Cade Horton – Pic by Tennessee Smokies
Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The simplest way to describe this week was that MLB Pipeline was very busy.
Pipeline began the week by making predictions. The first one was that Pete Crow-Armstrong could be the rookie of the year. That is not really shocking when you think about it. For those of you that are just judging him on just 19 ABs instead of his two years in the Cubs minor-league system, shame on you. He has a chance to compete for an opening day spot, but will probably begin the year in Iowa. Here is what Callis wrote:
“[Crow-Armstrong is] coming off of a 20/30 season in the Minors. We know about his defense. The defense and speed will keep him in the lineup every single day, and he’s going to contribute, and I think he’s going to hit enough for the counting numbers that a lot of people pay attention to [and that] will matter. I think his combination of talent and opportunity made him a solid, albeit, far from slam-dunk pick for me.”
Pipeline continued as they described the Cubs having one of the top farm systems in the minor leagues. They could, even after graduating PCA and Cade Horton, end up as being the top minor league organization at the end of 2024.
“I went with the Cubs because I think they have the potential for the most Top 100 prospects at the end of the year when guys have graduated. Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to graduate this year. I think Cade Horton is going to graduate. … Right now, Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcántara, Ben Brown and Matt Shaw are all in the Top 100 list — they all could qualify. … I think Jackson Ferris is going to be a Top 100 guy by the end of the year. I think James Triantos is going to be a Top 100 guy by the end of the year. They’ve got Jefferson Rojas, super young international signee who they kind of fast-forwarded to Single-A last year and he held his own.”
Strangely enough, Jim Callis also claimed that Matt Shaw would make the biggest jump this year in terms of the prospect rankings. It was also odd that Shaw could ruin his prediction by making it to Chicago as early as this summer.
In a different article about which prospect had the most improved this past year, Owen Caissie got all the love from Pipeline. As for the prospect who got back on track, that went to Luis Vazquez. And as if PCA needs more hype, he was named the prospect to watch in the Cubs system.
And, finally, Cade Horton got the prospect they are most excited to debut for the Cubs.
Horton is a former quarterback and two-way player with better pure stuff than anyone in the Cubs’ rotation. He features a mid-90s fastball with carry and a wipeout mid-80s slider with two-plane break, and he dominated hitters to the tune of a .191 opponent average and 117 strikeouts to 27 walks in 88 1/3 innings during his pro debut.
Video of the Week
Alexander Canario Hype video????? Sign me up!!!!!
Draft Prep Update
MLB released the order of the Draft this week and here is where the Cubs are scheduled to pick: 14, 55, 93, 123, 153, 182 and every 30 picks thereafter. It could change if Bellinger signs with another team.
Poll of the Week
The South Bend Cubs are going to have some exciting prospects this spring. And two of the most fun to watch develop should be starting pitchers Jackson Ferris and Drew Gary. I did a poll this week about when those two could possibly be ready for Chicago.
Coming Up Next Week.
The new year begins tomorrow with the position breakdown series. Left-handed starting pitchers are on the menu. Wednesday will be a look at pitcher Kevin Valdez as a breakout candidate. I will be talking about some guys you could possibly see on the table for the Cubs at number 14 on Thursday. And on Friday I will look at who could be starting in the Mesa Cubs rotation this summer.
Website Menu Cleanup
We cleaned up the menu on the website this week. It is more in “winter mode” now and includes updated affiliate pages, some series links, and our updated prospect lists and profile database.
Jam of the Week
It’s a deep cut from 1982 from one of my favorite bands, King Crimson.
