2020-21 Offseason Top Prospects Lists

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Prospects Live starts us off.

 

 

1. Brennen Davis - 55 OFP

2. Ed Howard - 55

3. Miguel Amaya - 55

4. Brailyn Márquez - 55

5. Adbert Alzolay - 50

6. Christopher Morel - 50

7. Richard Gallardo - 45

8. Luis Verdugo - 45

9. Chase Strumpf - 45

10. Ryan Jensen - 45

[CubsWin]

Here's another...

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BP’s list:

 

[toonsterwu]

I mean, after the top 5 or so, you could put 30 names in a bag and pull it out in a random order and make a compelling enough case. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's close.

 

Personally, I still like Kohl Franklin a lot more than most, it seems. There's some performance to go with projection there, and the fact that his stuff has inched up has helped.

 

I'm still not all that enamored with Morel either, but it feels like one of those situations where had a 2020 season, we would've had some better clarity on where he really was going forward in terms of his approach and discipline as he moves up. I still remember not being all that enamored with Willson Contreras' bat back in the A ball ranks.

 

As a UVA fan, I really like Andy Weber. As a Cubs fan, it's hard for me to see him being more than one of those upper level utility guys with spot chances in the bigs, and I would tend to value, for rankings, upside of some raw guys a bit more, and at his age, he has to move fast. He's the type of guy that was really hurt by the lost season - could've been possible to see him slide through the ranks with a solid season this past year. He'll really have to move next year, as he'll turn 24.

 

Feel like we may have a lot more variance this year in lists, throughout the entire minors, due to the lost season.

[Hrubes20]

Personally, I still like Kohl Franklin a lot more than most, it seems. There's some performance to go with projection there, and the fact that his stuff has inched up has helped.

 

You and me both.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

Not a top prospect list but it’s somehing from the national media.

[Cubswin11]

Christian Hernandez probably should be on any prospect list for us that’s talking upside, imo.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA's Cubs Top 10 will be out next week, on 12/14.

[CubsWin]

Christian Hernandez probably should be on any prospect list for us that’s talking upside, imo.

He's ranked 5th on this one.

 

https://prospectsworldwide.com/2020/11/15/cubs-2020-top-20-prospects/

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA’s top 10: https://www.baseballamerica.com/teams/1004/chicago-cubs/organizational/?year=2021&type=P

 

1. Brailyn Márquez

2. Brennen Davis

3. Miguel Amaya

4. Ed Howard

5. Adbert Alzolay

6. Kohl Franklin

7. Ryan Jensen

8. Christopher Morel

9. Chase Strumpf

10. Riley Thompson

[Bertz]

I like Riley Thompson getting some Top 10 love

[Tim]

I'm really curious about how the layoff will impact the development of hitters vs pitchers. I would think that the pitchers were probably just fine for the most part - as long as they were able to establish some mechanism for the coaching to create a feedback loop for improvement.

 

It's just a different situation for hitters. They need to see live pitching to continue development. I'm wondering if we'll see a small generation of prospects where pitchers are better developed than hitters to some small extent.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Best Hitter for Average: Chase Strumpf

Best Power Hitter: Brennen Davis

Best Strike-Zone Discipline: Miguel Amaya

Fastest Baserunner: Zach Davis

Best Athlete: Brennen Davis

Best Fastball: Brailyn Marquez

Best Curveball: Riley Thompson

Best Slider: Cory Abbott

Best Changeup: Kohl Franklin

Best Control: Keegan Thompson

Best Defensive Catcher: P.J. Higgins

Best Defensive Infielder: Ed Howard IV

Best Infield Arm: Christopher Morel

Best Defensive Outfielder: Cole Roederer

Best Outfield Arm: Eddy Martinez

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'm really curious about how the layoff will impact the development of hitters vs pitchers. I would think that the pitchers were probably just fine for the most part - as long as they were able to establish some mechanism for the coaching to create a feedback loop for improvement.

 

It's just a different situation for hitters. They need to see live pitching to continue development. I'm wondering if we'll see a small generation of prospects where pitchers are better developed than hitters to some small extent.

 

The Athletic had a piece last week where they said the layoff would definitely hurt hitters more for the reasons you said. Hitters couldn't face much (if any) live pitching while pitchers were not only able to throw without needing a hitter around, they could even experiment with grips and work on pitch design. They also said teams that have great tech/video infrastructure were expected to succeed even more because the player development infrastructure was able to check in routinely. In a separate Athletic article, it was mentioned the Cubs have a pretty good app that all their minor leaguers have access to that was rolled out a few years ago. I saw a few minor leaguers quoted as saying the app was very helpful.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Some highlights from the chat:

 

Logan (mi): Awesome list! Would you say Ed Howard and Miguel Amaya are borderline top 100 guys?

 

Kyle Glaser: Amaya more than Howard. Ed Howard is a very talented young shortstop, but by the time he takes the field in 2021, it will have been nearly two years since he played in an official game. There's some questions about how much he's going to hit, which he's going to have to answer before he moves into Top 100 consideration. Amaya is on the cusp.

 

Roederer was never at the alternate site. I assume Glaser means instructs:

 

John Levin (L.I., N.Y.): Cole Roederer ranked #6 on last year's Cubs list. Did you receive intel from the alternate training site that caused him to drop out of the Top 10?

 

Kyle Glaser: There's two parts to this. The first is the steps Adbert Alzolay took in the majors and the growth of Christopher Morel at the alternate site pushed them up over Roederer, and that's about what they did right more than anything Roederer did wrong. Add Ed Howard into the mix and that pushes Roederer down three spots to No. 9. The second part, though, is Roederer needed to show significant improvements to his approach and did not do that. At the alternate site it was the same deal as last year - swinging from his shoes, all pull, uphill, lot of cheating to catch up to velocity and, as a result, a lot of holes in his swing. You wanted to see at least a little bit of an improvement in his approach, and it didn't happen. No one I spoke to in the Cubs organization (and I spoke to a LOT of people) or any opposing scouts felt Roederer was one of their 10 best prospects.

 

Dan (Lansing): Can you tell me what you saw or heard from instructs pertaining to Kevin Made? He sounds like a very toolsy young SS.

 

Kyle Glaser: The main thing with Made is he added about 10 pounds of muscle. He's still a very young kid with a long way to go, but he fared pretty well in a small sample size at instructs and the strength gains were encouraging to see. He's definitely a player to watch this upcoming season in the AZL.

 

Hidden Gems (Not in the top 10): Hi Kyle, who are some of the Cubs prospects you're most excited about currently not in the top 10 that could break into it come 2021?

 

Kyle Glaser: You can find Cubs officials who think Luis Verdugo is already one of their top 10 prospects. Chris Clarke, Michael McAvene, Yohendrick Pinango and DJ Herz are some of the other top candidates to take a leap.

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): I have to ask - where would Christian Hernandez rank when he signs next month?

 

Kyle Glaser: I could see as high as 6. The 6-10 range is probably fair.

 

Jon (Chicago): How does the industry as a whole view the Cubs' updates to their player dev infrastructure? Are they still lagging behind/catching up, or have they put themselves on par with some of the better orgs out there?

 

Kyle Glaser: The Cubs hired a lot of people who are very well-respected in the industry. At the same time, without a full minor league season, it's tough to really grade them on their progress. The 2021 season will be instructive as to where they are compared to the rest of MLB.

 

Navin (Pasadena, CA): Did anyone stand out at the fall instructs?

 

Kyle Glaser: Chase Strumpf was the biggest standout. He started showing some opposite-field power which was an exciting development. Ed Howard made a really positive first impression and Jordan Nwogu and Matt Mervis got some plaudits as well at the plate. On the pitching side, Manny Rodriguez showed some huge stuff and that he was fully healthy. Bailey Reid, another NDFA signing with Mervis, showed some impressive swing-and-miss stuff in relief.

 

Bryan (IL): Any update on Richard Gallardo? Also Keegan Thompson is listed as 'best control', but last year was 29th overall - has something changed? Last, any update on Justin Steele or Rafael Morel? Thanks!

 

Kyle Glaser: Gallardo flashed some velocity bumps and still has a good delivery. Have to see if he can maintain the velo bumps over a full season. And Thompson just straight fills up the strike zone and hits his spots better than anyone else in the Cubs system. His ability to do that at the alternate site was a big reason why the Cubs added him to their 40-man roster after the season. Steele showed a nice uptick in stuff pitching at the alternate site, but he got hurt again (hamstring) and has to show he can stay healthy. The Cubs like him as a potential lefthanded reliever if he can stay on the mound. Morel has become kind of a boom or bust prospect in the Cubs eyes. He has a lot more power than his brother did at the same age, but he's not quite as athletic as his brother was. He's going to be an interesting one to watch in 2021.

 

Cory Abbott ranked 11th on the BA list. Chase Strumpf's arm strength has improved and his arm is now good enough for third base.

[UMFan83]

That Navin from Pasadena asks some great questions. Thanks for sharing those pieces from the chat.

[PackLandVA]

That Navin from Pasadena asks some great questions. Thanks for sharing those pieces from the chat.

 

[Hrubes20]

 

LH Brennen Davis

 

Care to give a rundown for those of us who haven't had a BA subscription for a year or two?

[craig]

Listened to Callis.

He compared Santana to Howard.

Viewed Mena as the Cubs best CF prospect,

Preciada as our best 3B prospect.

Comped Caissie to Larry Walker, and said a year from now, it's possible he might be our best OF prospect.

 

Then did the usual Christian Hernandez to Alex Rodrigues comp.

[Hrubes20]

Listened to Callis.

He compared Santana to Howard.

Viewed Mena as the Cubs best CF prospect,

Preciada as our best 3B prospect.

Comped Caissie to Larry Walker, and said a year from now, it's possible he might be our best OF prospect.

 

Then did the usual Christian Hernandez to Alex Rodrigues comp.

 

Oof. That one's just as rich as the Hernandez/A-Rod or Machado stuff. Walker was a phenomenal hitter.

[craig]

As Tom said, the interviewer suggested the Larry Walker comp; Callis more acknowledged. Five components to the comp: Canadian (1), RF (2), big guys (3), powerful RF arms (4), and serious power (5).

 

I'm guessing without the Canadian commonality, Ryan Harvey would be as good a comp! Obviously the subset of guys who can actually hit and apply their power is pretty small relative to the larger pool of big-strong-big-armed RFers.

 

Hopefully Caissie will be one of the special guys who can hit and apply their power.

[Cubswin11]

I refuse to root for this ginger haired fucked

[craig]

Some highlights from the chat:

...

Bryan (IL): Any update on Richard Gallardo? Also Keegan Thompson is listed as 'best control', but last year was 29th overall - has something changed? Last, [highlight=yellow]any update on[/highlight] Justin Steele or [highlight=yellow]Rafael Morel[/highlight]? Thanks!

 

Kyle Glaser: .... [highlight=yellow]Morel has become kind of a boom or bust prospect in the Cubs eyes. He has a lot more power than his brother did at the same age, but he's not quite as athletic as his brother was[/highlight]. He's going to be an interesting one to watch in 2021.

 

Thanks, Cal. Chris Morel has been hyped up by Dorey, and is top-10 in BA's list and AZ Phil, even after the trade. *IF* Rafael has a "lot more power", then even if he isn't the defensive stud that Chris is, he's got a chance to be a really good hitters.

 

I'm not a Chris Morel believer; the .172 OPB with 39K/0BB at Eugene in 18 still sticks in my head, and 60/11 K/BB at South Bend remains a pretty bright red flag to me.

 

But Rafael is not Chris. *If* he hypothetically has a "lot more power", but also comes without the pitch-recognition and contact problems that Chris needs to be overcome, perhaps Rafael will become a major-league hitter and a serious prospect.

Edited January 2, 2021 by craig

[craig]

Cubs have a slew of interesting international guys, whose success rate will largely dictate the success of the Cubs future.

 

Full season:

1. Brailyn Márquez

2. Miguel Amaya

3. Adbert Alzolay

4. Chris Morel

5. Manual Rodriguez (I'm very interested....)

6. Yovanny Cruz (I''m still interested in him)

 

Younger:

Santana

Preciado

Mena

Ronnier Quintero C

Caissie (drafted, so kinda doesn't fit, but kinda fits in being literally both international, and talented ..)

Kevin Made SS

Luis Verdugo, SS

Yohendrick Pinango, CF

Richard Gallardo RHP

Rafael Morel

Brayan Altuve C

 

That's a big pool of talent, and that's not including Christian Hernandez or Ballesteros.

 

Unbelievable how good it might get if the Cubs scouting, development, and luck with this pool of talent works out disproportionately well. Sure hope we get a bunch of winners from that pool.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA Cubs Top 10 Prospect Podcast: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/podcast-chicago-cubs-top-10-prospects/