- Brennen Davis | OF, Triple-A
Why is he good?
He is the best prospect the Cubs have had since Kris Bryant. His ability to drive the ball to all fields is elite. With his added muscle and tremendous plate coverage, he can take inside fastballs out to left and go with two-strike sliders to the opposite field. Davis is a centerfielder now, and could stay there thanks to his good speed, but works well in right because the arm plays. While the speed is good, I would temper your expectations on a 30 stolen base potential.
What needs to improve?
Not much. The strikeout numbers were a bit too elevated this year, although he didn’t face a pitcher that was younger than him the entire season long. I don’t think the near 30% strikeout numbers will continue, but they will need to come down a bit to take a little bit of pressure off the power numbers.
- Reggie Preciado | IF, Complex
Why is he good?
He is a 19-year-old is a shortstop, with the athleticism to handle other positions, the frame that can be filled out to develop more thump, who also switch hits, and posted some of the best numbers in the Arizona Complex League.
What needs to improve?
Like you will see with many other hitters on this list, Preciado has to build out his thin frame a bit. Plenty of faith is being placed on this Cubs Player Development staff to get the most out of a ton of high-upside teenagers.
- Kevin Alcantara | OF, Complex
Why is he good?
Also 19-years-old. Also tall and lanky. Also a great athlete. My ranking of this Anthony Rizzo return might be influenced by the man up top, Brennen Davis. I see a lot of similarities between the two. Like Davis, Alcantara has already re-worked his swing a bit to cut down on his leg kick, something that will allow his natural power to play in games better.
What needs to improve?
It’s a wait-and-see game with this kid’s development path. Does he fill out pretty significantly and follow the Jorge Solder trajectory? Or does he do his best Davis impersonation over the next few years?
- Cristian Hernandez | SS, DSL
Why is he good?
This is probably far too low of a ranking, even at four. I’ll admit that part of my hesistency is the fact that Hernandez is just 17-years-old and just came stateside a month ago at fall instructs. The shortstop might be the real deal though. Legitimate contact and power tool with a plus glove and arm over at the most valuable defensive position. You love to see it.
What needs to improve?
Like the other young guys, we don’t really know quite yet. So I’ll go with, simply, numbers. We need to see the first set of results from Hernandez stateside next year in Arizona and Myrtle Beach. Not that I don’t trust Dominican Summer League stats but, well, I don’t trust DSL stats.
- Ryan Jensen | RHP, Double-A
Why is he good?
Jensen has a whole lot going for him. He has arguably the best fastball AND slider in the system, generating truly silly swings and misses on both pitches thanks to an extreme amount of horizontal movement on each. The righty forces plenty of ground balls (52.4% in South Bend, 60.4% in Tennessee) all while punching batters out at a well-above-average clip (27.6%). That GB/K combination is something I’ve really honed into recently. But the reason Jensen is this high is because he has proven to me he is capable of sticking in the rotation. His curveball and changeup will allow him to be better against lefties and helped him improve as the 2021 season went on.
What needs to improve?
I don’t have data to back this up, but it feels like there are too many non-competitive pitches from Jensen, leading to increased pitch counts. His stuff is good enough that he can attack hitters a bit more and it shouldn’t affect the strikeout or ground ball numbers too much.
- DJ Herz | LHP, High-A
Why is he good?
His mid-90s fastball has plenty of late life on it, jumping out of his left hand. And his sweeping curve and Devin Williams-lite changeup look like they are coming from the first base dugout thanks to the fact that he sets up on that side of the rubber and his extreme cross-fire delivery. Plus, you know, the results were there, too. A 40% strikeout rate in 81.2 innings doesn’t come around every day.
What needs to improve?
We’ve gotta see DJ work deeper into starts. He has yet to approach a consistent workload of 100 pitches but I’m hoping/assuming that has more to do with the front office limiting his workload in his first full pro season and less about the fact that he can’t do it.
- James Triantos | IF, Complex
Why is he good?
Just like how I look for strikeouts and ground balls from pitchers, I have my eye on higher contact rates with high quality of contact from hitters. In a short amound of time, Triantos seems to be well on his way to doing both of those things. His violent, controlled swing path is about all you can ask for from the 19-year-old infielder.
What needs to improve?
I just don’t have a good feel for what he is defenisvely at this point. The bat seems to be his carrying trait, but where he plays defensively and how well he does it could take some pressure off the bat.
- Owen Caissie | OF, Low-A
Why is he good?
I made Kyle Schwarber comps as soon as the Cubs acquired Caissie and nearly a year later, I stand by it. He has super impressive exit velos leading to light-tower power, all while drawing walks at an absurd rate. Those plate discipline numbers will continue to be displayed until his power numbers fail to impress.
What needs to improve?
Although the arm is reported to be good, my views of his routes and coordination on defense are less than stellar. Maybe he will become more comfortable in his body, but I think good left field defense isn’t something to count on.
- Kohl Franklin | RHP, Low-A
Why is he good?
I might be the highest of anyone here on this righty, but I feel very passionately about the things that make Kohl good. His body and the fluidity and consistency in his delivery shout starter to me. The fastball is good, the changeup might be the best in the system, and I believe in the spike curve.
What needs to improve?
We haven’t seen him throw in a game in two years. COVID meant no 2020 season and he missed all of this year to injuries not named Tommy John. He was once a teenage pitcher in full-season ball which is a rarity. Now, he’ll be suiting up in 2022 as a 22-year-old who has only thrown three innings above short-season.
- Yohendrick Pinango | OF, High-A
Why is he good?
Pinango has elite bat-to-ball skills and put up the second best K% in the system thanks to his ability to attack pitches as opposed to simply “trying not to strike out.” Oh, and did I mention he is just 19-years-old? He showed the ability to turn on fastballs better as the year progressed, becoming more of a complete player at the dish.
What needs to improve?
I’d like to see him get the ball in the air a bit more, though I’d bet on that being much more likely for a guy like Pinango with such amazing hands at the plate. Pinango isn’t a liability in left field or on the bases, but a step in the direction from playable to asset will go a long way in his future role.
- Miguel Amaya | C, Double-A
Why is he good?
Amaya’s plate approach is tremendous. He limits the strikeouts while drawing more and more walks each year. Behind the dish, his arm is very good and his defense can be better than MLB average, too.
What needs to improve?
I need to see that raw power turn into game power. I know he has the ability to take pitches on the outer half out to right center, but it has to come more consistently because I don’t think the batting average will ever be close to average as a Major Leaguer.
- Brailyn Marquez | LHP, MLB
Why is he good?
He’s a lefty with a funky arm slot that throws 100 mph. He gets plenty of whiffs on that pitch and his slider. I really like the fact that he generates a decent amount of ground balls.
What needs to improve?
I think he is a reliever. Probably a multi-inning one, but still a reliever. He needs to show the ability to log more innings and pitch efficiently and then maybe he will be able to follow the path of Justin Steele, moving from relief to the rotation gradually over time.
- Jordan Wicks | LHP, High-A
Why is he good?
It was a surprise the Cubs were able to nab him when they did in the draft because he was consistently regarded as the top lefty in the class. His changeup is elite, the pitchability seems to be off-the-charts, and he lowkey has some giddy-up on the heater.
What needs to improve?
To me, Wicks feels like a dude that was made to throw a ton of different pitches. I’d love to see the slider continued to be developed along with maybe a hook and/or a cutter. I’m thinking full-blown workhorse starter for the first-round pick.
- Caleb Kilian | RHP, Double-A
Why is he good?
Mid-90s heat. Plus cutter.Good mix of fastball shapes and uses. Lots of strikeouts. Very few walks. Already spent significant time in Double-A.
What needs to improve?
We’ve gotta see better use of the curveball as a possible putaway pitch. While I believe in the three different fastballs, Kilian has to have another pitch that will change the pace of an AB and get whiffs in the majors in… say 2022?
- Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF, Low-A
Why is he good?
PCA apparently has damn near MLB-caliber defense in center field right now. His bat-to-ball skills are terrific and what scouts like to picture is an old-school style leadoff man.
What needs to improve?
We haven’t seen a lick of him as a pro. I don’t think the shoulder injury will have any impact on his defense, but I worry about it impacting the development of his power, a tool that is already in question.
- Ed Howard | IF, Low-A
Why is he good?
I always feel like the old-school scouts that are caricatured in Moneyball when I talk about Silk Howard. He just has the look of a ballplayer. He is smooth as hell at shortstop, on the bases, and at the plate. The results don’t say as much, but I promise he looks the part.
What needs to improve?
The numbers were bad this year. There’s no other way around it. But it’s also important to remember that the front office challenged him with an ultra-aggressive promotion to full-season ball after seeing his last consistent in-game action during his junior season in high school. Now we get to see him make necessary offseason adjustments and hopefully return to Myrtle Beach next season.
- Kevin Made | IF, Low-A
Why is he good?
Made’s defense rivaled Howard’s at shortstop this season, putting him in the conversation as a legit plus defender. His ability to limit the strikeouts and put the bat on the ball were very good on the surface, especially as a teenager in full-season ball.
What needs to improve?
I worry that Made’s ability to make plenty of contact relies too heavily on attacking pitches early in the count and simply not allowing himself to face deep counts. That can sometimes be a sound strategy, but it also limits the number of balls in play that are driven with authority and it causes his walk rate to be a dismal 2.5%.
- Christopher Morel | UT, Triple-A
Why is he good?
Morel is the most electric player in the system and a Javy Baez-lite type of athlete. He can play quality defense all over the diamond which automatically makes him valuable. He has the strongest throwing arm in the system that can be displayed in right field or at third and short. At the plate, he has a quick bat and has made adjustments that have led to more walks.
What needs to improve?
His defensive prowess and 40-man roster spot ensure a pretty high floor on his future. But Morel is going to need to find a way to increase his batting average year-in and year-out while proving that his newfound on-base skills are no joke. Without it, he will settle for being the most exciting bench player of all-time.
- Jordan Nwogu | OF, Low-A
Why is he good?
The former football recruit is on the Cubs Mt. Rushmore of biggest freak athletes. He spent last offseason and the first half of this year constantly making adjustments to his swing and it absolutely paid off as he put up some of the best numbers in the system in the second half of the season, in pitcher’s paradise Myrtle no less. His bat could end up being awfully dangerous and his outfield defense is way better than he was scouted as coming out of school.
What needs to improve?
I really need to see consistency out of Nwogu. I realize that was impossible from a guy making noticeable, big changes mid-season this past year. Hopefully he can now settle in to his new swing and stance and put together a really solid year in South Bend and Tennessee in 2022.
- Alexander Canario | OF, High-A
Why is he good?
The light-tower power is already present for Canario. Combine that with an arm that was made in a lab to be placed in right field, and he has a super elevated ceiling.
What needs to improve?
Like a guy named Velazquez that you will read about here in a minute, Canario strikes out too much and walks too little. That’s a bad combination and the singular reason why both guys are found in the back-end of this list.
- Chase Strumpf | IF, Double-A
Why is he good?
After getting off to a horrendous start to his time in Double-A, Strumpf ended up posting one of the few seasons in the Cubs system with above-average numbers in OPS, K%, and BB%. He sure knows how to work an at-bat and although the power didn’t show up as much as I would have liked this year, the potential is still very much present in that stick.
What needs to improve?
The easy answer here is his defense, but actually, I think he looked better at third base this year than he is given credit for. My answer here is really that he needs to attack some more mistake pitches and drive them. That will 1) improve his power numbers and 2) improve his batting average so that his OBP isn’t so reliant on his really impressive walk rate.
- Nelson Velazquez | OF, Double-A
Why is he good?
Nelly has always been a guy on my radar and even cracked a few of my past prospect lists. This is a guy who did learn how to punish mistake pitches and now instead of simply hitting balls hard, he is driving middle-middle pitches in the air and out of the park. His improved athleticism will allow for him to be usable in the outfield.
What needs to improve?
Like I mentioned before, he is gonna have to draw more walks and swing through fewer pitches. There aren’t nearly as many mistake pitches to punish as you climb the ladder, so having a good approach becomes more and more necessary.
- Alfonso Rivas | 1B/OF, MLB
Why is he good?
He works the best at-bat in the entire system. He showed that he can continue to do so at the Major League level. Rivas displays top-tier defense at first base and I believe he has the athleticism to play the corner outfields well, too.
What needs to improve?
Rivas doesn’t necessarily need to have the power of a big, burly, prototype first baseman. But showing the ability to turn on pitches and get some homers that way will be crucial for his status as a starting-caliber player and not just a bench bat in the majors.
- Daniel Palencia | RHP, Low-A
Why is he good?
The dude can generate whiffs like nobody’s business. His offspeed shows flashes of being very good and he has that triple-digit touching fastball that he can maintain a second time through the order. That shouts starter to me.
What needs to improve?
The consistency with his offspeed offerings needs to get better. But that is something you can say about any young arm on the farm. The fact that they already flash plus is a good sign, but let’s build upon that.
- Anderson Espinoza | RHP, Double-A
Why is he good?
He has the pedigree of one of the best prospects in baseball dating back to his teenage days based almost purely on his raw stuff on the mound. The nasty stuff is still clearly there, whether that is his fastball or any of his offspeed offerings. We are quick to throw the bullpen designation on him because of the injury history, but I don’t want to be so “quick” to do so now that he is fully healthy in the Cubs system.
What needs to improve?
Espinoza just needs innings and to stay healthy. He played his age-23 season in 2021 and it was his first time throwing in games since he was 18-years-old way back in 2016. Wild.
Honorable Mention
Cory Abbott, Max Bain, Christian Franklin, Brandon Hughes, Nelson Maldonado, Michael McAvene, Yonathan Perlaza, Ethan Roberts, Manny Rodriguez, Cole Roederer, Tyler Schlaffer, Riley Thompson, Alexander Vizcaino
Feature photo of Reggie Preciado by Rich Biesterfeld (@biest22)
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