2017 Post-Season Prospect Rankings (BA, Fangraphs, BP, ESPN, MLB Pipeline)

[ddwyer]

I believe that Guerra hurt his calf muscle in his first start and he did not do much after that. Even when the Brewers were begging for starters at the end of the year, Guerra did not start.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

MLB Pipeline Cubs Top 30 (Callis/Mayo) is out: http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=chc

 

1. Adbert Alzolay

2. Aramis Ademan

3. Oscar de la Cruz

4. José Albertos

5. Alex Lange

6. Brendon Little

6. Thomas Hatch

8. Victor Caratini

9. DJ Wilson

10. Nelson Velazquez

11. Miguel Amaya

12. Jen-Ho Tseng

13. Dillon Maples

14. Mark Zagunis

15. David Bote

16. Justin Steele

17. Jeremia Estrada

18. Erich Uelmen

19. Keegan Thompson

20. Erling Moreno

21. Michael Rucker

22. Alec Mills

23. Zack Short

24. Javier Assad

25. Bryan Hudson

26. Wladimir Galindo

27. Brailyn Marquez

28. Trevor Clifton

29. Cory Abbott

30. Duane Underwood

 

Write-up for each prospect in the link.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I'm gonna have to start keeping a list of the players that are inexplicably ranked in front of Rucker. Erling Moreno? Erling '64 IP in 14 injury-plagued and walk-filled starts' Moreno?

[davell]

I'm gonna have to start keeping a list of the players that are inexplicably ranked in front of Rucker. Erling Moreno? Erling '64 IP in 14 injury-plagued and walk-filled starts' Moreno?

 

Eh, there's some upside there. He's obviously ridiculously unlikely to ever see it. He's been hurt a bunch. But, if the reports Arguello heard early last year were true(hitting upper 90s), he's far from the guy I'd bring up as to why he's ahead of Rucker.(Who is top 15, maybe top 10 for me, by the way)

 

Bote, Uelmen, Thompson, even Steele(since he's out with TJS) are more head scratching to me...

 

In the end, it turns into scouting versus stats and which one you prefer. I look at both. But, if the guy is a scouty type that's doing the write ups, then Moreno over Rucker is understandable.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

MLB Pipeline[/url]"]Biggest jump/fall

Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2017 preseason list to the 2018 preseason list.

 

Jump: Adbert Alzolay, RHP (2017: NR | 2018: 1)

Fall: Trevor Clifton, RHP (2017: 8 | 2018: 28)

 

Best tools

 

Hit: 55 -- Victor Caratini (Aramis Ademan, Mark Zagunis)

Power: 55 -- Nelson Velazquez

Run: 65 -- D.J. Wilson

Arm: 55 -- Miguel Amaya (Aramis Ademan, Wladimir Galindo, Zack Short, Nelson Velazquez)

Defense: 60 -- Miguel Amaya

Fastball: 75 -- Dillon Maples

Curveball: 65 -- Alex Lange

Slider: 65 -- Dillon Maples

Changeup: 65 -- Jose Albertos

Control: 55 -- Michael Rucker (Adbert Alzolay, Oscar de la Cruz, Alec Mills, Keegan Thompson, Jen-Ho Tseng, Erich Uelmen)

[CaliforniaRaisin]

From the MLB Pipeline write-ups:

 

Little:

 

He rarely used his changeup as an amateur, so Chicago had him focus on it during his introduction to pro ball, which partially explains his 9.21 ERA in his debut.

 

The Cubs see considerable promise in Little's changeup and see him developing into a starter with three quality pitches.

 

Steele:

 

He did a better job of commanding his fastball, which ranges from 91-97 mph with groundout-inducing sink. He got more consistent depth and missed more bats with his curveball, and he also showed more trust in his changeup.

 

Steele also made progress with his control and command, though both need further improvement.

 

Estrada:

 

In his brief pro debut, Estrada showed the 92-96 mph fastball that excited scouts the previous summer, not the reduced 88-92 mph heater he had during the spring. He also reclaimed a changeup that shows flashes of becoming a plus pitch.

 

Short:

 

While he's just 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, Short has quick hands and makes repeated hard contact, giving him the ability to produce 12-15 homers on an annual basis.

 

The Cubs believe he's a legitimate shortstop and also have played him at third base and second base. There's no reason he couldn't handle some outfield duty as well, which could make for a very interesting utilityman package.

 

Galindo:

 

Despite his below-average speed, Galindo moves OK at third base and has the requisite strong arm for the position. Footwork issues and throwing inaccuracies led to 59 errors in his first 146 pro games at the hot corner, however. He could be destined for first base and may be able to handle left field.

 

Marquez:

 

Marquez pitched with a 91-93 mph fastball and touched 95 last season as an 18-year-old and should continue to add velocity as he gets stronger. He also has the makings of at least an average curveball, though it's still inconsistent. His changeup is in the rudimentary stages.

 

Clifton:

 

Last year, he lost weight and his stuff regressed, with his fastball dropping into the upper 80s and his curveball deserting him. He tried to rely more on a slurvy slider without success and his changeup also lacked effectiveness.

 

He moved near the Cubs' training base in Arizona so he could better prepare for 2018.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'm gonna have to start keeping a list of the players that are inexplicably ranked in front of Rucker. Erling Moreno? Erling '64 IP in 14 injury-plagued and walk-filled starts' Moreno?

 

I'm not shocked Callis and Keith Law both like Moreno one spot more, despite the injuries. Moreno has a mid-90s sinking fastball with the groundball rate to back it up while being 2 years younger and only 1 level lower than the un-sexy command-over-stuff Rucker.

[Post Count Padder]

No Mekkes?

 

And it's still crazy to see Underwood and Galindo on this list. Feels like they've been in the system forever. Probably says more about the system than it does about them.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

No Mekkes?

 

And it's still crazy to see Underwood and Galindo on this list. Feels like they've been in the system forever. Probably says more about the system than it does about them.

 

Galindo will be 21 all this coming season and was in the same IFA class as Gleyber Torres, Eloy Jimenez and Jen-Ho Tseng who are all still prospects. Doesn't seem crazy for a kid who signed at 16. Alzolay and de la Cruz have actually been in the system a year longer.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Callis answered a few Cubs-related questions on Twitter today:

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/bdubomaha/status/966793821295083520[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/hecht74/status/966878293847953408[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]https://twitter.com/hecht74/status/967028384671981569[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

So I averaged the rankings of all Cubs prospects who made all of BA, Fangraphs, BP, Keith Law and MLB Pipeline's lists. Only 15 prospects made all 5 listss (David Bote and Jeremiah Estrada each missed on only one list):

 

1. 1.6 (tie) Adbert Alzolay
   
2. 1.6 (tie) Aramis Ademan
   
3. 3.0 Jose Albertos
   
4. 5.2 Brendon Little
   
5. 5.4 Oscar de la Cruz
   
6. 5.6 Alex Lange
   
7. 6.6 Victor Caratini
   
8. 7.8 Thomas Hatch
   
9. 12.8 Nelson Velazquez
   
10. 13.4 DJ Wilson
    
11. 13.8 (tie) Dillon Maples
    
12. 13.8 (tie) Jen-Ho Tseng
    
13. 14.8 Miguel Amaya
    
14. 18.4 Alec Mills
    
15. 18.6 Mark Zagunis

[CubsWin]

So I averaged the rankings of all Cubs prospects who made all of BA, Fangraphs, BP, Keith Law and MLB Pipeline's lists. Only 15 prospects made all 5 listss (David Bote and Jeremiah Estrada each missed on only one list):

 

1. 1.6 (tie) Adbert Alzolay
   
2. 1.6 (tie) Aramis Ademan
   
3. 3.0 Jose Albertos
   
4. 5.2 Brendon Little
   
5. 5.4 Oscar de la Cruz
   
6. 5.6 Alex Lange
   
7. 6.6 Victor Caratini
   
8. 7.8 Thomas Hatch
   
9. 12.8 Nelson Velazquez
   
10. 13.4 DJ Wilson
    
11. 13.8 (tie) Dillon Maples
    
12. 13.8 (tie) Jen-Ho Tseng
    
13. 14.8 Miguel Amaya
    
14. 18.4 Alec Mills
    
15. 18.6 Mark Zagunis

Nice! Thanks, CR.

[CubsWin]

Sickels came out with his top 175 list: https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/3/15/17121536/top-175-mlb-prospects-for-2018

 

Former Cubs prospects:

 

7. Gleyber Torres

9. Eloy Jimenez

46. Dylan Cease

139. Isaac Paredes

 

Cubs prospects:

 

134. Adbert Alzolay

145. Aramis Ademan

149. Alex Lange

156. Jose Albertos

160. Victor Caratini

 

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

[Regular Show]

Sickels came out with his top 175 list: https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/3/15/17121536/top-175-mlb-prospects-for-2018

 

Former Cubs prospects:

 

7. Gleyber Torres

9. Eloy Jimenez

46. Dylan Cease

139. Isaac Paredes

 

Cubs prospects:

 

134. Adbert Alzolay

145. Aramis Ademan

149. Alex Lange

156. Jose Albertos

160. Victor Caratini

 

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

That last category hurts bro :x !

 

I really liked Nate Pearson in last year's MLB draft too.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

[Regular Show]

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

 

Really? We had heavy interest in Morejon? The Padres spent a lot on him, and I thought we were still in the penalty phase.

 

My memory is a little hazy now about when he signed. Even if we weren't in the penalty phase I'm not sure if the Cubs were willing to outbid the Padres.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

 

Really? We had heavy interest in Morejon? The Padres spent a lot on him, and I thought we were still in the penalty phase.

 

My memory is a little hazy now about when he signed. Even if we weren't in the penalty phase I'm not sure if the Cubs were willing to outbid the Padres.

 

He was granted free agency a few months before they went into the penalty box. The Cubs were linked to him throughout the time before he was granted a free agency (they were going crazy spending that year on guys like Sierra, Ademan, Albertos, etc) but right around when he was granted free agency, he decided to wait for the next class when the Cubs would be in the penalty box. The Padres signed him while the Cubs were penalized.

[CubsWin]

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

As was Vlad Jr. :banghead:

 

Yeah, I have no idea if the Cubs liked Pearson enough to where he was even considered by them, but he could've been had at 27 without a bidding war...

[Hrubes20]

 

He was granted free agency a few months before they went into the penalty box. The Cubs were linked to him throughout the time before he was granted a free agency (they were going crazy spending that year on guys like Sierra, Ademan, Albertos, etc) but right around when he was granted free agency, he decided to wait for the next class when the Cubs would be in the penalty box. The Padres signed him while the Cubs were penalized.

 

He actually wasn't granted his FA until about a month after the new period began, despite the fact that guys who defected AFTER him were granted FA status in the signing period before. Cubs were already in the penalty box by then and couldn't sign him. There were plenty of rumblings at the time that MLB did that on purpose, as the Cubs were linked heavily to Morejon and were already known to be blowing through the spending limits.

[Hrubes20]

Coulda been Cubs prospects:

 

101. Nate Pearson

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

As was Vlad Jr. :banghead:

 

Yeah, I have no idea if the Cubs liked Pearson enough to where he was even considered by them, but he could've been had at 27 without a bidding war...

 

I don't believe this is true. Vlad Jr. was linked the Blue Jays from the start.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Adrian Morejon at 61 is way more of a coulda been a Cubs prospect, since he was linked to them initially.

As was Vlad Jr. :banghead:

 

Yeah, I have no idea if the Cubs liked Pearson enough to where he was even considered by them, but he could've been had at 27 without a bidding war...

 

I don't believe this is true. Vlad Jr. was linked the Blue Jays from the start.

 

Yeah, I don't remember the Cubs being linked to Vlad Jr.

[Regular Show]

As was Vlad Jr. :banghead:

 

Yeah, I have no idea if the Cubs liked Pearson enough to where he was even considered by them, but he could've been had at 27 without a bidding war...

 

I don't believe this is true. Vlad Jr. was linked the Blue Jays from the start.

 

Yeah, I don't remember the Cubs being linked to Vlad Jr.

 

Same here. I don't remember the Cubs having interest in Vlad Jr. either. I wished they did though.

[Regular Show]

 

Yeah, I don't remember the Cubs being linked to Vlad Jr.

 

Same here. I don't remember the Cubs having interest in Vlad Jr. either. I wished they did though.

 

I don't think they had time to. IIRC the Blue Jays were favorited for Vlad Jr. long before that period even opened, which most likely means they had an agreement in place for a while.

 

Yeah I know. I mean I wish the Cubs had interest way, way back before he had an agreement in place with Tor. Not sure how far back that would be or how young he was when that handshake agreement happened.

 

He's an incredible prospect now.

[CubsWin]

 

I don't believe this is true. Vlad Jr. was linked the Blue Jays from the start.

 

Yeah, I don't remember the Cubs being linked to Vlad Jr.

 

Same here. I don't remember the Cubs having interest in Vlad Jr. either. I wished they did though.

Really? I remember it so distinctly. I was even upset when I learned the Jays were now the favorites. Can't remember how I got that idea, though.