2022-2023 Offseason Top Prospects List

[Cubswin11]

I think he’s still our best prospect in terms of overall value and upside (Hernandez maybe as the upside call if he can stick at SS).

He could be a difference-maker this year. Best case he destroys AAA for two months. Bellinger holds his own at the plate and brings back a good MLB-ready pitching prospect in July.

If Bellinger is playing well enough to bring anything back and Davis is proving he’s ready to come up, we’re probably in WC contention at least and the roster/lineup can fit both in.

[PackLandVA]

If the Cubs can fix Bellinger and/or a change of scenery turns his career around, why can he be in the long-term plans for the Cubs? He's not yet 28 years old.

[CubinNY]

If the Cubs can fix Bellinger and/or a change of scenery turns his career around, why can he be in the long-term plans for the Cubs? He's not yet 28 years old.

He's not likely to be near the player he once was before the injury. He's only signed for one year. I suppose if someone wants to give the Cubs a haul for Davis, that would be great too, but if I had to choose, I'd choose Davis. With PCA coming up in a few years, Davis can slide over to LF/RF.

[Tim]

Best case scenario is Bellinger back at MVP levels.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BP Cubs Top 20 is…interesting:

1. PCA
2. Caissie
3. Mervis
4. Wesneski
5. Davis
6. Alcántara
7. Horton
8. Wicks
9. Triantos
10. Brown
11. Canario
12. Palencia
13. Amaya
14. C. Hernández
15. Ferris
16. Herz
17. Devers
18. Ballesteros
19. Assad
20. L. Little

[Bertz]

If the Cubs can fix Bellinger and/or a change of scenery turns his career around, why can he be in the long-term plans for the Cubs? He's not yet 28 years old.

Yeah, if Bellinger really remembers how to hit (maybe not at MVP levels but at least at his otherwise pre-injury form), you throw Brandon Nimmo money at him and he's the long term LF. It's also pretty hard to see the team selling off this summer if CF is that productive.

If Bellinger's just fine offensively, you QO him and bid him adieu. The org's depth at CF means we shouldn't spend money on a CF who's deriving his value purely from defense.

[Bertz]

BP Cubs Top 20 is…interesting:

1. PCA
2. Caissie
3. Mervis
4. Wesneski
5. Davis
6. Alcántara
7. Horton
8. Wicks
9. Triantos
10. Brown
11. Canario
12. Palencia
13. Amaya
14. C. Hernández
15. Ferris
16. Herz
17. Devers
18. Ballesteros
19. Assad
20. L. Little

I can justify almost any of these weird choices in a silo. I can't justify all of these weird choices together though?
It's like at different points they completely change the calculus in weighting ARL, floor, and ceiling.

[muntjack]

Seems like they value proximity to the majors more than most, which I can get behind. Still a bit odd, though.

[TomtheBombadil]

I think he’s still our best prospect in terms of overall value and upside (Hernandez maybe as the upside call if he can stick at SS).

Agreed. It's been a long ass offseason but I've definitely come to appreciate how well rounded Davis the prospect's game is. He's both the skilled MiLB player in the org and the best overall athlete. All the hitters are chasing his patient, flyball oriented approach with all fields power and the ability to hit for average while maintaining an up the middle profile on defense

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Props to the list with Little in the top 20. For a giant, healthy lefty with power stuff and approach, his excellent 2022 was very quiet. Back of the top 20 feels right since we're still talking about feasting on mostly A ball hitters at 21 at just under 3 innings a pop. He's not crazy far off from Palencia entering 2022, could have meaningful trade Value this summer

[Bertz]

PCA at 36
Jordan Wicks at 51
Kevin Alcantara at 77

Caissie, Triantos, Wesneski, and Hernandez listed as 50 FVs, meaning they're top 100 caliber even if they're a smidge behind the actual guys on the ordinal list

[TomtheBombadil]

The Wicks writeup. I’m glad he made a top 100, figured besides the velo he wasn’t pre-injured enough and threw too many innings over the years for an official ranking:

51. Jordan Wicks, LHP, Chicago Cubs

Age: 23 | Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Type: Lefty with (newly) above-average stuff and (same) feel, devastating changeup.
Wicks went No. 21 overall in the 2021 draft as a high-floor lefty from Kansas State with a plus changeup and above-average command but a fastball, slider, and curveball that were all fringy. It was a different story in 2022 as his velo jumped a couple ticks to 91-94 mph with good ride and the same standout command. The added arm speed also improved both breaking balls, and the changeup is a plus to plus-plus weapon.
Wicks might be big league-ready by midseason and is looking like a midrotation starter with the risk being that the velo bump regresses and he ends up more of a steady backend type.

[TomtheBombadil]

The Brewers have been doing really well on these top 100s…Chourio’s widely seem as a top 3 or 5 prospect, Frelick’s on all the top 100s, Wiemer could be and made at least one, Eric Brown could be - potentially all 4 could be in the MLs this year even the 19 YO Chourio

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA has Wicks as a #5 starter. Kiley has him as the 51st best prospect in baseball, with a writeup that sounds like a 2/3 starter. Feels like a microcosm of ranking Cubs prospects after PCA.

(I’m admittedly down on BA after all of their brain drain.)

[TomtheBombadil]

Yeah, and even the updated PCA writeups are...not effusive about his offense which only makes the system rankings more dynamic...McDaniel's:

Type: Glove-over-bat center fielder, but probably still a league-average hitter.

Crow-Armstrong became a known name early in his high school career in southern California and held serve, going 19th overall in 2020 to the Mets. During a disastrous, ill-fated deadline deal, the Mets shipped him to the Cubs straight up for Javier Baez on a rental while Crow-Armstrong was still recovering from shoulder surgery. He returned with some swing tweaks and performed well in 2022, hitting his way to High-A with 16 homers and 32 stolen bases.

He is a plus runner and at least a plus defender in center field, with 15-20 homer upside and solid feel to hit, but he can get too aggressive at times, which would undermine his contact and power potential. He's still young enough that he can dial things in, but his glove and simply putting the ball in play will likely make him a low-end starter at minimum.

----------

Maybe the most interesting thing about the Wicks writeup is the 2022 velo is viewed as a bump in velocity. Sounds good, I don't have to speculate on whether he can. Alls I'm asking is 94 by 2024

[Tryptamine]

BA has Wicks as a #5 starter. Kiley has him as the 51st best prospect in baseball, with a writeup that sounds like a 2/3 starter. Feels like a microcosm of ranking Cubs prospects after PCA.

(I’m admittedly down on BA after all of their brain drain.)

Sadly BA has tanked along with a lot of other groups. BP is basically dead and FG is still my favorite but not where it was a few years ago. It would honestly be a great time for an upstart group to come up and make a name for themselves.

[Named After Maddux]

BA has Wicks as a #5 starter. Kiley has him as the 51st best prospect in baseball, with a writeup that sounds like a 2/3 starter. Feels like a microcosm of ranking Cubs prospects after PCA.

(I’m admittedly down on BA after all of their brain drain.)

Sadly BA has tanked along with a lot of other groups. BP is basically dead and FG is still my favorite but not where it was a few years ago. It would honestly be a great time for an upstart group to come up and make a name for themselves.

Prospects Live is that group, but they’ve been so impressive that their writers keep getting hired by MLB clubs. It makes for a challenging setup. I’d still take their analysis over BA right now (unless it’s Geoff Pontes writing for BA).

[TomtheBombadil]

+1 for Prospects Live

[UMFan83]

https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1620792563908358144?t=vH3ahNNatbnodjaZEll6dQ&s=19

PCA at 36
Jordan Wicks at 51
Kevin Alcantara at 77

Caissie, Triantos, Wesneski, and Hernandez listed as 50 FVs, meaning they're top 100 caliber even if they're a smidge behind the actual guys on the ordinal list

Seems crazy to not even have Davis in the top 7 Cubs prospects

[Bertz]

https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1620792563908358144?t=vH3ahNNatbnodjaZEll6dQ&s=19

PCA at 36
Jordan Wicks at 51
Kevin Alcantara at 77

Caissie, Triantos, Wesneski, and Hernandez listed as 50 FVs, meaning they're top 100 caliber even if they're a smidge behind the actual guys on the ordinal list

Seems crazy to not even have Davis in the top 7 Cubs prospects

Yeah I think it's an overcorrection, especially when he still has Royce Lewis on his list. Like the injuries crested risk certainly, but he's also a guy you could probably have open the year in MLB if you needed to. Is the risk with Davis really any higher than the hitters in A Ball? I'd say no.

[mul21]

Law with the Cubs at 10:

10. Chicago Cubs
To be honest, I thought they’d end up higher on the list, but perhaps I was a year early with those expectations, which were mostly built around the group of position players in A-ball and the Arizona Complex League this year, only one of whom, Kevin Alcantara, made my top 100. Most of the others are still interesting prospects with upside remaining but didn’t progress to the point where it would have pushed this system into the top 5. There’s less pitching here, although they bet big on upside with their first pick in 2022, Cade Horton.

Cards and Brewers at 8 and 9 respectively, stupid Dodgers ranked first.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[Irrelevant Dude]

stupid Dodgers ranked first.

That is depressing.

[Irrelevant Dude]

https://twitter.com/Buster_ESPN/status/1620792563908358144?t=vH3ahNNatbnodjaZEll6dQ&s=19

PCA at 36
Jordan Wicks at 51
Kevin Alcantara at 77

Caissie, Triantos, Wesneski, and Hernandez listed as 50 FVs, meaning they're top 100 caliber even if they're a smidge behind the actual guys on the ordinal list

Seems crazy to not even have Davis in the top 7 Cubs prospects

Yeah I think it's an overcorrection, especially when he still has Royce Lewis on his list. Like the injuries crested risk certainly, but he's also a guy you could probably have open the year in MLB if you needed to. Is the risk with Davis really any higher than the hitters in A Ball? I'd say no.

I have to believe his (lack of) ranking can be attributed mostly to "we have no idea how to rate him until he proves he is healthy." He is a huge question mark right now, but I would imagine he will quickly jump back up on the lists if/when he does show that he is healthy and his injuries don't appear to be a long-term concern.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Law with the Cubs at 10:

10. Chicago Cubs
To be honest, I thought they’d end up higher on the list, but perhaps I was a year early with those expectations, which were mostly built around the group of position players in A-ball and the Arizona Complex League this year, only one of whom, Kevin Alcantara, made my top 100. Most of the others are still interesting prospects with upside remaining but didn’t progress to the point where it would have pushed this system into the top 5. There’s less pitching here, although they bet big on upside with their first pick in 2022, Cade Horton.

Cards and Brewers at 8 and 9 respectively, stupid Dodgers ranked first.

Im really surprised the Orioles didn’t sweep all major publications’ farm rankings for the unanimous best farm.

[mul21]

Law with the Cubs at 10:

10. Chicago Cubs
To be honest, I thought they’d end up higher on the list, but perhaps I was a year early with those expectations, which were mostly built around the group of position players in A-ball and the Arizona Complex League this year, only one of whom, Kevin Alcantara, made my top 100. Most of the others are still interesting prospects with upside remaining but didn’t progress to the point where it would have pushed this system into the top 5. There’s less pitching here, although they bet big on upside with their first pick in 2022, Cade Horton.

Cards and Brewers at 8 and 9 respectively, stupid Dodgers ranked first.

Im really surprised the Orioles didn’t sweep all major publications’ farm rankings for the unanimous best farm.

Cleveland 2 and Orioles 3.