Seth Stohs

In Cam Smith's six games this past week against the Charleston RiverDogs: 6 G, 11-for-21 .524/.577/1.429 (2.006) 1-2B, 6-HR, 8 R, 11 RBI 4 BB, 2 K

Six Straight Games now!

There were some really strong hitting performances up and down the Cubs organization in July. Some of the names are quite familiar. Others might surprise you. Image courtesy of Larry Kave, Myrtle Beach Pelicans What a great month for hitters in the Cubs minor leagues! There were several players that had good months that didn't even get onto the Honorable Mention grouping. Let's get right to it! HONORABLE MENTION 1B Jonathon Long - South Bend Cubs/Tennessee Smokies - 18 G, 19-61, .312/.411/.525 (.936), 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 12 R, 7 RBI, 10 BB, 16 K. 1B/OF Felix Stevens - Tennessee Smokies - 23 G, 23-78, .295/.378/.590 (.968) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 14 R, 18 RBI, 10 BB, 36 K. IF Brian Kalmer - South Bend Cubs - 20 G, 17-67, .254/.378/.612 (.990) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 17 R, 16 RBI, 13 BB, 30 K. IF B.J. Murray - Iowa Cubs - 15 G, 15-52, .289/.393/.519 (.913) with 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 R, 8 RBI, 8 BB, 14 K. IF Angel Cepeda - ACL Cubs - 16 G, 21-63, .333/.449/.413 (.861) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 14 R, 15 RBI, 13 BB, 14 K. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - Tennessee Smokies - IF Matt Shaw - 14 G, 19-51 .373/.414/.647 (1.061), 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 14 R, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K. The Cubs top pick from 2023 started this season slowly, but he’s been playing quite well of late. Shaw had a really good month in July despite losing time to the Futures Game and the All Star break. I think a lot of people assumed it would happen sooner, but Shaw has been promoted to Triple-A Iowa and finds himself one step from the big leagues. In his 86 games for Tennessee this year, he hit .279/.373/.468 (.841) with 11 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs. He also had 25 stolen bases. After posting an .810 OPS in April, it dropped to just .683 in May. In June, it bumped up to .901 and then 1.061 in July. He began the month of July on the Injured List, but he returned and jumped into a groove. After an 0-for-4 in his first game back, he had multi-hit games in three of the next four games. He ended the month on a five-game hitting streak and had three homers in that time. His final two games of July included a 3-for-4 and a 4-for-5 (and on August 1, he went 3-for-5. Number 4 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - OF Jacob Wetzel - 19 G, 19-64, .297/.425/.609 (1.034), 5 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 16 R, 12 RBI, 15 BB, 16 K. Wetzel put together a really solid month. He’s always had a lot of talent and a lot of swing and miss. He got on base with nearly as many walks to strikeouts. He crushed the ball with 11 extra base hits, showing some speed with the triples. It was a solid all-around month for the slugger. Wetzel is an interesting story. After high school, he went to Frederick Community College in Maryland. He was eligible for the 2020 draft, but with just five rounds, he went undrafted. The Cubs were very interested and were able to get him signed. In 2021, he jumped to Myrtle Beach and hit .229 with a .690 OPS. He stayed there in 2022 and hit just .211 with a .692 OPS. In 2023, he moved up to High-A South Bend but hit just .211 with a .608 OPS. He has spent the 2024 season back in Myrtle Beach. However, this year, he is hitting .261/.382/.479 (.860) with 15 doubles, 11 triples and eight home runs. He also has stolen 17 bases in 19 attempts. Number 3 - Tennessee Smokies - OF Kevin Alcantara 19 G - 27-74, .365/.417/.581 (0.998), 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 11 R, 20 RBI, 8 BB, 15 K. It is very fair to say that Alcantara didn’t find success right away at Double-A this year. In fact, through his first seven games, he was 0-for-26. Then he responded with an eight-game hitting streak which included hitting .457 with a 1.329 OPS, two doubles and four home runs. After posting a .709 OPS in April, and a .733 OPS in May, Alcantara got hurt in June and in 11 games, his OPS plummeted to just .494. So being healthy again in July and contributing the above numbers had to feel good to Alcantara. It was also noticed by the front office, and he (along with Shaw and James Triantos) have been promoted to Triple-A Iowa. Alcantara has always been very young for his league. He’s an incredible athlete with size, speed and power. He doesn’t steal a lot of bases, but probably could. He can play center field with his range, but he’s also got a strong arm. His power potential is tremendous. Number 2 - IF Jose Escobar - ACL Cubs - 14 G, 20-46, .435/.550/.696 (1.246) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 17 R, 8 RBI, 12 BB, 6 K. The Cubs signed Escobar in early 2022 from Venezuela, about a month after the signing period started. He split that summer between the two Cubs Dominican Summer League teams. In 2023, he came to the States. In 26 games in the ACL, he hit .333/.413/.395 (.808) with two doubles and a home run. In 47 games in the ACL this year, he is hitting .303/.435/.465 (.900) with four doubles, five triples, and three home runs. In July, his month (and season) ended with a nine-game hitting streak. In that stretch, he hit .471 with all six of his extra base hits. He had five multi-hit games in that stretch as well. In his first two seasons as a pro, he spent time moving around the infield. He has played 24 games at second base, but he’s also played all around the outfield. #1 - Eriandys Ramon - 30-73, .411/.419/.644 (1.063), 8 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run, 27 R, 11 RBI, 1 BB, 12 K. Eriandys Ramon signed with the Cubs just over a year ago, an international free agent from Cuba, for $90,000. He played in 31 games in the DSL that year and hit .222/.355/.356 (.711) with five doubles, two triples and one home run. He began the 2024 season with 47 games in the ACL. He hit .340/.367/.566 (.933) with 12 doubles, six triples, and four home runs. He ended the month with a promotion to Myrtle Beach. In four games, he went 8-for-16 (.500) with three doubles and two home runs. Ramon signed when he was 20, so he’s a little older than the typical international signing at 16 or 17. While he’s got a lot of development work ahead of him, he’s already got good size. At 6-3, power could come later. We want to congratulate Pelicans infielder Eriandys Ramon, North Side Baseball’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for July 2024. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. View full article

It's been two months, and the draft has brought new players into the organization. It's prospect voting time! A rundown of the rules again: 1. You must have an account and be logged in to vote. If you don't have an account, click here. It literally requires 60 seconds to create an account. 2. Review our current top 20 prospect list, catch up on stats, rankings, etc. (you can do so from the voting page link below) 3. Have your prospect list in your dirty little paws? Then flip on over to the new prospect voting page (after reading the rest of this, please). https://northsidebaseball.com/prospect-voting 4. Voting is super simple, you drag and drop players in the order you wish them to be. After you move a prospect, the list automatically renumbers so you don't lose track of the order. This works on mobile devices but it's a *vastly* better experience on desktop. Sorry, that's just how this kind of thing works. There's no great way to make something like this be as awesome on a phone screen. 5. Each prospect has a comment section where you can add any commentary you have on that player. At the bottom of the list, there is a general comment section to explain over-arching things you wish to mention. 6. Don't see a prospect you want to put on the list? Just pop back here and give me a mention (in a comment, start typing @Brock Beauchamp or @Seth Stohs and then select the correct name when it appears). Mention the prospect you want added and I will do that asap. 7. Once you're done with all of it, click Save. You've now voted! 8. When the voting closes, a new thread will automatically generate in this forum with all of your rankings and comments for everyone to read and talk about. 9. You can only vote once. If you have voted in error, pop back here and again tag me, asking to have your vote deleted. I will remove it and you can vote again. Voting will close at end of day Tuesday, July 30th!

100% true. If a manager got mad every time there was a questionable call or every time one of his players didn't do something right, you would lose the team completely. The yelling wouldn't mean anything. Calm is a good thing for a manager. That way, when they do get upset and yell, it means something. It's far too long of a season to expect everyone to be perfect all the time.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have had open prospect voting for Northside Baseball writers and for the community. The results of the rankings have now been updated on the site. Here is a brief summary. Image courtesy of Tennessee Smokies Over the past couple of weeks, we have had open prospect voting for Northside Baseball writers and for the community. The results of the rankings have now been updated on the site. Here is a brief summary. The last time that we had a vote for North Side Baseball Top 20 Prospect rankings was in February. In many cases, there was minimal change from the end of the 2023 season. Players acquired or lost in a trade can create change. Maybe a solid prospect does something remarkable in the Winter Leagues. Or maybe a report comes out about a pitcher at Instructional League suddenly hitting 99 mph rather than 95. Or an injured player works his way back. With the mid-May voting, we now have six or seven weeks of 2024 performances by hitters and pitchers. Some players get off to fast starts. Others start out slow. There are injuries and promotions. In other words, we all have more data points for helping us better rank those players. You can find all kinds of stats online, which is great. But you can also watch games online and see the players or attend games at minor-league parks. With that, we did have the North Side Baseball writers rank their top 20 prospects first, and then we opened it up to the community rankings. We truly thank you for taking time to rank prospects. Because there was such a huge community turnout, the community rankings take on a higher weight. Those rankings were used in conjunction with the writers vote in a formula to give us the updated rankings you can see today. Let’s get to some of the interesting things we find within the updated rankings. GRADUATIONS: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Jordan Wicks, Matt Mervis, and Luke Little. Five graduations. That is a lot. That’s 25% of the top 20 that changes automatically. Busch and Wicks were close coming into the season. Mervis only spent a couple of weeks with the Cubs so far this season, but he’s now not a “prospect”. Little passed the service time threshold. PCA just graduated last weekend. Ben Brown is still on the list, but he will likely be graduating in the coming weeks, so this could be his final time on this list. BIGGEST RISERS: Luis Vazquez, Derniche Valdez, Michael Arias, Drew Gray Vazquez was drafted by the Cubs in 2017 out of Puerto Rico. A 14th rounder, he has slowly worked his way up the organizational ladder. Known as a glove-first shortstop, he has started to his a bit the last couple of years. Now, the problem is, how can he get big-league playing time with the Cubs. Can he? He was just called up but hasn’t played in two games. On Tuesday, both Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner returned to the lineup, and Vazquez was not optioned. But the 24-year-old has earned the opportunity, and he earned his jump from #17 to #10 in the Cubs system. Valdez jumped from #19 to #12. The 18-year-old signed early in 2023 and spent last season in the DSL. In eight games in the ACL this year, he’s hitting .262/.292/.522 (.813) with a double, triple, and home run. He has nine strikeouts with just one walk in 24 plate appearances. Like Vazquez, five plates who ranked in front of him have graduated from this list. Valdez remains all about the tools and potential. Arias and Gray moved up to #14 and #15, respectively, having previously been unranked. Arias was added to the 40-man roster last November and is pitching well in Double-A, working out of the Smokies bullpen. Gray was the Cubs third-round pick in 2021 out of IMG Academy. In seven starts for South Bend this season, he is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA. In 21 1/3 innings, he has 30 strikeouts, but he also has issued 22 walks. He hurt his elbow before the 2022 season and returned in 2023, so he’s still working his way back. BIGGEST DROPS: Haydn McGeary With five players graduating, everyone else either stayed the same or moved up a few spots. McGeary was previously ranked #20. He will fall out of the Top 20, though he would be #22 if we increased this list to the Top 25. In 32 games at Tennessee so far this season, he’s hitting just .193 THE NEXT FIVE: Pablo Aliendo (#21), Haydn McGeary (#22), Alfonsin Rosario (#23), Porter Hodge (#24), Brandon Birdsell (#25). Pablo Aliendo is a 22-year-old catcher from Venezuela. He signed with the Cubs in 2017 and has progressed slowly up the system. Last year in Tennessee, he hit .231/.332/.458 (.790) with 23 doubles and 16 homers. Very good numbers, but he’s back with the Smokies this year and hitting .235/.350/.471 (.820) with three doubles and five homers this year. Haydn McGeary was the Cubs 15th round pick in 2022 from Division II Colorado Mesa University. In 2023, he spent 20 games at South Bend. Then in 104 Tennessee games, he hit .255/.382/.435 (.817) with 15 doubles and 16 homers. He began this season at #20 on our Top 20 list. This year in 36 games in Tennessee, he is hitting .287/.241/.325 (.566) with five doubles and four homers. Rosario is a 19-year-old outfielder, drafted in the sixth round a year ago from the P27 Academy in Lexington, South Carolina. He played in just nine games for the ACL Cubs in 2023. He started this season at Low-A Carolina. In 24 games, he has hit .204/.253/.398 (.650) with six doubles and four homers. He is also 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts. He has struck out in 40% of his plate appearances. Porter Hodge was added to the Cubs’ 40-man roster last fall and called up to the big leagues just last week. The 23-year-old was the Cubs’ 13th-round draft pick in 2019 out of high school in Salt Lake City. He’s pitched in one game. On May 22nd, he pitched the ninth inning, faced three batters and struck them all out. Before his recall, he had pitched two games in Tennessee and 10 games for Iowa. Combined, he had 18 strikeouts in 11 innings. He also had 11 walks, so that is something he will need to improve upon. Brandon Birdsell was the Cubs fifth-round pick in 2022 out of Texas Tech. He made 18 starts last year for South Bend (3-5, 2.36 ERA) before ending the season with six starts in Tennessee (1-3, 3.95 ERA). He began this season with the Smokies. In eight games (7 starts, he is 2-4 with a 4.81 ERA. In 33 2/3 innings, he has 28 strikeouts and 12 walks. Will some of these players jump into the Top 20 when we re-rank the players around the draft? Here is another look at the updated Top 20 Brewers prospects with links to their prospect page which includes links to Brewer Fanatic articles or videos that they have been tagged in. #1 - RHP Cade Horton (Iowa) #2 - OF Owen Caissie (Iowa) #3 - 3B/SS Matt Shaw (Tennessee) #4 - 1B Moises Ballesteros (Tennessee) #5 - RHP Ben Brown (Chicago) #6 - OF Kevin Alcantara (Tennessee) #7 - SS Jefferson Rojas (South Bend) #8 - 2B James Triantos (Tennessee) #9 - OF Alexander Canario (Iowa) #10 - IF Luis Vazquez (Chicago) #11 - RHP Jaxon Wiggins (ACL Cubs) #12 - SS Derniche Valdez (ACL Cubs-Restricted List) #13 - IF BJ Murray Jr (Iowa) #14 - RHP Michael Arias (Tennessee) #15 - LHP Drew Gray (South Bend) #16 - IF Cristian Hernandez (Myrtle Beach) #17 - 2B Pedro Ramirez (South Bend) #18 - IF Josh Rivera (Tennessee) #19 - SS Fernando Cruz (ACL Cubs) #20 - OF Brennan Davis (Iowa) NEWBIES: RHP MIchael Arias (NR to 14), LHP Drew Gray (NR to 15), IF Cristian Hernandez (NR to 16), IF Pedro Ramirez (NR to 17), SS Fernando Cruz (NR to 19), OF Brennan Davis (NR to 20). With five players graduating, and one falling out, that opens up six spots in the Top 20 for us to learn a little more about players. A couple are familiar names. Michael Arias is the converted shortstop who is now dominating on the mound in the Tennessee bullpen after being able to added to the 40-man roster last November. Brennan Davis has seemingly been around forever. Unfortunately, the 24-year-old has missed a ton of time with injuries. He has been destroying baseballs in Iowa the past month, but he did have Drew Gray was the Cubs’ third-round pick in 2021 out of IMG Academy. The 21-year-old is pitching in South Bend. He’s worked 21 1/3 innings over seven starts. He’s got 30 strikeouts, but he’s also walked 22 batters. He had Tommy John surgery and missed the 2022 season and returned during the 2023 season. He has a fastball that reaches to the mid-90s and both a slow curve and a sharp slider. Lots of potential. Hernandez was a Top 100 prospect by Baseball America before the 2022 season, but he posted a .677 OPS in the ACL that season and then hit just .223/.302/.301 (.603) in 106 games at Myrtle Beach last year. However, still just 20, he returned to the Pelicans this season. In 34 games, he’s hitting .305/.411/.391 (.801) with eight doubles which has put the middle infielder back on the prospect map. Pedro Ramirez is also 20 years old. After posting a .762 OPS in 104 games at Myrtle Beach last year, he moved up to High-A South Bend this year. He has played in 35 games and hit .321/.369/.453 (.822) with four doubles, four triples, and two home runs. He has split his time between second base and third base. Fernando Cruz is a 17-year-old shortstop that signed with the Cubs for $4 million in January. He will make his pro debut when the DSL season starts. BIG QUESTIONS We can assume that Ben Brown will graduate by the next time we rank prospects, probably right around the draft. Will Luis Vazquez stick in the big leagues with both Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner? At some point, Cade Horton will get an opportunity in the big leagues. How much could he help the Cubs in a pennant race? Porter Hodge was recently recalled. Alexander Canario is likely to go up and down a few times. Can he stick? Who else could get promoted to the big leagues? Owen Caissie? Matt Shaw? Obviously the severity of a Brennan Davis injury will determine his opportunities. There are several upper-level prospects on the list, and as you saw, there are a bunch of 17-20 year olds with massive potential. How will they perform over the course of the 2024 season? Which will take a step forward? Which might need to repeat a level in 2025? Which prospects are you most intrigued in watching over the coming months or the remainder of the season? View full article

Ever-improving coverage has made the Triple-A Iowa Cubs feel almost as familiar and intimate to Cubs fans as the Chicago version. We caught up with Alex Cohen, the voice of the I-Cubs, to get some extra insight from a well-known source. Image courtesy of Seth Stohs (photos of Alexander Canario and Matt Mervis) Alex Cohen became the Iowa Cubs' top voice in 2017, but he has called games all over the globe, including a winter in Australia. Get to know a little bit about him, and then hear us discuss some really exciting players on the Triple-A roster. Obviously, we encourage you go watch the full video, but the table of contents below should help you find specific topics if you need to view it in pieces. And feel free to comment or ask questions in the forum below. (Note: this interview was conducted on Friday afternoon (5/17).) 1:10: The background of Alex Cohen, his experiences calling baseball all over the world. 3:00: Bowling Green is in the middle of nowhere, well, at least relative to the rest of the Midwest League. However, while there, he covered some really good big leaguers. 4:30: What did you do to prepare for a career in broadcasting, and what would you tell a kid who thinks he or she might be interested in a career in sports? 6:30: What is the difference in calling a game at A-ball versus Triple-A? 8:45: What is the day to day in his job? With 14 Cubs on the IL, it’s fair to say that he is always trying to keep tabs on the updated roster and letting people know. 10:15: Cubs just called up Porter Hodge. Should the Cubs be excited about his stuff and his future? 11:48: Starters often come up in a relief role. Hodge has only been a relief pitcher for about a year. 12:45: Eduarniel Nunez. He’s been wild in his career, but his stuff is electric. 13:50: Let’s talk Cade Horton. 16:15: Let’s talk Thomas Pannone, Julio Teheran, Dan Straily. Who are the “Other” starters on the I-Cubs roster. 18:40: Will MILB’s new rules on the number of players an organization can have have any effect on roster management throughout the system? 21:15: Let’s talk Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alexander Canario, and Luis Vazquez. All three look the part of big leaguer in his own way. 25:40: Matt Mervis is 26, a first baseman with a lot of power. He got a two-week stint with the big-league club recently, but in limited time struggled and was sent back down to Iowa where he continued to mash. 28:35: Brennen Davis has fought a bunch of injuries over the past few seasons. However, he’s still just 24 years old. Aside from opportunity, what does he need to do to make that move to the big leagues. 30:50: The Cubs released catcher Curt Casali from the I-Cubs roster a day before his opt-out, and for good reason. A good story from Triple-A. 32:15: The I-Cubs play at home this coming week. If you can get to Des Moines for a game or six, definitely consider it. How many Cubs IL guys will rehab next week in Iowa. View full article

Recently, Seth chatted with the radio voice of the Iowa Cubs, Alex Cohen. He's been in that role for about seven years. We discussed his career path and background, and heard his thoughts on what an aspiring sports broadcaster should consider doing in high school and college. And then we discussed Cubs prospects. We learned moments before recording that Porter Hodge had been called up to the big leagues. Another electric arm, Eduarniel Nunez was just promoted to the I-Cubs. Cade Horton has made a few starts in Triple-A now. How has he looked. Who is filling out the remainder of the Cubs rotation. Then we switched to the bats. PCA, Alexander Canario, Luis Vazquez all look the part of big leaguers, if opportunities present themselves. Matt Mervis has crushed the ball in Triple-A but not yet in the big leagues. And Brennan Davis is on fire and still just 24! And you may want to get to Des Moines as several big leaguers will be rehabbing in the near future. View full video

I really like Slaughter as an under appreciated prospect. I think he's pretty solid as a utility type, but the Cubs have plenty of those and infielders who can play around the infield. Miller is at least intriguing, though we always have to temper the excitement a little bit when acquiring players who have been DFA'd.

Our final award for April is the minor league relief pitcher of the month. Finally. Sure looks like the Smokies have a few guys who throw absolute throat. Image courtesy of Tennessee Smokies Often relief pitchers are overlooked. They aren't often talked about at any level unless they don't do their job. That's a tough spot. So when they have some extended success, they deserve to be recognized. Today, we will highlight the top four relief pitchers in the Cubs minor league system. Before we get to them, there are several pitchers that we'll mention honorably first. Honorable Mentions RHP Joe Nahas - South Bend Cubs - 6 G, 2.38 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 8 H, 6 BB, 11 K LHP Chase Watkins - South Bend Cubs - 7 G, 2.45 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 11 IP, 7 H, 7 BB, 17 K RHP Brad Wieck - Iowa Cubs - 8 G, 1.54 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 11.2 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 15 K RHP Porter Hodge - Tennessee Smokies/Iowa Cubs - 7 G, 1.74 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 10.1 IP, 5 H, 7 BB, 17 K Top Four Relief Pitchers for April 2024 #4. RHP Eduarniel Nunez - Tennessee Smokies - 6 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 9 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K Nunez has been around the Cubs a long time, going all the way back to when he signed as a 17-year-old in 2016 from the Dominican Republic. He moved up the ladder one step at a time early in his career. In 2017, he pitched in the DSL. In 2018, he pitched in the Arizona League. In 2019, he moved up to Eugene, the team’s Advanced Rookie League team. Of course, like all minor leaguers, he missed the entire 2020 season. In 2021, he pitched in seven games for Low-A Myrtle Beach and then in 28 games for the South Bend Cubs. In 35 innings there, he gave up 31 hits, walked 33 batters and struck out 37 batters. That has been his biggest issue throughout his professional career. In 2022, at South Bend (35 games) and Tennessee (18 games), he gave up a combined 53 hits, walked 39 and struck out 57 batters in 55 2/3 innings. He split the 2023 season between those two affiliates again and he had 32 walks and 61 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings. Clearly, he has some very good stuff. He can miss a lot of bats, and maybe some of that is because of how wild that he can be at times. Effectively wild, one might say. Nunez throws gas. He sits at 98 mph, which is incredible, and he tops out just above 100. . He has a breaking ball that often seemingly breaks twice, on two planes. It looks and acts like a curveball, as opposed to a slider There are even times when he has a promising changeup. In reality, it’s only his control that has slowed him. With the stuff he has, the command isn’t quite as important as control just because it’s so difficult to make solid contact. He is currently not on the 40-man roster, but he’s also the kind of talent that a team really wants to keep working with and not lose. 3. RHP Colten Brewer - Iowa Cubs - 6 G, 1.17 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, 7.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 9 K A good reminder that these monthly awards articles are based on performance. They are not prospect rankings. Brewer, a 31-year-old veteran with over two years of MLB service time, is a good example of that. He was a fourth-round pick in 2011 out of high school. He made his MLB debut in 2018 with 11 games for the Padres. Between 2019 and 2021, he pitched in 70 games for the Red Sox. He didn’t pitch in the big leagues at all in 2021 and surfaced with the Yankees for three games and 8 1/3 innings in 2023. Even this year, he has pitched 10 2/3 innings over six appearances for the Cubs. In two, early-May MLB appearances, he gave up zero runs on two hits in 3 1/3 innings. No walks. Four strikeouts. If you want, you can add those numbers to his minor-league numbers at Triple-A shown above. There is a decent chance that Brewer will make plenty of trips between Des Moines and Chicago this season. 2. RHP Michael Arias - Tennessee Smokies - 7 G, 0.71 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 12.2 IP, 7 H, 4 BB, 15 K Last November, the Cubs added Michael Arias to their 40-man roster. It was a surprise to many. To those that see his upside and potential, it made a lot of sense. For those that remember that he was initially signed by the Blue Jays, as a shortstop, from the Dominican Republic in 2018, it was likely shocking. However, in 2023, he made 11 starts for Myrtle Beach and 11 starts at South Bend. In Low-A, he went 1-4 with a 2.55 ERA. In High-A, he went 0-6 with a 5.77 ERA. In a combined 81 1/3 innings, he had 110 strikeouts but also 51 walks. Again, those are not the numbers that scream “40-man roster!!” However, Arias has been intriguing since joining the Cubs and transitioning to the mound. The 22-year-old is long and lean and has a huge arm. He worked consistently in the mid-to-upper 90s as a starter. Now that he’s working out of the bullpen, those numbers will only go up. Because of a lower release point, he gets good sink on his fastball. Between his velocity and the movement that he gets, you can imagine the intrigue. Arias also throws an impressive upper-80s changeup that also divers and fades. He’s also throwing a slider that is just getting better and better. That brings us to this year. He has now moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen where his already good stuff should only play up. He will need to continue to improve his control and command, but in April, his walk rate is down to 12.1% Not great, but he’s been at about 14.5% the last couple of seasons. 1. RHP Frankie Scalzo, Jr - Tennessee Smokies - 7 G, 0.00 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, 8.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 6 K Frankie Scalzo joined the Cubs organization in 2021 after they made him their 14th round draft pick out of Grand Canyon University. In that 2021 season, he pitched in 25 games and had 12 saves. After signing, he pitched in one ACL game and five games for Myrtle Beach. That’s where he began the 2022 season. He spent the full season in Low-A ball, but in just 23 games and 44 2/3 innings, he had 25 walks (which is too many) but also had 64 strikeouts (a strong 12.9 K/9). He missed time with some injury. He began the 2022 season at South Bend. In 35 games and 66 1/3 innings, he went 4-4 with eight saves. He had 64 strikeouts to just 21 walks. He ended the season with four games in Tennessee. And that is where he began this season. He pitched in seven games in April and finished six of them. He was 4-for-4 in Save opportunities. While he isn’t getting a lot of strikeouts, he has been limiting hits and much improved his walk rate. In April, batters hit .097/.125/.097 (.222). Scalzo has some really good stuff that should miss some more bats. He has a big fastball in the upper-90s. He also throws a slider. Both are solid pitches and have limited hard contact. Join us in congratulating these talented pitchers, and share your thoughts on them or others that you think should be added or moved up this list. A quick look back to last September, and we are reminded that Arias, Nunez and Scalzo were part of a combined no-hitter for the South Bend Cubs! All three have certainly started out the 2024 season strong. View full article

Awesome to see Michael Busch finally get an opportunity at everyday play. Dude has always raked going back to high school in Minnesota or at North Carolina, or at every level of the Dodgers minor-league system.

The Cubs have their fair share of high-quality, high-ceiling hitting prospects. However, seeing a top pitching prospect work his way through the system is really exciting. With news of Cade Horton's promotion to Triple-A Iowa, take a look at his April. Image courtesy of Tennessee Smokies It is always interesting to see the different types of pitchers that show up on these monthly reports. You will often have a veteran in Triple-A, and you’ve got a couple of lower-level prospects who haven’t been talked about enough yet. And there is usually at least one elite prospect to make the list. There can be some variance in that, but generally speaking, the fun part about doing these rankings can be seeing those different ways of finding success. You’ll see some of those things this month, but right now the highlight of the day is that top pitching prospect Cade Horton not only earned a promotion to Triple-A Iowa, but he did so by earning the North Side Baseball Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month. Honorable Mention RHP Chris Clarke - Iowa Cubs - 5 GS, 2.00 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 18.0 IP, 18 H, 10 BB, 15 K LHP Drew Gray - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 4 GS, 1.59 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, 11.1 IP, 4 H, 14 BB, 20 K Top Four Relief Pitchers for April 2024 #4. LHP Thomas Pannone - Iowa Cubs - 6 GS, 2.73 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 29.2 IP, 30 H, 7 BB, 28 K Way back in 2012, the Cubs used their 33rd round pick in the draft to select a left-hander from Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. I’m sure you’ll guess that pitcher was Thomas Pannone. He didn’t sign at that time, opting to attend the College of Southern Nevada instead. A year later, Cleveland made him their ninth-round pick. Still so young, he spent two seasons in the Arizona League, but after that, he moved consistently up the organizational ladder. At the July 31, 2017, trade deadline, he was traded to the Blue Jays in a deal for Joe Smith. Just over a year later, he made his MLB debut for Toronto. He pitched in 12 games that season and then in 37 games in 2019. In 2020, he was DFAd. It has been a series of one-year deals since then. He spent 2021 with the Angels and 2022 with the Red Sox. When he got released, he went to Korea and made 14 starts for the Kia Tigers. He signed with the Brewers for the 2023 season. He pitched 2 2/3 innings for Milwaukee and a day later was DFAd. The Brewers released him July 5 and he signed a deal to return to Kia for the remainder of the season The Cubs signed him to a minor-league deal on December 18. In his first three starts this season, he gave up just one total run over 15 2/3 innings. He had back-to-back mediocre starts against Louisville before ending the month by giving up one run over five innings against Buffalo. Pannone fits that veteran lefty model. He throws five pitches, but he throws a very large percentage of cutters in the mid-80s (85-87). His four-seam fastball typically sits 87-89 mph though occasionally it reaches over 90. He has a very slow, low-70s curveball that has a very similar pitch movement as the slider which sits in the low-80s. He averaged 3-5 inches of vertical movement on the cutter and gets 4-6 inches of vertical movement in the other direction. And, his changeup, while I think it would be better if it had more velocity differential compared to his fastball, but it gets a lot of arm-side run. 3. RHP Sam Armstrong - South Bend Cubs - 4 G, 2 GS, 0.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 14.0 IP, 9 H, 6 BB, 10 K Armstrong grew up in New Jersey and attended High Point Regional High School. He spent two years at County College of Morris before heading to Old Dominion for the past two seasons. Last year, he went 9-4 with a 3.51 ERA over 15 starts. The Cubs selected him in the 13th round of the draft. After a one-inning appearance in the ACL, he moved up to Myrtle Beach where he worked 13 2/3 innings over eight appearances out of the bullpen. With that in mind, Armstrong began the 2024 season at High-A South Bend. I categorized him as a starter because two of his four games pitched have been starts. He also ate up 14 innings over his four total outings. It is pretty impressive to have that long of a stretch without giving up a run (earned or unearned). He barely gave up a baserunner per inning and has 12.2 K/9. Armstrong stands 6-2 and is a bulky 245 pounds. 2. RHP Juan Bello - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 4 GS, 1.84 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 14.2 IP, 7 H, 9 BB, 21 K It’s been one step at a time for Bello since the Cubs signed him from Colombia in January of 2022. He spent that summer in the Dominican Summer League. Last year, he posted a 10.38 ERA in four games in the ACL. So, it was rather surprising for the Cubs to push him all the way up to Low-A Myrtle Beach. At times, he can fight his control and command at times, he also has a great ability to miss bats and get himself out of tough situations. He’s still incredibly young, 20, but he’s certainly worth watching. In 2022 in the DSL, he was part of a unique no-hitter. Not only did Bello and his DSL Cubs staff throw a no hitter, but so did their opponent. 1. RHP Cade Horton - Tennessee Smokies - 4 GS, 1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 16.1 IP, 13 H, 2 BB, 18 K The big news on Monday was that the Cubs had promoted their top pitching prospect - Horton - to Triple-A Iowa after just four starts at Double-A this year. With the Cubs starting pitching situation, it may not be long before he gets the big promotion to the big leagues. Horton grew up in Oklahoma City where he became a tremendous high school baseball and football player. He signed on to play at the University of Oklahoma but also was a preferred walk-on on the football team. How good was he in football? In his senior season, the quarterback passed for 3,084 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,149 yards and 15 touchdowns. Unfortunately before his freshman season, he hurt his elbow and needed Tommy John surgery and missed that full season. He returned as a part-time third baseman and threw some in relief. He was fairly quickly moved to the starting rotation and helped lead Oklahoma to the College World Series finals! Following the College World Series, the Cubs used the seventh-overall pick in 2022 on Horton. He has been a consensus Top 30 prospect since signing. Despite efforts to limit his pitches and his innings, Horton has flown through the organization. Now he’s just one step from the big leagues. Horton stands just 6-1, but he is strong and athletic (as you would expect from a Division I caliber quarterback). Horton has a big-time fastball that sits in the 95-97 range, but he has hit 99 on several occasions. It is a pitch that has a chance to be really good, especially at the top of the strike zone. His best pitch, however, is his slider on most days. When on, it can be really sharp and biting. When he throws his curveball slowly, like in the low ‘80s, it can be very effective. He has a changeup as well. He doesn’t use it real often but it can be an effective pitch, especially when used with the slider. The slider cuts away from a right-handed hitter while the change does get some fade down and in on a right-handed hitter. Now Horton joins an Iowa starting staff that includes Pannone and Clarke. They have already had 12 pitchers make at least one start for them in the season’s first month. They have added the likes of veterans Julio Teheran and Dan Straily since the start of the season. There are several question marks with the Cubs big-league starting rotation after Shota Imanaga. Honestly, I don’t think it would surprise too many Cubs people if Horton’s time in Des Moines isn’t very long. Congratulations to Cade Horton on a nice first month of the season, being named the Cubs Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Month and being promoted to Triple-A. The Cubs have a bunch of hitting prospects. It's fun to see their top pitching prospect doing well and working his way up the ladder, now one step away from the big leagues. View full article

On Thursday, the 2024 MLB season got started for the Chicago Cubs. On Friday, the Triple-A season started for most organizations including the Iowa Cubs playing three games in Omaha. How did they do? Who led the way? And, who will be on the Opening Day rosters of the Tennessee Smokies, the South Bend Cubs, and the Myrtle Beach Pelicans when their seasons begin this coming Friday? You'll find it all below. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports Let’s get to the report. These reports are meant for entertainment, but they are also meant to make sure that minor leaguers who are performing well get recognized. The big thing to remember is that there is just a three-game sample size below, so take the good and the bad numbers for what they are As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions. TRANSACTIONS The Cubs signed 35-year-old veteran catcher Curt Casali to a minor-league contract. He had spent spring training with the Marlins but was granted his release when he did not make their Opening Day roster. Casali was assigned to Iowa. The Iowa Cubs placed outfielders David Peralta and Brennen Davis on the 10-day IL. When lefty Justin Steele went on the Cubs injury list, right-hander Ben Brown was recalled from Iowa to take his spot. Right-hander Chris Kachmar was promoted to the Iowa club. Three players from the ACL Cubs roster were released: outfielders Ke’Shun Collier and Cristian More, and left-handed pitcher Joel Machado. Second baseman Juan Mora was released from the Myrtle Beach roster while shortstop Liam Spence and right-hander Max Bain were released from the South Bend roster. IOWA CUBS COURIER Friday: Iowa 4, Omaha 5 (11 innings) Box Score In their first game of the season, the Cubs put up 11 hits, but they left 10 runners on base. The top of the lineup provided the punch. Owen Caissie led the way with three hits including a double. Alexander Canario went 2-for-4 with a walk and hit a solo home run. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off and went 2-for-5 with a triple. Matt Mervis batted fourth and went 2-for-5 with a double. Thomas Pannone made the start on the mound and was spectacular. The 29-year-old southpaw gave up just two hits over five scoreless innings. He had four strikeouts and a walk. Keegan Thompson came in and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in the sixth inning. Riley Thompson pitched a scoreless seventh inning. In the eighth from, Richard Lovelady gave up one run on four hits. He had three strikeouts. Edwin Escobar tossed scoreless innings in the ninth and tenth innings. Riley Martin came in to start the 11th inning. He recorded two outs, but the Manfred Man scored on a passed ball to end the game. Saturday: Iowa 6, Omaha 7 (10 innings) Box Score For the second straight game, the Cubs lost to the StormChasers in extra innings on a pitch that got by the catcher to end the game. Like Game 1, the Cubs got a solid start. The 6-7 Chris Clarke gave up two hits and two walks, but no runs, over the first three innings. The next two relievers struggled. Sam McWilliams got five outs and was charged with three runs on four hits. Daniel Palencia came into the game with a runner on base but he did not score. However, Palencia recorded just one out in the sixth inning. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. Cam Sanders came on with the bases loaded and allowed one inherited runner to score. However, he had two strikeouts and went 1 2/3 innings. Brad Wieck worked two perfect innings. The Cubs were down 6-2 heading into the ninth inning. Chase Strumpf cut the deficit in half with a two-run blast (424 feet, 107 mph). Soon after, Owen Caissie notched his third hit of the game, a double that drove in Curt Casali (who hit a solo homer in the fifth inning) and the Cubs were down just one run. Matt Mervis followed with a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Canario with the game-tying run. The big comeback only to lose on a wild pitch in the 10th inning. Sunday: Iowa 2, Omaha 0 Box Score After two extra-inning losses, the Iowa pitchers provided the club with the best way to guarantee a win… they didn’t give up any runs. Of course, you still have to score one run in order to win a game. The first batter of the game, PCA, worked a walk. Jake Slaughter followed with a 107.4 mph shot that cleared the fence and landed 370 feet from home plate. There were more hits, and a couple more walks, but no more runs the rest of the game. Matt Mervis had two hits including a double in the game. As you would expect this early in the season, it took half of the bullpen to secure the shutout and the team’s first win. Hayden Wesneski started and gave up two hits over three shutout innings. He had two strikeouts without a walk. Riley Thompson came on and struck out two batters over two innings of one-hit ball. Edwin Escobar and Richard Lovelady combined for three scoreless innings. Lefty Riley Martin struck out two batters in the ninth inning to record the Save. Weekend Highlights Owen Caissie went 7-for-12 in the three games. He hit .583/.643/.750 (1.393) with two walks and two doubles. Alexander Canario played in two games and posted a 1.214 OPS thanks to a home run and three walks. I’m sure Curt Casali was happy to homer and contribute to his new team and organization right away. Jake Slaughter and Chase Strumpf each had two hits in nine plate appearances, but each had a huge two-run home in the series. The three starting pitchers combined to throw 11 scoreless innings. Pannone led the way with five scoreless innings. SMOKIES SENTINEL The Smokies Begin their season on Friday, hosting Rocket City for three games. Here is a look at their Opening Day roster. Starting Pitchers: Michael Arias, Brandon Birdsell, Cade Horton, Matt Thompson, Relief Pitchers: Manuel Espinoza, Kohl Franklin, Richard Gallardo, Porter Hodge, Zac Leigh, Eduarniel Nunez, Jack Patterson, Jake Reindl, Frankie Scalzo, Dalton Stambaugh, Cayne Ueckert, Blake Whitney, Catchers: Pablo Aliendo, Caleb Knight, Casey Opitz Infielders: Moises Ballesteros, Haydn McGeary, Scott McKeon, Fabian Pertuz, Matt Shaw, James Triantos Outfielders: Kevin Alcantara, Bradlee Beesley, Christian Franklin, Jordan Nwogu, Ezequiel Pagan, SOUTH BEND BEACON The Cubs begin their season on Friday in Quad Cities. Here is a look at their Opening Day roster. Pitchers: Yovanny Cabrera, Luis Devers, Angel Gonzalez, Nick Hull, Grant Kipp, Brody McCullough, Joe Nahas Connor Noland, Johzan Oquendo, Tyler Santana, Tyler Schlaffer, Sam Thoresen, Chase Watkins. Catchers: Dilan Granadillo, Ethan Hearn. Infielders: Ed Howard, Josh Rivera, Luis Verdugo. Outfielders: Parker Chavers, Yohendrick Pinango, Felix Stevens, Jacob Wetzel. PELICAN PRESS The Pelicans begin their season on Friday night at home against Fayetteville. Here is a look at their Opening Day roster. Pitchers: Sam Armstrong, Garrett Brown, Drew Gray, Angel Hernandez, Scarlyn Lebron, Luis Martinez-Gomez, Grayson Moore, Koen Moreno, Nazier Mule, Eligio Paredes, Kenyi Perez, Starlyn Pichardo, Erian Rodriguez, Jose Romero, Luis Rujano, Marino Santy, J.P. Wheat. Catchers: David Avitia, Michael Carico, Shane Marshall. Infielders: Reivaj Garcia, Cristian Hernandez, Brian Kalmer, Jonathan Long, Miguel Pabon, Pedro Ramirez, Jefferson Rojas. Outfielders: Brett Bateman, Andy Garriola, Ismael Mena, Rafael Morel, Christian Olivo. CUBS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK Pitcher of the Day – Owen Caissie (Iowa Cubs). Hitter of the Day – Thomas Pannone (Iowa Cubs). PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Cubs Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Sunday. #1 - RHP Cade Horton (Tennessee Smokies): #2 - OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (Iowa Cubs): 3 G, 3-for-13, .231/.286/.385 (.671) with a triple. He had one walk and four strikeouts. He had two steals in two attempts. #3 - SS Matt Shaw (Tennessee Smokies): #4 - OF Owen Caissie (Iowa Cubs): 3 G, 7-for-12, .583/.643/.750 (1.393) with two doubles. He walked twice and struck out three. #5 - 1B Michael Busch (Chicago Cubs): 4 G, 2-for-13, .154/.313/.154 (.467) with three walks and four strikeouts. #6 - OF Kevin Alcantara (Tennessee Smokies): #7 - LHP Jordan Wicks (Chicago Cubs): 1 G, 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 5 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 6 K. #8 - RHP Ben Brown (Chicago Cubs): 1 G, 1 2/3 IP, 6 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 K. #9 - 1B Moises Ballesteros (Tennessee Smokies): #10 - IF James Triantos (Tennessee Smokies): #11 - SS Jefferson Rojas (Myrtle Beach Pelicans): #12 - OF Alexander Canario (Iowa Cubs): 2 G, 2-for-7, .286/.500/.714 (1.214) with a homer. He had three walks and two strikeouts. #13 - 1B Matt Mervis (Iowa Cubs): 3 G, 4-for-11, .364/.429/.545 (.974) with two doubles. He walked twice and struck out once. #14 - RHP Jaxon Wiggins (ACL): #15 - IF BJ Murray Jr (Iowa Cubs): 2 G, 1-for-10, .100/.100/.100 (.200) with five strikeouts. #16 - LHP Luke Little (Chicago Cubs): 1 G, 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K. #17 - IF Luis Vazquez (Iowa Cubs): 3 G, 3-for-13, .231/.231/.308 (.539) with a double. He had three strikeouts. #18 - 3B Josh Rivera (South Bend Cubs): #19 - SS Derniche Valdez (ACL) #20 - C/1B Hayden McGeary (Tennessee Smokies) SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES (Next Game) Toledo @ Iowa (Tuesday 7:08 PM CST) - TBD. Rocket City @ Tennessee (Friday 6:00 PM CST) - TBD. South Bend @ Quad Cities (Friday 6:30 PM CST) - TBD. Fayetteville @ Myrtle Beach (6:05 PM CST) - TBD. Please feel free to discuss the Iowa Cubs first weekend series, discuss the rosters throughout the organization, and ask questions. View full article

Since he's only in his age 28 season, Bellinger can take the $30 million and become a free agent before his age 29 season or get $60 million and become a free agent before his age 30 season. Most players become free agents at that point, so Bellinger could still turn it into a huge deal.

Pete Crow-ArmstrongCade HortonMatt ShawOwen CaissieKevin AlcantaraMichael BuschJordan WicksMoises BallesterosJames TriantosBen BrownAlexander CanarioMatt MervisJaxon WigginsBrennen DavisHaydn McGearyJefferson RojasJosh RiveraCristian HernandezMichael AriasBJ Murray Jr

Pfft... if we're gonna go by career MLB batting average, there's no contest... Billy Hamilton is 239 points higher. No comparison!

Which players in the Chicago Cubs organization are most valuable to the goal of winning championships? Over the past couple of weeks, we have been counting down the Top 20 player assets. This should become your list, so feel free to add your thoughts, agree or disagree, and make your suggestions. Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri, USA Today (photos of Steele, Swanson), Ron Chenoy, USA Today (Crow-Armstrong) The Chicago Cubs are a big-market team with an annual budget payroll approaching $200 million. Their response to this question is likely different than it might be for a team with a budget half that size. The goal is the same. Who provides more value to a team looking to win a championship (or championships)? For a more thorough explanation of these rankings and how they are developed, check out Part 1’s introduction post. The shortened version: Which players in the Cubs organization are most crucial to developing a championship-caliber team? To rank the Cubs players and prospects, we consider age, contract status, years of control, ceiling/potential, and more. To recap, here is the first installment of this year's top 20 player assets lists: 20. Ben Brown, RHP 19. Alexander Canario, OF 18. Kyle Hendricks, RHP 17. Owen Caissie, OF 16. Kevin Alcantara, OF 15. Seiya Suzuki, OF 14. Adbert Alzolay, RH RP 13. Michael Busch, IF 12. Javier Assad, RHP 11. Jordan Wicks, LHP 10. Jameson Taillon, RHP 9. Ian Happ, OF 8. Nico Hoerner, 2B 7. Christopher Morel, UT 6. Shota Imanaga, LHP 5. SS Matt Shaw (22) Last summer, the Cubs used the 13th overall pick in the draft to select Matt Shaw out of the University of Maryland, where he had an awe-inspiring three-year career. As a freshman in 2021, he hit .332 (.952) with 16 doubles and seven homers. The following season, he hit .290 (.986) with 11 doubles and 22 home runs. In 62 games as a junior, he hit .341 (.1.142) with 20 doubles and 24 home runs. Those are pretty impressive numbers, especially coming out of the shortstop position. After signing, Shaw played in three games in Arizona. Then, he played in 20 games at High-A Wisconsin, where he hit .393 (1.082) with four doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He finished the season with 15 games at Double-A and hit .292 (.852) with four doubles and three homers. With Tennessee, he made eight starts at second base and three at shortstop and third base. With Dansby Swanson around, Shaw’s path to the big leagues likely starts at third base, and that could happen as soon as midseason this year. 4. RHP Cade Horton (22) Undrafted out of high school, Cade Horton stayed in his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, and went to the University of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship. He also was a walk-on to the football team. Before his freshman season, he tore his UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. As a redshirt freshman, he was a two-way player. He primarily played third base but also made four starts at shortstop and hit .235 (.648) with six doubles, two triples, and one home run. He pitched out of the Sooners bullpen early in the season but ended the year making 11 starts. Overall, he went 5-2 with a 4.86 ERA. In 53 2/3 innings, he walked 15 and struck out 64 batters. In July, the Cubs were comfortable with Horton’s medicals and surprised a lot of draft experts by selecting him with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft. He didn’t pitch that summer, and the Cubs were quite cautious with him, especially early in the 2023 season. He started with four starts and just 14 1/3 innings at Low-A Myrtle Beach. As you’d expect, he dominated. He gave up just two runs, walked four, and struck out 21 batters. He moved up to South Bend and threw 47 innings in 11 starts. He walked 12 and struck out 65 batters. Horton ended the season with six starts and 27 innings in Double-A Tennessee. He had a 1.33 ERA and 31 strikeouts to just 11 walks. So you don’t have to do the math; he combined for 117 strikeouts to just 27 walks in 88 1/3 innings. With less than 100 innings in 2023, seeing how the Cubs use him in 2024 will be very interesting. They should continue to be cautious because that is how valuable he can be to the organization's future. Horton has “Ace” written all over him in time. The big thing will be building up his innings count. 3. SS Dansby Swanson (29) Swanson came to the Cubs last offseason on a seven-year deal worth $177 million. While he saw his batting average drop to .244, the former #1 overall pick was worth 4.7 fWAR for the Cubs in 2023. He was an All-Star. He won his second Gold Glove. After leading the National League in games played the three previous seasons, Swanson played 147 in his first year with the Cubs. He had 25 doubles and 22 home runs. Dansby Swanson has been a big-time player, a key cog in Atlanta’s success. He is known to be an outstanding leader. He has a World Series ring. There are a lot of intangibles to Swanson’s game. However, with the contract, the Cubs and their fans will want him to have an OPS+ of over 100, which he has only done once in a full-length season over his eight years in MLB. He had a 115 OPS+ over 38 games in his debut season in 2016. His OPS+ was 111 in the 60-game Covid season of 2020. In 2022, he posted a 114 OPS+. His OPS+ in 2023 and 2021 was 99, basically league average. Swanson had six years and $157 million remaining on his contract. While the Cubs have an annual payroll that can account for a bad contract, it would be great if Swanson could provide above-league-average offensive production for the next three or four years. His defense is fantastic and will need to remain so to validate the contract. 2. OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (21) Pete Crow-Armstrong was the Mets top pick in 2020, 19th overall out of the little, big-league, starting pitcher factory Harvard-Westlake in Los Angeles. (At one time, Lucas Giolito, Max Fried, and Jack Flaherty were all in the high school’s rotation.) In July 2021, the Cubs sent Javier Baez and Trevor Williams to the Mets in return for the speedy center fielder. In 2022, he split the season between Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend. In 101 games, he hit .312/.376/.520 (.896) with 20 doubles, 10 triples, and 16 home runs. He also had 32 stolen bases. In 2023, he started the season with 73 games at Double-A Tennessee before getting 34 games in Triple-A Iowa. In 107 total games, he hit .283/.365/.511 (.876) with 26 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs, and 37 stolen bases. He was called up to the Cubs in early September. He went 0-for-14 at the plate but showed he can be a game-changer in center field. There is no reason to worry about 14 at-bats. Pete Crow-Armstrong is going to hit in time. Will he make the Cubs' Opening Day roster or get a couple more months? If the decision is made on defense, he will be in the big leagues from Day 1. And then, hopefully, in the Cubs lineup for the next decade or more. 1. LHP Justin Steele (28) The Cubs used their fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft to select left-handed pitcher Justin Steele out of George County HS in Lucedale, Mississippi. He moved up one level each year from 2014-2017. He fought injuries in 2018 and then reached Triple-A in 2019. He didn’t pitch in 2020. However, in 2021, he made the Cubs Opening Day roster and worked out of the bullpen. He missed the end of May and most of June. He was optioned to Iowa and made four relief appearances before they moved him into the starting rotation. He built up to five innings and then was called back up to the Cubs in early August. He had some ups and downs but completed five innings in six of nine starts. The southpaw had a solid first full season in the Cubs rotation in 2022. He made 24 starts and went 4-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. In 119 innings, he had 50 walks to go with 126 strikeouts. He had his breakout season in 2023. He made 30 starts and went 16-5 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. In 173 1/3 innings, he walked 36 and struck out 176 batters. Even with the additional 54 innings, he still had more than a strikeout per inning. More important, his BB/9 rate dropped from 3.8 to 1.9. That’s a significant statistic for Steele because he doesn’t throw hard. His fastball in 2023 averaged just shy of 92 mph. However, his slider bumped back over 83 mph, and he used it more often than in 2023. After making around the league minimum the past three seasons, Steele will make $4 million in 2024. It is his first of what could be four arbitration-eligible seasons. If he pitches well, the Cubs will happily pay him his arbitration numbers and even look long-term. His value in trade is probably at its peak right now. I also think that he might be the key to the success of the Cubs over the next few seasons. If he pitches like he did in 2023, he can lead the rotation for years to come. That’s all for today’s installment of five players and the complete list of 20 Cubs players. Would you rearrange any of them? Do any of them jump out to you? Top 20 Cubs Player Assets (these links take you to the search results at North Side Baseball for these players.) 20. Ben Brown, RHP 19. Alexander Canario, OF 18. Kyle Hendricks, RHP 17. Owen Caissie, OF 16. Kevin Alcantara, OF 15. Seiya Suzuki, OF 14. Adbert Alzolay, RH RP 13. Michael Busch, IF 12. Javier Assad, RHP 11. Jordan Wicks, LHP 10. Jameson Taillon, RHP 9. Ian Happ, OF 8. Nico Hoerner, 2B 7. Christopher Morel, UT 6. Shota Imanaga, LHP 5. Matt Shaw, IF 4. Cade Horton , RHP 3. Dansby Swanson, SS 2. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF 1. Justin Steele, LHP View full article