Picture of Cade Horton by Todd Johnson

Prelude: The weather may have turned cold while Cubs fans prod the hot stove embers waiting for signs of action, but the prospect reports will heat things up. Numerous national publications will be releasing their breakdown of the Chicago Cubs minor league prospects. We here at North Side Bound will be releasing our rankings, but we’ll also be covering the reports from other publications all winter.

Let’s dive into Prospects Live 2024 ranking. As a reminder, much of the information at Prospects Live is behind a paywall. The writers at North Side Bound honor fellow publications decision on utilizing subscription-based content. We will not be posting large sections of the articles, but will include some interesting tidbits.

Pete Crow-Armstrong

It’s unanimous so far the ranking season that Pete Crow-Armstrong (PCA) is the Chicago Cubs top prospect. Prospects Live continues the trend placing him first in the system. PCA has been receiving rave reviews for his work this season and national and local analysts believe he’s an elite centerfielder who features hit, plus speed, and emerging power.

Offensively he has above-average power to the pull side and has shown it in games with a 107 Max EV and a 90% EV up over 103. He’s shown the ability to continue to make adjustments at the plate and is a solid bet to perform offensively. He does chase out
of the zone a bit more than you’d like, and he’s also had sub-80% contact rates at both minor league stops in 2023. He’s the
rare prospect that is desired in both real life and fantasy. During his peak seasons, we could see 20+ homers and 30+ stolen
bases

Scouting Grades: Hitting: 50. Power: 50. Speed: 70. Fielding: 70. Arm: 60

Matt Thompson in Prospects Live’s Cubs Top Prospects for 2024

The Prospects Live Top 10

Kevin Alcántara sitting at 4th overall in the system is a strong statement of support for the system after the 21 year old slashed .286/.341/.466 in HiA before getting a brief run at AA Tennessee to close the year. feels like a strong statement for “The Jaguar”. PL gives Alcántara average or better grades across the board with a plus power projection. It’s a fantastic profile from a prospect who came into the system as a high risk/ high reward player featuring more tools than success. That’s no longer the case. Alcantara has jaw-dropping potential.

Cade Horton (2nd), Jordan Wicks (6th), and Ben Brown (8th) are the only pitchers in the top 10, but the overall top ranked group is a mix of positions and timelines. It’s the mark of a strong system.

Pedro Ramirez 10th Overall

We won’t bury the lead too badly here, Prospects Live is firing up the hype train for Pedro Ramirez, calling him the breakout prospect of the system. The 19 year old slashed .265/.358/.404 (.365 wOBA) across 104 games in Myrtle Beach this past season. He kept his walks down (17.1% K-rate) and showed off an impressive walk rate (11.8%). But listen to the end of the write up by PL’s Rhys White. “The hit tool carries the profile, but his emerging power and speed give him a solid foundation as an everyday option as long as things don’t back up. His hitting ability and approach should improve as he faces more experienced pitchers. If the power takes another step forward, which could very well happen as he continues to physically mature, we could be talking about one of the game’s better prospects”. Yes, please.

Rest of the top 30

The names you’d expect to see are stacked up from 11-30. James Triantos gets some love at 11 for his offensive work but questions exist for his defensive work. I love Brody McCullough ranked 18th. He feels like such a a slammin’ pick from the 2022 draft. He’s recovering from a leg injury that occurred towards the end of the season. And the Cubs recent IFA signings, Deniche Valdez and Angel Cepeda both make appearances towards the end of the list. It’s a deep system.

Final Thoughts

Prospects Live combines data and scouting looks perhaps better than any national publication. The majority of the reports are for their Patreon subscribers and (we don’t receive any kickback here) it’s well worth it if you’re in a position to afford it. Make sure to read more at Prospects Live and North Side Bound’s Upcoming Top 30 to compare and contrast.