MLB Pipeline’s Final Top 100 Prospect List of the Season, Plus the Cubs’ Top 30
Although I’ll go to my offseason grave saying the Chicago Cubs organization unveiled four “top 100” prospects this season, I do understand that there’s a difference between being a top 100 type prospect, and actually making every top 100 list.
To that end, MLB Pipeline dropped its final regular season prospect list,
Fresh off the completion of the 2019 @MiLB season, here's the final updated Top 100 Prospects list of the year: https://t.co/h2emsUvYyE pic.twitter.com/yJSrqvPB1m
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 18, 2019
As you’d expect, Nico Hoerner has moved up considerably, and is now the 48th prospect to MLB Pipeline. Miguel Amaya is up slightly, to number 91.
And that’s it.
Keep in mind, the most significant digging in and re-ranking takes place during the offseason, so in a way, the most faithful end-of-season lists will actually come just before the start of next season. I feel a little more confident that, at that time, the Cubs’ other two big-time prospects – outfielder Brennen Davis and pitcher Brailyn Marquez – will get some top 100 love on some of the lists.
Indeed, while I think you can offer up enough questions about Marquez’s future as a starter (or not) to keep him just outside the top 100 until he shows he can do it again, for longer, in 2020, I don’t think there’s much of a reasonable argument to keep out Davis once all the evaluations are complete. The upside is too high and the adjustments were too immediate and too phenomenal.
Meanwhile, MLB Pipeline’s final top 30 Cubs prospect list looks like this (and you can read much more on each prospect here):
- Nico Hoerner, SS
- Miguel Amaya, C
- Brennen Davis, OF
- Brailyn Marquez, LHP
- Adbert Alzolay, RHP
- Cole Roederer, OF
- Ryan Jensen, RHP
- Aramis Ademan, SS
- Zack Short, SS
- Chase Strumpf, 2B
- Justin Steele, LHP
- Tyson Miller, RHP
- Riley Thompson, RHP
- Christopher Morel, 3B
- Kohl Franklin, RHP
- Cory Abbott, RHP
- Ethan Hearn, C
- Ronnier Quintero, C
- Yovanny Cruz, RHP
- Richard Gallardo, RHP
- Nelson Velazquez, OF
- Oscar De La Cruz, RHP
- Brendon Little, LHP
- Erich Uelmen, RHP
- Michael McAvene, RHP
- Robel Garcia, UTL
- Jack Patterson, LHP
- Trent Giambrone, UTL
- Pedro Martinez, SS
- James Norwood, RHP
I would have a quibble or two, mostly in the middle chunk of the list, but it’s hard to have too much passion about that group right now: it’s a whole bunch of legit prospects, but none of whom have really separated themselves into the group of guys who are obvious future big leaguers. I will say this: that 12 to 20 group? That’s as good as that has looked for the Cubs’ farm system in years, farm system rankings be damned. And also, Jack Patterson should be up there, but whateves.
It’s such an important time for the farm system, with needs coming VERY soon at the big league level if this window is going to extend for several more years, and also with Jason McLeod departing as the scouting and player development chief. A whole lot could change in the next 12 months.
