While we await the tender deadline (7pm CT tonight), some Cubs prospect bits to get into …
The lead prospect writer at BP was discussing the recent Cubs top ten in a thread on Twitter and it has a lot of great nuggets:
If Zyhir Hope emerges as a guy next year, man, what a win for the Cubs. They were able to sign him out of a college commitment in the 11th round, and then he RAKED in the ACL. Super small sample, would need to do it at Myrtle Beach in 2024 to really get on the radar, but that’s still fun to see him getting a shout.
Oh, and just a reminder before trades this offseason inevitably change things:
This Cubs prospect list is from a fantasy perspective, so you have to keep that in mind, but it nevertheless makes for interesting reading:
That’s the second top-10 we’ve seen that has Matt Shaw ahead of Cade Horton, which is pretty interesting. We could tell almost immediately this year that Shaw, who hits the absolute crap out of the ball, was not a typical “drafted 13th” prospect. The depth at the top of the 2023 MLB Draft was clearly extreme, and the Cubs more or less got a “top five pick” type guy, who rocketed all the way up to Double-A before his partial debut season was over. That means Shaw, who just turned 22, is going to be on the big league radar at some point next season, depending on how a wide variety of things shake out. I’m not saying he WILL reach the big leagues next year, but that’s clearly the potential path he’s on.
Also, I dug this section on Jefferson Rojas, who was tremendous this year, and is a massive breakout candidate next season:
“The swing is simple and direct to the ball without sacrificing power. Rojas showcased the ability to hit the ball hard to all fields in my live looks this year and handled all pitch types well. He has grown into more power, largely due to just getting bigger. When he signed, Rojas was listed at 5’8”, but is now listed at 5’10”/150 lb, people connected to Rojas tell me he is actually 5’11”/190 lb now, making him a much more physically imposing player than someone 5’8”/150.
Rojas played a fine shortstop in my looks and has a strong enough arm to stick at the position, especially considering the strong athlete that he is. Rojas has strong contact skills, positing a 77 percent contact rate, and has above-average power projection. If he continues to grow and add more power, his stock will soar. Now is the time to invest in Jefferson Rojas.”
That’s part of how you skip complex ball and explode onto the scene at 18 in full-season ball: you grow! If you’ve watched Rojas at all this year, you already know how physical he looks in his body and his swing, especially for an 18-year-old. He’ll be at High-A South Bend next year, and there’s an outside shot that he could perform so well in the first half that he reaches Double-A before his 20th birthday.
Rojas did not take the organizational All-Star nod at short, as it instead went to Luis Vazquez (which is not unfair – he had a great year and earned himself a 40-man roster spot). Here are the selections:
I like seeing Alexander Canario swinging with authority and hauling around the bases:
Pete Crow-Armstrong is universally lauded as one of the best defenders overall in the minor leagues, and yet with three cracks at an outfield Gold Glove this year, he somehow didn’t win:
PCA is, however, selected by MLB Pipeline as one of the possible rookie Gold Glove winners in the big leagues in 2024, and listed as a “clear favorite.” So someone knows he’s kinda pretty decent out there.
As a just-turned-19-year-old switch-hitting infielder at Low-A:
A 140 wRC+ with pristine peripherals. If there were a little more confidence in his glove at third (for example), I suspect Pedro Ramirez would be getting a LOT more attention.
James Triantos interview:
Owen Caissie’s exit velocity is going to average 150 mph next season, and he is also gonna knock Drago tf out:
Nice to see B.J. Murray Jr. getting in the work, too (don’t sleep on him!):
I can’t say I know exactly what’s going on here, but it looks like the younger Cubs prospects who are staying in Arizona are doing some hiking:
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