NEWSLETTER
The crew at MLB Pipeline continues to roll out their top-ten prospect lists for each position, and the last two – lefty pitchers and catchers – feature Cubs prospects.
On the lefty pitcher list, Jordan Wicks, whose prospect eligibility might not last too far into the season if all goes well, sneaks on at number ten:
- Kyle Harrison, Giants
- Ricky Tiedemann, Blue Jays
- Robby Snelling, Padres
- Noah Schultz, White Sox
- Anthony Solometo, Pirates
- Carson Whisenhunt, Giants
- Jackson Ferris, Dodgers
- Thomas White, Marlins
- Robert Gasser, Brewers
- Jordan Wicks, Cubs
A lot of big names on that list, and no shame in showing up on the back end, especially given how little attention Wicks seems to get nationally, even after a solid big league debut last year. That ranking doesn’t appear to make Wicks a likely top-100 candidate for MLB Pipeline (only the top six up there were on the end-of-year list), but that’s kind of just a matter of taste. He was a top-101 for BP, and was in the “also received votes” category for BA.
(Yes, that’s recently-traded lefty Jackson Ferris at number 7. We knew he was very highly-regarded, with front-half upside, and the fact that the Dodgers wanted him as the center piece of the Michael Busch trade probably only confirms for the industry that Ferris could be a stud.)
MLB Pipeline also released their top-ten catcher list, and Moises Ballesteros comes in at number eight:
- Ethan Salas, Padres
- Samuel Basallo, Orioles
- Jeferson Quero, Brewers
- Harry Ford, Mariners
- Kyle Teel, Red Sox
- Dalton Rushing, Dodgers
- Blake Mitchell, Royals
- Moises Ballesteros, Cubs
- Edgar Quero, White Sox
- Diego Cartaya, Dodgers
Again, that is some significant company to be included among, and Ballesteros has the bat projection to hang with almost any of them. As we’ve discussed so often, the only reason Ballesteros is not a consensus top-75 prospect (or whatever, pick your cut-off) is because the questions about his ability to catch in the big leagues are legitimate. He’s still so young – only just turned 20 and is already at Double-A – that you would expect considerable defensive development behind the plate. It seems like ages 20 to 23 or so is when a catching prospect’s defense really becomes what it’s going to be. On the flip side, there is some concern about Ballesteros’s body and conditioning, and whether it would allow him to develop as expected behind the plate. If he becomes a bat-only guy, then his value plummets.
Of course, the fact that he’s still regarded as one of the ten best catching prospects in the minors, despite the questions about whether he can catch, means he’s seen as a stud with the bat. Which he is.
By the way: Pipeline had nine catchers on its end-of-season top-100.
