Michael Busch – Picture by Diamond Images/Getty Images
This position has really taken off the past two years. Since Anthony Rizzo left, the Cubs all of a sudden had to develop the position as they’ve been able to go out and acquire a few possible long-term solutions. Matt Mervis had a crack last year and struggled. He went back down to Iowa and worked on some things and he is still near the top of the list.
What we saw last year was just as equally encouraging as there was basically a 1B star at every full season affiliate at the corner spot.
And then, everything turned upside down last week when the Cubs acquired Michael Busch from the Dodgers.
Here are last year’s rankings.
And now, this year’s.
1. Michael Busch
Busch is not going to be a “Cubs prospect” for long. Currently ranked at 44 on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects, he is going to be given every opportunity to earn an opening day spot on the 26-man roster. More than likely, he and his bat will probably play more DH than 1B. Last year, he hit 27 HRs and drove in 90 for a wRC+ of 150. He put up a walk rate of almost 14% and a K rate of just 18%. All he needs are some ABs and he should fit right in on the Cubs for the next six years. I really dig this pick up and it doesn’t stop the Cubs from going for more big bats.
2. Matt Mervis
In only 362 ABs at Iowa last year, Mervis slugged 22 home runs and drove in 78 last year. That’s basically April, June, August, and September. When he came back from his struggles in Chicago, Mervis improved his slugging percentage every month going from .481 in July to .536 in August and capping it off at .552 in September. Mervis is still only 25 years old, but will turn 26 in April. It’s unclear at this point if he’ll get another chance in Chicago or if he’s going to be used in a trade to acquire some other need for the big league club.
3. Haydn McGeary
I can clearly remember talking with Hayden McGarry on opening day in 2023 on the dugout steps in Davenport. At the end of the conversation, I told him I’d be seeing him in Appleton and Beloit in early May. I never saw him again. He just destroyed the Midwest League in his first month and was flying high at Tennessee through June, and then he began to take a tumble. In July he hit .243 but even worse in August as he went under the Mendoza Line but he still drove in 21 in July. There’s going to be some adjusting to do for him this winter. He’s still just 24 years old and he’ll be that age all of 2024. As big as he is, we forget that he is still relatively young and hasn’t faced the kind of elite level of competition at Double-A that he saw in 2023. He’s going to have to adapt. Once he does, he will be back to raking, hopefully very soon.
4. Felix Stevens
Between Myrtle Beach and South Bend last year, Felix Stevens lead the system in home runs with 27. The power hitting first baseman turned 24 late in the season and should be at Tennessee to start 2024. Whether he will be is a little bit up in the air. He did spend half a year with South Bend. After the first couple weeks, he hit extremely well with 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 60 games. Because of the backlog above him, it’s still unclear just exactly where he’s going to start. The former outfielder could wind up starting the season in South Bend.
5. Brian Kalmer
The 2023 draft pick had an amazing run after being taken out of Gonzaga last summer. In just 129 bats, he hit 10 home runs and drove in 42 in 35 games with a 1.093 OPS. Those are video game numbers but they were real. There’s no doubt that Kalmer is going to be one of the most interesting follows when the season starts. He should be in South Bend to begin the year and we’ll see where he goes from there.
As for the rest of the organization, Reivaj Garcia played a lot of first base for Myrtle Beach until Brian Kalmer came along. The two will probably split the position this year along with playing some DH. As for Myrtle Beach, Anderson Suriel looks to be the guy coming up from Mesa. His work ethic is outstanding, according to Dai Dai Otaka, the Cubs roving infield instructor. The bat, however, has shown flashes, but he has not put anything consistent together yet.
Bonus First Baseman
We should see Moises Ballesteros also get some work in at first base in Tennessee this spring. He might play there one day a week. Maybe two. I don’t expect a full conversion to a first baseman to take place anytime soon.
