Baseball America’s Top 10 Cubs Prospects

Baseball America has released their Cubs top 10 prospects and Jim Callis will have a chat about it at 1 pm if you’re interested. The Top 10 are: 1. Starlin Castro, ss 2. Brett Jackson, of 3. Josh Vitters, 3b 4. Andrew Cashner, rhp 5. Jay Jackson, rhp 6. Hak-Ju Lee, ss 7. Logan Watkins, 2b 8. Chris Carpenter, rhp 9. Ryan Flaherty, ss/2b/3b 10. D.J. LeMahieu, ss/2b I’m still unsure how Vitters is that high. I’m especially confused to find him higher than Andrew Cashner. Baseball America either thinks the Cubs have 4 really good prospects or they don’t think as highly of Cashner as they’ve made it sound up to this point. In order to read the scouting reports you must have a subscription or buy the handbook in the spring that will have the top 30 prospects for each team. The 2012 projected starters are: Catcher Geovany Soto First Base Derrek Lee Second Base Starlin Castro Third Base Aramis Ramirez Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee Left Field Josh Vitters Center Field Brett Jackson Right Field Kyler Burke No. 1 Starter Carlos Zambrano No. 2 Starter Jay Jackson No. 3 Starter Chris Carpenter No. 4 Starter Ryan Dempster No. 5 Starter Randy Wells Closer Andrew Cashner As you can see, BA doesn’t even think Vitters will be able to force the Cubs to move an aging Ramirez to another position or let him go. He’s projected to be the left fielder. These obviously don’t consider potential free agent signings or trades. It’s basically a depth chart. Cashner has the best fastball and slider in the system while Coleman has the best changeup and best control. Brett Jackson is the best overall athlete and the team’s best power hitting prospect. Hak-Ju Lee is the best hitter for average and Kyler Burke has the best discipline and outfield arm. Too bad it took him a decade to complete Low A ball. Vitters had been the team’s top prospect since he was drafted, but a couple of players have easily passed him at this point. Below is what BA says about the future of the top 5 Cubs prospects. Starlin Castro The Future: Castro’s stellar AFL performance further accelerated his timetable. He’ll probably open 2010 back in Tennessee because Darwin Barney is slated for Triple-A Iowa, but there’s rumbling that Castro could be in Chicago by season’s end. He has all the ingredients to become the Cubs’ first all-star shortstop since Shawon Dunston in 1990. Brett Jackson The Future: After using five different regular center fielders in the last five years, the Cubs are seeking stability. They may send Jackson to Double-A to start his first full pro season, and he could reach Chicago by the end of 2011. Josh Vitters The Future: By pounding Arizona Fall League pitching, Vitters made a case for opening 2010 in Double-A. He’s on course to hit the majors by the end of 2011. Andrew Cashner The Future: Whether he’s a frontline starter or a closer, Cashner should be a big part of Chicago’s future. He’ll likely begin 2010 in Double-A and could make his big league debut later in the year. Jay Jackson The Future: Once Jackson throws quality strikes on a more consistent basis, he’ll be ready for the big league rotation. He’ll probably return to Double-A to start 2010. BA also says that the Cubs haven’t ruled out Hak-Ju Lee skipping a level and starting 2010 at Daytona. They also think he’s more athletic and will push Castro to 2nd base. BA says that Logan Watkins should get a look at SS or CF, but being at the same level with Lee and Jackson make that more difficult. There’s never been any doubt about Chris Carpenter’s potential, but he’ll have to stay healthy (duh!). The Cubs haven’t settled on a position yet for Flaherty and he could end up like a Mark DeRosa type player. The Cubs “believe in LeMahiue’s bat” but they’re also unsure what position to put him in. BA believes if the Cubs settle on a position soon that he’ll move quickly through the system. There will be a lot of debate among the fans about Brett Jackson being higher than Josh Vitters. Don’t listen to it. Brett Jackson is significantly better than Vitters. Jackson plays a premium defensive position well, he has good speed, a strong arm and his throws are accurate. He runs the bases well, can hit about .280, takes a lot of walks and has a great eye at the plate. He hits home runs without overswinging and does not chase bad pitches. He also has more power than Vitters who scouts think is a left fielder or 1st baseman. Jackson has a huge edge in defense, position, patience and a small edge in power and he’s the best athlete in the Cubs organization. Vitters plays a corner spot poorly, runs below average, has average power and could hit .300. That’s the one edge Vitters has over Jackson and it doesn’t come close to making up for the advantages Jackson has on Vitters.