!
As for those next 15 prospects, the guys who just missed this list, the two Cubs are outfielder Kevin Alcántara and catcher Moises Ballesteros. No big surprise on Alcántara, whose stock fell last year because of one bad month – his first month at High-A and first ever month in cold weather ball, eye roll – and then he raked.
As for Ballesteros, it’s great to see the Cubs’ Minor League Player of the Year getting love for an outstanding offensive season that saw the 19-year-old rise from Low-A to High-A to Double-A, where he’ll start the 2024 season. The bat is increasingly not a question for him; it’s all about his physical shape and his work behind the plate. If he comes out of 2024 a no-doubt catcher, he’s a top-30 prospect in baseball. If he comes out of 2024 a no-doubt DH, he won’t be on any top-100s.
The BA next 15 post also included everyone who received at least one top-100 vote, and for the Cubs, it’s lefty Jordan Wicks, righty Ben Brown, shortstop Jefferson Rojas, and outfielder Alexander Canario. Interesting that James Triantos didn’t get a single vote, after making BP’s list and with Jim Callis having suggested Triantos is a strong bet to make MLB Pipeline’s top-100 (though we’ll see if that sticks when it actually comes out).
All in all, this is another great data point for the Chicago Cubs farm system. We had plenty of reason to suspect it was going to look like this when the full scouting reports were in and the new rankings process took place, but it’s still great to see.
