The end of the season evaluations have started coming in, and several Cubs were considered to be among the best in their leagues.
Now that the season is over, it’s time to start taking inventory and assessing what the Cubs have. One of the first looks at the state of the minor leagues has come out in the past couple weeks as Baseball America has released their Top 20 Prospects list for each league in the minors. As you can see from these lists, the Cubs minor league system remains strong.
Baseball America has called these lists the "first draft" of their Top 30 lists for each team. In a sense, they should be read as first drafts. They compile these lists by talking to scouts and managers who follow these leagues every day. These are the players who stood out to baseball professionals as having a chance to have a major league future.
The scouting reports and the chats explaining the lists are behind a paywall, but you can see the lists of names here. One thing that you should keep in mind is that not all of these lists are equal. For example, it is much easier to make the Top 20 list of the eight-team Northwest League than it is to make the list of the 16-team Midwest League. That’s just simple math. Also, not all leagues are equal in the number of prospects they have. Beyond only having eight teams, it was not a strong season for prospects in the Northwest League, for example.
The eligibility requirements for these lists is that the player had one plate appearance in that league for each game the team played. For pitchers, it’s one-third of an inning for each game or 20 relief appearances. (Or 10 relief appearances in the short-season leagues) So don’t ask why Kyle Schwarber didn't make the Northwest or Midwest League lists. He was only eligible for the Florida State League list.
With that having been said, the Cubs who made the lists are as follows:
Pacific Coast League
1. Kris Bryant
3. Javier Baez
10. Arismendy Alcantara
17. Kyle Hendricks
Jorge Soler did not reach the eligibility requirements for the list. He easily would have made the top 10 with 17 more plate appearances.
To put four prospects in the Top 20 during a pretty strong year from prospects in the Pacific Coast League is impressive. It should come as no surprise that the Minor League Player of the Year was first on the list. A rival manager said Bryant had more power than anyone he’d ever seen in the PCL. There were some questions about his defense at third base.
The reviews on Baez are nothing you have not heard before (huge power, swing and miss issues) but there was some praise of his defense. Alcantara was praised for his all-around game and Hendricks was praised for his intelligence more than for his stuff.
Southern League
1. Kris Bryant
2. Addison Russell
5. C.J. Edwards
18. Albert Almora
Obviously Bryant was just as impressive in Double-A as he was in Triple-A. Russell was not far behind him and Russell showed more power in the Southern League than was expected from him. No one doubts that Edwards has top-of-the-rotation stuff, but there were serious questions about his size, durability and stamina. There were mixed opinions on Almora, with some scouts thinking he could be a top of the order hitter with plus defense in center while others have him pegged as a fourth outfielder.
Florida State League
4. Kyle Schwarber
11. Albert Almora
18. Billy McKinney
Oh his bat alone, Schwarber would be number one, but observers in the FSL have just as many questions about his defense as everyone else does. Some do think he can catch, however. People in Florida were a bit higher on Almora, which makes sense since he was much more successful in High-A. McKinney was praised for his on-base skills and his clean, line-drive stroke, although some were concerned that he was a left fielder only and left fielders usually have a lot more power or speed than McKinney has. McKinney was also the number 18 prospect in the California League. Rob Zastryzny was a player who also got some mentions, although not enough to make the top 20.
Midwest League
18. Duane Underwood
Yep. The team that dominated the Midwest League on their way to the title only put one player in the top 20. Underwood was praised for his mid-90s fastball, promising curve and his athleticism.
Jen-Ho Tseng received some mentions, but in the chat J.J. Cooper said that Underwood just had a lot more pure stuff than Tseng. Scouts don’t see any of Tseng’s pitches being more than average on the major league level. On Twitter, Cooper said Tseng wasn't close to making the top 20.
Northwest League
6. Jeffrey Baez
9. Mark Zagunis
14. Erick Leal
18. Rashad Crawford
It bears repeating that it was a down year for the Northwest League. But it’s better to have four players on this list than none, and all four of these players have promise. All four are risky, but they also have the athleticism and raw skills to allow them to succeed at higher levels.
Baez is a raw, toolsy right-fielder who evoked a comparison to Raul Mondesi. Zagunis is an athletic ballplayer with good speed and at least average hit and power tools. He showed some defensive skills as an outfielder, but he would be much more likely to make the majors as a catcher. Like Schwarber, Zagunis’ skills behind the plate are iffy.
Leal was praised for his ability to throw strikes with thee pitches. Crawford is just raw, but observers like his potential as a center fielder.
Arizona League
9. Carson Sands
13. Eloy Jimenez
14. Gleyber Torres
The left-handed Sands was cited for having three pitches that should be no worse than average that he can throw for strikes. Jimenez is big, young and has incredible raw power. Torres is more of a high-floor guy, but it is a very nice floor with plus on-base skills and solid defense at shortstop. Pitchers Justin Steele and Jeferson Mejia just missed the list.