NEWSLETTER
With an off-day between a couple dispiriting defeats in New York and the start of a hopeful stretch at Wrigley Field, let’s take our minds off the NLCS for a moment and enjoy the Cubs’ fantastic youth movement.
As we know, Major League Baseball is increasingly becoming a young man’s game and 2015 may be one of the best examples. While some aging stars continue to cement their legacy – Albert Pujols had more home runs (40) than his age (35), for example – the attention has undoubtedly been drawn toward the young guns. The season was not just a good year for younger players, though; there have been some very serious, very sustainable rookie breakouts, as well. In a column for MLB.com, Jim Callis created a top 25 list of rookies with the most long-term potential and the Cubs fared quite well, placing three in the top ten and four overall:
- Carlos Correa, SS, Astros
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs
- Byron Buxton, OF, Twins
- Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians
- Addison Russell, SS, Cubs
- Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
- Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets
- Joc Pederson, OF, Dodgers
- Carlos Rodon, LHP, White Sox
- Kyle Schwarber, OF/C, Cubs
- Blake Swihart, C, Red Sox
- Luis Severino, RHP, Yankees
- Lance McCullers, RHP, Astros
- Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Red Sox
- Jorge Soler, OF, Cubs
- Michael Conforto, OF, Mets
- Aaron Nola, RHP, Phillies
- Joe Ross, RHP, Nationals
- Daniel Norris, LHP, Tigers
- Maikel Franco, 3B, Phillies
- Greg Bird, 1B, Yankees
- Andrew Heaney, LHP, Angels
- Raisel Iglesias, RHP, Reds
- Ketel Marte, SS, Mariners
- Stephen Piscotty, OF/1B, Cardinals
With four players on the list (and in the top 15, no less) the Cubs have landed twice as many as the any other team on the list. And while many of their young players lead the way, there are only two other players from the NL Central – Raisel Iglesias of the Reds and Stephen Piscotty of the Cardinals – and they rank 23rd and 25th on the 25-player list.
I encourage you to check out Callis’ article because it contains writeups on each of the players, with some extremely complimentary notes on the Cubs, in particular. While these lists don’t necessarily change or secure anything, it’s always nice to see the Cubs continue to draw positive reviews. With a foundation this young and exciting, it’s hard not to dream on the upcoming years consistently meeting or surpassing what has already been a magical season in 2015. This is fun, and it could stay that way for a while.
