Feature photo of Cade Horton by Todd Johnson

Are you sick of Prospect List Week yet? No? Good. After getting a look at my Top 40 on Monday, Todd’s on Tuesday, and Zumach’s yesterday, today we get the final product of our North Side Bound Cumulative Rankings.

How are these calculated? Simple. We used a point system where PCA, the top ranked prospect on each of our lists, received 40 total points while the last ranked player on each of our lists received 1 point. The output is 40 prospects, ranked based on the total points they received from the NSB trio, and an additional seven honorable mentions! Enjoy all 40 players, including the highest spot they were ranked among our three individual lists, the lowest they were ranked, and a quote from one of us!

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong

High: 1 | Low: 1

“Don’t lose sight of the fact that Pete Crow-Armstrong is a true 80-grade centerfielder with plus running ability while producing with both hit and power as a 21-year-old in AA.” — Greg Zumach

2. Cade Horton

High: 2 | Low: 2

“It’s just hard not to be impressed and also hard not to get too carried away with what a pitcher with his command and swing and miss arsenal can do.” — Greg Zumach

T3. Owen Caissie

High: 3 | Low: 5

“ONKC hits the ball as hard as anyone in minor league baseball. His athleticism is improving dramatically and it’s positively impacting his defense and baserunning, which is the biggest reason why you’ve seen him ranked below El Jaguar in the past.” — Greg Huss

T3. Ben Brown

High: 3 | Low: 5

“What we’re seeing this season is Brown generate swing and miss from his four seam, curveball and slider, while also mixing in a changeup for good measure. I’d argue he’s ready for the major leagues right now.” — Greg Zumach

5. Miguel Amaya

High: 4 | Low: 7

“Miguel Amaya’s resurgence is incredible and we shouldn’t overstate the importance to the entire organization.” — Greg Zumach

6. Kevin Alcántara

High: 3 | Low: 9

“One thing that does not get talked about enough is that he is really an outstanding defender and I really enjoy watching him go after balls in the gap.” — Todd Johnson

7. Jackson Ferris

High: 7 | Low: 8

“He’s throwing three 20s with a fastball touching 20 inches of carry, a slider touching 20 inches of sweep, and a curveball with 20 inches of depth. It’s nasty stuff. He’ll be on a tight leash as he works on refining that arsenal, but it’s electric and has front line potential.” — Greg Zumach

8. Matt Mervis

High: 6 | Low: 11

“Mash is extraordinary at tapping into power without sacrificing too much by the way of strikeouts. I think he’ll learn a lot from that initial look at Major League pitching.” — Greg Huss

9. Jordan Wicks

High: 6 | Low: 16

“Wicks is everything you could want in a mid-rotation starter. He has a large pitch mix that he clearly feels comfortable with in any count and all are at least league-average offerings. He has a unique ability to locate the fastball inside on both lefties and righties.” — Greg Huss

10. Moises Ballesteros

High: 10 | Low: 12

“I like guys that can rake. Ballesteros can really rake and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of him yet.” — Todd Johnson

11. Alexander Canario

High: 8 | Low: 14

“He has the loudest tools in the system when it comes to power and his arm. But there’s a little hesitancy when it comes to him getting back to the prospect he was in 2022 because of his ankle injury. If he had played in Iowa before the list was made, I would have him at number two, but I’m still a little wary of dropping him out of the top 10 because he still has such massive power.” — Todd Johnson

12. James Triantos

High: 9 | Low: 17

“He’s exceeding the high expectations we set for him this offseason. We all knew he wouldn’t strike out, but I have more confidence in his power becoming league-average.” — Greg Huss

13. Jefferson Rojas

High: 11 | Low: 14

“He’s flashing hard at Myrtle Beach right now. The consistency is going to come later. He could be much, much, much higher in the fall/winter.” — Todd Johnson

14. Brennen Davis

High: 13 | Low: 18

“He is proving to be a much more disciplined hitter and it’s showing in his walk rates… he’s missing more time after going down with core body surgery. That doesn’t concern me from a traditional “injury prone” narrative, but instead because he is missing serious developmental time once again.” — Greg Huss

15. Michael Arias

High: 15 | Low: 22

“After watching him pitch a couple of times, I was astounded at how much run he gets on his two seam fastball. Once he gets his breaking stuff commanded better, he’s going to take off. Not bad for a former shortstop.” — Todd Johnson

T16. Pablo Aliendo

High: 16 | Low: 20

“He’s no longer just a wiry frame; he’s added serious muscle while also looking like there’s room to grow. Aliendo has put himself squarely in the realm of being a MLB catcher in 2024/2025.” — Greg Zumach

T16. Daniel Palencia

High: 14 | Low: 20

“We stan a reliever with triple-digits heat and a closer mentality.” — Greg Huss

18. Cristian Hernández

High: 13 | Low: 30

“Hernández is amid adjustments at the plate. It’s not always going to look pretty as adjustments happen behind the scenes. He’s showing more patience and that will be vital for him as he advances through the system.” — Greg Zumach

19. Haydn McGeary

High: 11 | Low: 30

“McGeary likely won’t ever make a Top 100 list since it’s so rare for these older DH-likely profiles to do so, but he’s hitting his way up the ladder. He could be a productive MLB hitter next season.” — Greg Zumach

T20. Porter Hodge

High: 19 | Low: 24

“It’s been an up-and-down year. I am not too concerned about the poor starts, he will rebound, probably when they change the balls again.” — Todd Johnson

T20. Luis Vazquez

High: 12 | Low: 32

“This is the type of prospect that I would be aggressively targeting in trades if the Cubs were selling. If I’m the Cubs I’m getting him a good run at 3B to wrap up the year.”  — Greg Zumach

22. Kevin Made

High: 20 | Low: 26

“He has the ability to rank a full tier higher if he keeps hitting during the second half.” — Greg Zumach

23. Kohl Franklin

High: 16 | Low: 29

“He is very deliberate in what pitches he’s throwing and when he throws them. As a result, his stuff not only looks good but is playing in the way it’s supposed to.” — Greg Huss

24. Luke Little

High: 18 | Low: 31

“We stan a reliever with mid-to-upper 90s heat, a damn good slider, and hella ground balls.” — Greg Huss

25. DJ Herz

High: 22 | Low: 34

“I really liked what I’ve seen from his last few starts and I think the old DJ is pretty close to being back. That’s a good sign for the system and a good sign for DJ.” — Todd Johnson

26. Luis Devers

High: 21 | Low: 32

“After maybe another month, he’s going to be fully back. He began coming out of it in his second start at South Bend. I still think he’s not quite 100% yet but he will be.” — Todd Johnson

T27. Ed Howard

High: 21 | Low: 33

“The next steps are building back his offensive game. It’s a slow process but one that I hope we start to see gains with the rest of the season.” — Greg Zumach

T27. Brody McCullough

High: 21 | Low: 36

“He dots fastballs on the black and gets chases with two breaking balls. The fastball plays up because of a quirky-ish but repeatable delivery.” — Greg Huss

T27. Yonathan Perlaza

High: 25 | Low: 31

“The Cubs need to figure out a plan for Perlaza soon, either via trade or promotion. There is no good letting him mash at AAA.” — Greg Zumach

30. BJ Murray

High: 22 | Low: 36

“He is one of the big breakouts of this year, and I am really excited to see him blossom so quickly at AA.” — Todd Johnson

31. Jake Slaughter

High: 19 | Low: 39

“He slipped a little this year in terms of batting average, but not in terms of production. He is hitting dingers, and he leads the system in RBI at the halfway point.” — Todd Johnson

32. Drew Gray

High: 26 | Low: 34

“It’s far enough off now so I’ll share that right after there was chatter that Gray had to have Tommy John surgery, baseball folks inside the Cubs were crushed. One person within the game even went so far as to say they (the Cubs) “lost out on their [Kyle Harrison]”. Big, big praise.” — Greg Zumach

33. Ádan Sanchez

High: 23 | Low: NR

“The 18 year old is already kind of a unit back behind the dish. The DSL numbers last year and reports at the time of his signing are encouraging.” — Greg Huss

34. Brandon Birdsell

High: 27 | Low: NR

“I love his delivery that hides the ball until the last possible moment and his fastball has the consistent juice I was hoping for.” — Greg Huss

35. Chase Strumpf

High: 29 | Low: NR

“I’ll beat the dead horse and tell you that production is production and it doesn’t matter what it looks like. Strumpf is a productive hitter and has been the same version of himself for the third consecutive year now.” — Greg Huss

36. Riley Thompson

High: 27 | Low: NR

“I feel pretty damn confident the stuff and “just get outs” ability is good enough to succeed at the MLB level, despite the season statistics this year.” — Greg Huss

37. Caleb Kilian

High: 29 | Low: 42

“Once he gets his consistency down, he will be in Chicago. Until then, we never know which Kilian will be pitching – The dominant guy or the one who struggles.” — Todd Johnson

38. Alexis Hernández

High: 34 | Low: NR

“He is killing it in Rookie league and it’s making me wonder if he’s going to get a promotion or at least a cup of coffee in Myrtle Beach this summer. He could be top 20 if he continues to rake.” — Todd Johnson

T39. Christopher Paciolla

High: 33 | Low: NR

“The Cubs seemed to quickly identify him as a third baseman as opposed to a shortstop which could help the direction of his development. He feels awfully blank canvassy.” — Greg Huss

T39. Nazier Mulé

High: 35 | Low: NR

“He’s an incredible athlete who I’m excited to see return in 2024. It’ll be interesting if the Cubs move him to shortstop or if they still plan on him being a two-way player.” — Todd Johnson

Others receiving votes: Richard Gallardo, Mason McGwire, Bailey Horn, Luis Rujano, Felix Stevens, Derniche Valdez, Ezequiel Pagan