Luke Little – Picture by Todd Johnson
Welcome to the first position breakdown article of the offseason! I am getting started a little bit late this year but it’ll be fine. Over the next 10 weeks, I will be breaking down each of the Cubs 10 position groups. I am going to do this in the order in which they were ranked back in August going from left-handed relievers at number 10 all the way down to the outfielders at number one.
Tip of the Day – just because a group is ranked at number seven, eight, nine, or ten does not mean the position is devoid of talent, it just means it doesn’t have as much depth as the other parts of the organization.
Let’s get started!
It feels like the list in last Year’s left-handed reliever rankings has dwindled quite a bit. Marquez is gone. Scott Kobos is gone. Brendon Little is no more. Andricson Salvador vanished and it’s unclear what Brandon Hughes will do – is he coming back to the system on a minor league deal after the Rule 5 Draft or is he going to go sign a major league deal with another club. For now, we have to assume he is gone.
1. Luke Little
The biggest change from last year‘s list to this year‘s list is at number one. Last year had Bailey Horn at top of the rankings. This year it’s Luke Little who has a little bit of prospect time left before he graduates off the list. The big lefty went all the way from the starting rotation at South Bend to the bullpen there. His was quickly promoted up to Tennessee’s bullpen and then Iowa’s before making it to Chicago at the end of the year. In the majors, he looked pretty darn good in 6.2 innings and he doesn’t look like he’ll ever pitch in the minors again after a 0.00 ERA in 7 games.
2. Bailey Horn
I was not surprised to see Bailey Horn get added to the 40 man. The fact that the system is a little devoid of left-handed relievers only insured that he would be placed on the 40-man. Horn was dominant at Tennessee to begin the year. Then, Horn made his way to Iowa where he flashed from time to time abut struggled with bouts of inconsistencies consistently. Still, we’re looking at a guy with a mid-to-upper 90s fastball and a plus slider that might get his crack at some point this year.
3. Riley Martin
Martin is not too far behind Horn. They are two totally different types of pitchers. Martin tends to throw a low-to-mid 90s fastball and then devastate hitters with his plus-plus curveball and and an improving changeup. They were times last year where he was just flat out dominant and I thought he was close to making it to Chicago. He’s not that far away right now. He’s almost neck-and-neck with Horn, maybe a step behind. But don’t be surprised to see Riley jogging in from the outfield with his flow waving in the breeze at some point in 2024.
4. Adam Laskey
Adam finished the year really strong! After a dominant campaign at Myrtle Beach in 2022, Laskey made his way to South Bend where he had some adjusting to do over the course of the last half of 2022. He did make it to Tennessee this summer in time to be part of the championship run. But it was in the Arizona Fall League in 2023 that he found his stride and had a 1.00 ERA in nine appearances facing some of the top hitters in minor league baseball. More than likely, he’ll start the year in Tennessee and go from there. My interest is piqued to see how the AFL success carries over.
5. Chase Watkins
The lefty out of Oregon State is one of the hardest working guys in the system. Hopefully he can add another five or 10 pounds this off-season and that might make all the difference for him. I really enjoyed watching him work last year. It is clear from hearing him talk that he is always working on stuff. The ERA is not something that you need to focus on; it’s rather the development of his off speed stuff by adjusting his grips on his breaking balls. He should start the year at Tennessee and go from there.
Starter to the Bullpen Factor
Last year saw Luke Little shoot up through the system by going from the bullpen from the rotation to the bullpen. This year‘s candidate to do that is Marino Santy, who was quite vicious at times is the starter in the second half of the year at Myrtle Beach. I’m not 100% positive that Cubs are going to move him to the bullpen, but it’s an option, considering the backlog of starting pitchers at the levels above him. We’ll have to wait and see if this comes to fruition or the Cubs might just keep Santy in the rotation, which would not be a bad thing either.
Wildcards – Stambaugh, Carraway, Patterson
I’m not quite clear on the injury status and progress of all three of these guys. I have seen pictures of Patterson by Rich Biesterfeld out in Arizona but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to throw in games yet. This is going to be a hurry up and wait situation for all three. I am hoping they come back and they’re better than before.
Who Knows Category – Angel Hernandez, Joel Machado, Branden Noriega, and Daniel Brown
Part of me doesn’t really take too much interest in relievers until they get to South Bend. One small adjustment can change a reliever’s career path but these are four names that I am specifically wondering how they’re going to do in the lower half of the system in 2024. Hernandez should be at South Bend while Machado and Noriega are more than likely in Myrtle Beach. I would not expect to see Brown anywhere near Class A until June. Getting him to be able to control the baseball is going to be the biggest thing as he has lottery ticket or bust written all over him.
I will be back next week with a look at second basemen.
