ESPN MLB Future Power Rankings - Cubs in a Landslide

[David]

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/insider/story/_/id/14044275/mlb-future-power-rankings-heading-2015-free-agency

 

It's good to be #1 because we get to read it for free.

 

Cubs win in a landslide

 

Cubs manager Joe Maddon and president of baseball operations Theo Epstein are sittin' pretty as we enter this offseason. Jeff Haynes/AP Images

The team atop our Future Power Rankings heading into this offseason is already a trendy pick to win the 2016 World Series, and there's at least a good reason for that kind of optimism, as the Chicago Cubs are loaded in every respect. One of the game's most highly regarded front offices is in the catbird seat right now, even in the majors' toughest top-to-bottom division, thanks to a potent young offense, two aces already in its rotation and the resources to add another, and a still-strong farm system.

 

The Cubs' arrival in 2015 was "ahead of schedule," but the schedule has a habit of changing without warning, as it did when Addison Russell and Kyle Schwarber became productive major leaguers a year ahead of expectations, or when Jake Arrieta, already good in 2014, became Cy Young-worthy in his second full season on the North Side of Chicago. There's a lot of faith in Theo Epstein and Co. in those World Series predictions, and in our rankings here, but objective projections say a lot of the same things: The Cubs are stacked and will be dangerous not just in 2016 but for the remainder of the decade. -- Keith Law

 

http://www.espn.com/i/infographics/20151104_mlbfpr/cubs.png

 

The overview

The Cubs arrived a year earlier than expected, and they're not going away anytime soon. This offseason they'll put the finishing touches on what should be a championship-caliber club in 2016. Team president Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer are committed to building a strong rotation after Arrieta and Jon Lester this offseason to improve their playoff chances, and I expect them to be players on the top free-agent pitchers. If they don't get one, I wouldn't be surprised if they traded one (or more) of their many highly touted prospects to get a top-of-rotation type of guy. Either way, they're positioned for a nice run of winning seasons. -- Jim Bowden

 

Impact prospect

Catcher Willson Contreras broke out across the board in 2015, hitting .333/.413/.478 in Double-A with nearly as many walks as strikeouts. The 23-year-old showed he has enough defensive ability to stay behind the plate, and a simple, steady swing that explains all of that hard contact. -- Keith Law

 

March rank: 3 (overall score: 80.9)

[Old Style]

So Contreras for 2016 ROY?

[Bobson Dugnutt]

I know there's been some discussion around here in the last week or two about where the Cubs farm system would rank this offseason, so I thought it worth mentioning that only the Red Sox received a higher minors grade than the Cubs. Of course, that's just one guy's ranking, but it appears that Law is still very very high on the system even after all the graduations.

[jersey cubs fan]

I know there's been some discussion around here in the last week or two about where the Cubs farm system would rank this offseason, so I thought it worth mentioning that only the Red Sox received a higher minors grade than the Cubs. Of course, that's just one guy's ranking, but it appears that Law is still very very high on the system even after all the graduations.

that seems like an oversight. Not that I don't think they should still be ranked high, but how aren't there more teams with better quality guys that can challenge for depth. It seems like they graduated all the elite guys and have shifted from a top heavy system to a depth system with minimal star quality. Nobody can beat that?

[sneakypower]

I know there's been some discussion around here in the last week or two about where the Cubs farm system would rank this offseason, so I thought it worth mentioning that only the Red Sox received a higher minors grade than the Cubs. Of course, that's just one guy's ranking, but it appears that Law is still very very high on the system even after all the graduations.

that seems like an oversight. Not that I don't think they should still be ranked high, but how aren't there more teams with better quality guys that can challenge for depth. It seems like they graduated all the elite guys and have shifted from a top heavy system to a depth system with minimal star quality. Nobody can beat that?

well we might still have 3 top-50s still with Torres, Contreras, McKinney

 

aggressive promotions have left the minors without real superstar talent outside the likes of Urias, Giolito, Moncada, Crawford?, Reyes, Glasnow so other teams having a real significant advantage at the top doesn't seem to be at play here

 

if we're ignoring players who have made their debuts, then the Astros, Red Sox, Phillies, Rockies, Dodgers, Pirates seem right in the mix with us for top system but i don't know that there's much separation

[Bobson Dugnutt]

Yeah, it's probably a combination of a lot of top prospects moving up to the majors in 2015, and Law just being particularly high on the Cubs system. I'd be surprised if the Cubs were consistently this high across publications, but given how high Law seems to have been on some of the Cubs prospects recently (Martinez and Contreras come to mind), I'm not too surprised at the score. The Astros, Dodgers, Rangers, Phillies, Braves & Pirates scored just below the Cubs.

[Guest]

The Dodgers should be rated higher than the Cubs on the strength of their top two. Seager hasn't lost his prospect eligibility yet.

[sneakypower]

The Dodgers should be rated higher than the Cubs on the strength of their top two. Seager hasn't lost his prospect eligibility yet.

it says "minors" so i was working off that assumption guys like Seager wouldn't qualify for those rankings

[Guest]

The Dodgers should be rated higher than the Cubs on the strength of their top two. Seager hasn't lost his prospect eligibility yet.

it says "minors" so i was working off that assumption guys like Seager wouldn't qualify for those rankings

 

yeah, that's kinda how i took it

[Guest]

The Dodgers should be rated higher than the Cubs on the strength of their top two. Seager hasn't lost his prospect eligibility yet.

it says "minors" so i was working off that assumption guys like Seager wouldn't qualify for those rankings

 

Gotcha. That'll be an important distinction between this list and top prospect lists that'll come out soon.

[Sammys Boombox]

Anybody able to post the list of teams in order?

[Guest]

Overall score revised: ∞