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Bryan Smith

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Contributing Since: 04 Feb 2019

Experience and short biography

Bryan Smith is a Minor League Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @cubprospects.

More Articles by Bryan Smith

When It’s Time To Take That Next Big Step

As I have started to process the offseason that lies ahead for the Chicago Cubs organization, I realize more and more how important it is to document the precise spot this organization finds itself. I think I want to do...

The 2023 BN Cubs All-System Team

I'm overdue for a full-scale system recap from 2023, and I want to do by creating an All-Star team for the best performances at each position. The rules here are simple: only minor league performance is recognized, and the best...

More on the Tennessee Smokies’ Dominant Run To A Southern League Title

Brett has already touched on the Tennessee Smokies winning the Southern League championship last night, but listen. We need to wrap our hands around good vibes today, so excuse me for a little more conversation about the specific game and...

Tennessee Smokies Win Game One And You’ll Like Who Starred: Horton, Caissie, and Alcántara

The Tennessee Smokies, now one of the most top-prospect-laden teams in the history of the Cubs franchise (I don't think it's hyperbole to say that, but your mileage may vary), won Game 1 of their best-of-3 opening round playoff series...

Five Stars of the Cubs Farm, 9/10/23: Monster Days From Alcántara and That New Chicago Cub

Had a different introduction planned and written, but the minor league news of the day is too strong to start anywhere else. Pete Crow-Armstrong's promotion is, to me, a celebration of the Cubs moving out of a rebuild that netted...

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Luke Little: An Uncomfortable At-Bat From Someone Far From Small

191 plate appearances. Two doubles. That, my friends, is the ENTIRE extent of extra-base hit damage that left-handed hitters have done to Luke Little in the minor leagues. The Cubs are calling up Little today, their 2020 fourth-round pick, and...

What to Expect When You’re Expecting Jordan Wicks: Competence And Changeups

On September 9, 2019, a short-handed Cubs team in the thick of a playoff race called up a homegrown first-round pick to fill in a spot they had not anticipated would be necessary a month before. Nico Hoerner was summoned...

Lower Level Cubs Prospect Notes: Rojas, Moreno, and Complex League Names to Store Away

The Cubs system right now is in a place where most of the top 15 prospects are guys that are starting to knock on the door of higher levels. It's very fun to contemplate on the ways that the tip-top...

Eight Stars of Cub Farm, 8/8/23: Everyone Homered

You see, eight is more than five, so what you can deduce from the title of the post is the Cubs farm system -- and many of their top prospects -- had a very fine Tuesday evening. Let's dive in......

Might We See A Different Caleb Kilian During This Big League Stint?

It should be said first and foremost, and Brett already did, that the reason Caleb Kilian is up today is the very taxed Cubs bullpen and his readiness to eat innings. It's a big league need right now, and Kilian...

The Chicago Cubs’ Top Three Prospects Keep Demanding Our Attention

You all know that I love talking about the entire system, down to bench players and relievers, but sometimes the on-field play demands we focus on the guys at the top of the rankings. And this week has very much...

Considering the Cost: What the Cubs Gave Up in DJ Herz and Kevin Made

The strangest thing about the niche I have for this site is what to say when prospects get traded. As much as I enjoy writing about players from the ground floor all the way to Wrigley Field, I'm a Cubs...

What the Heck Should the Cubs Do With Infield Prospect Luis Vazquez?

(This is part two in a short, two-part series on a couple significant minor league free agents on whom the Cubs will have to make surprisingly difficult decisions - either at the Trade Deadline, in the coming months, or at...

Cubs Trade Deadline Buyer’s Guide – Scouting the Farm System

So the Cubs might be floating publicly that they're waiting until the eleventh hour, but Mike Tauchman's catch signaled one thing to me: this team isn't selling. So if they're considering the opposite now -- functioning as buyers -- I...

What the Heck Should the Cubs Do With Outfield Prospect Yonathan Perlaza?

Minor league free agency is not a date on the calendar that Major League teams are ever too worried about. Typically, you already had to make tough choices about the best prospects when their Rule 5 eligibility came up, and...

Five Stars of the Cubs Farm, 7/19/23: There Are Many Top Ten Prospects In This One

The ways baseball can flip on itself never cease to amaze. I thought the story of Monday's loss was that Nico was slumping so hard that he wasn't even swinging on fastballs in the zone. And I know the story...

Five Stars of the Cubs Farm, 7/17/23: The Kohl and Cole Show

Someone said to me this weekend after one of the Cubs losses: "I bet you're excited to have a few more prospects to cover after this deadline." No sir, no I am not. https://twitter.com/cubprospects/status/1680749575580139520 Honorable Mention: Today's 5 stars has...

The Reasoning and Development Plan for the Chicago Cubs Round 2-10 Draft Picks

The Cubs made clear Monday, during the second day of the 2023 MLB Amateur Draft, that it's impossible to peg them down into one preferred strategy. You might have gone into this year thinking the Cubs preferred pitchers, liked overslot...

A Deep Dive on Cubs First Round Pick Matt Shaw, Man Of The Perpetual Four-Digit OPS

It's a disease of Cubs fandom to be unable to not think about 2016 all the time, but I'll be damned if I didn't think of the mid 2010s last night when the Cubs announced Maryland infielder Matt Shaw as...

2023 Cubs Draft Preview: Who Might They Pick at 13, And What That Might Mean For Their Overall Draft Strategy

It still feels weird for the MLB Draft to be in July, tucked kind of oddly into All-Star weekend, but it's here. This evening, the Cubs will select thirteenth overall in the first round of this interesting 2023 class, which...