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A holistic view of the Cubs farm system, starting with prospects 100-51.
Welcome to the 2023 Chicago Cubs top prospects series. In the baseball world, we get a lot of top prospects lists. Typically, you’ll see top-100 MLB prospects or top-10-30 prospects rankings for any given team. Well, an obsession with the Cubs combined with an addictive personality led to ranking over 100 prospects in Chicago's farm system from the DSL to Triple-A Iowa.
In this edition, I’ll give you some essential information on what the grades mean, how the series will break down, and then the prospects ranked 100-51 in the Cubs’ farm system. I’ll throw in some honorable mentions, too.
Grading System
My grading system is largely a traditional one—80 point scale, 80 being as elite as you could possibly get. I base the grades on a mixture of current performance and potential, with an obvious bias toward potential. A prospect’s overall grade is simply an average of their attribute grades. As such, you’ll most likely see players with, say, an electric fastball but serious command issues lower in my rankings than some others. The general breakdown will look familiar:
25-35: Below Average Range (An overall range here would be a fringe MLB player at best)
40-45: Average Range (An overall range here would be a potential MLB reserve or role player)
50: Above Average (An overall range here would be a probable MLB contributor)
55: Good (An overall range here would be a potential MLB everyday player)
60-65: Great Range (An overall range here would be a potential MLB All-Star)
70: Elite (An overall range here would be a potential perennial All-Star and MLB season award winner)
75-80: Incredible Range (An overall range here would, essentially, be a potential Mike Trout)
You can apply those grade rationales to attribute grades to get a better understanding of them, too. For example, if a prospect has his contact attribute graded as a 35, I’m projecting that he would be a below-average hitter in the MLB, hitting sub .240. On the flip side, if a prospect has a 70 grade on his fielding attribute, I’m projecting him to put out a DefEff (Defensive Efficiency) over .715 and a Defensive WAR (Wins Above Replacement) over 1.1.
Series Breakdown
With the number of prospects listed in this series, it would be tough to put them all into one article. As such, we’ll have a breakdown like this:
- Prospects 100-51
- Prospects 50-26
- Prospects 25-11
- Prospects 10-4
- Prospect 3
- Prospect 2
- Prospect 1
Without further ado, let’s get into it starting with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
JP Wheat, RHP, 20, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 35 | Changeup: 35 | Control: 35 | Overall: 35
Yeison Santana, IF, 22, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 30 | Run: 45 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 35
Chris Kachmar, RHP, 26, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 40 | Control: 30 | Overall: 35
Liam Spence, IF, 24, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Hit: 35 | Power: 30 | Run: 40 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 35
Andy Garriola, OF, 23, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 30 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 35 | Field: 35 | Overall: 35
Wilson Cunningham, LHP, 19, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 35 | Changeup: 35 | Control: 40 | Overall: 35
Gotta give some love to Wilson Cunningham, a player I am rooting for, hoping he continues to develop. The 6-foot-8, 185-pound southpaw signed a unique deal with the Cubs out of high school.
Essentially, the projectable lefty will attend the University of Chicago full-time while also playing professionally when not in school, working with the Cubs to develop along the way. His fastball has plenty of sink to it, and—if he can get it up to the mid-90s—his other pitches could play off it well.
Chicago Cubs Top Prospects: 100-51
100. Ke’Shun Collier, OF, 22, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 25 | Run: 50 | Arm: 35 | Field: 40 | Overall: 35
99. Eligio Paredes, RHP, 20, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 35 | Curveball: 45 | Control: 35 | Overall: 35
98. Shane Marshall, RHP, 22, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 35 | Control: 30 | Overall: 35
97. Casey Opitz, C, 24, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Hit: 35 | Power: 35 | Run: 35 | Arm: 35 | Field: 45 | Overall: 35
96. Josue Huma, IF, 22, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Hit: 35 | Power: 30 | Run: 40 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 35
95. Luis Rujano, RHP, 19, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 35 | Changeup: 35 | Control: 35 | Overall: 35
94. Eduarniel Nunez, RHP, 23, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 35 | Curveball: 30 | Control: 30 | Overall: 35
93. Carlos Altuve, C/1B, 17, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 30 | Run: 30 | Arm: 50 | Field: 40 | Overall: 35
The Cubs signed Altuve out of Venezuela in the 2021-22 International Free Agency (IFA) period. He was a lesser-heralded member of the Cubs’ class that brought in Alexis Hernandez, Adan Sanchez, and Jefferson Rojas.
He immediately showed off his skills with the bat and behind the plate in a small sample size during the 2022 DSL season. The 18-year-old flashes solid bat-to-ball skills and an above-average arm. In 2022, Altuve slashed .297/.348/.328 in 30 games and threw out 33% of would-be base stealers in 12 games at catcher.
92. Burl Carraway, LHP, 23, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 55 | Control: 20 | Overall: 40
91. Cayne Ueckert, RHP, 26, Triple-A Iowa
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Control: 30 | Overall: 40
90. D.J. Artis, OF, 25, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Arm: 35 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
89. Andy Weber, IF, 25, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 30 | Run: 40 | Arm: 40 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
88. Blake Whitney, RHP, 26, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 40 | Curveball: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
87. Jose Escobar, IF, 18, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 40 | Field: 35 | Overall: 40
86. Saul Gonzalez, RHP, 23, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 35 | Slider: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
85. Mathew Peters, RHP, 21, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 60 | Slider: 40 | Control: 30 | Overall: 40
84. Nelson Maldonado, 1B, 26, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 40 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40
83. Haydn McGeary, C/1B, 23, Low-A Myrtle Bend
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 35 | Run: 35 | Arm: 40 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
82. Connor Noland, RHP, 23, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
Noland was the Cubs’ ninth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Arkansas. The righty had a solid 2022 season with the Razorbacks, putting up a 3.65 ERA in 116 innings. While Noland has a good slider, he didn’t miss an excessive amount of bats in college, averaging 8.8 last year. Still, if Pitching Ninja promotes you, you have some nasty stuff.
For his pitch mix, Noland has also thrown a changeup at times, but his breaking ball is his best attribute. Noland started in college, but I’d assume he ultimately ends up in the bullpen, hopefully being able to utilize more velocity to mix with his breaking stuff. Chicago signed Noland with an above-slot $200,000 bonus.
81. Parker Chavers, OF, 24, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 35 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
80. Jared Young, IF, 27, Triple-A Iowa
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 45 | Run: 35 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
79. Branden Noriega, LHP, 21, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 35 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
78. Michael McAvene, RHP, 25, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Control: 35 | Overall: 40
77. Chase Watkins, LHP, 23, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 35 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
76. Nick Hull, RHP, 23, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
Hull, the Cubs’ seventh-round draft pick in 2022, was one of the players who got a cup of coffee in the minors during the same year he was drafted. In four games (three starts) with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Hull posted a 3.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and .235 BAA in 9.2 innings.
It is a super small sample size, yet it is still impressive that Hull went from pitching at Grand Canyon to facing professional hitters and holding his own. Honestly, I think his slider could be graded even higher than I have it right now. He spins his slider at a rate of around 3,000 RPM, and it has some nasty movement at times.
75. Didier Vargas, LHP, 23, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 35 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 40 | Control: 45 | Overall: 40
74. Tyler Santana, RHP, 24, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
73. Jefferson Rojas, IF, 17, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 55 | Arm: 40 | Field: 35 | Overall: 40
72. Will Frisch, RHP, 22, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 35 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 35 | Overall: 40
71. Brody McCullough, RHP, 22, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 35 | Slider: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
70. Yovanny Cruz, RHP, 23, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 55 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 30 | Overall: 40
69. Richard Gallardo, RHP, 21, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 40 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 35 | Overall: 40
68. Scott Kobos, LHP, 25, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 35 | Overall: 40
67. Max Bain, RHP, 25, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 40 | Control: 30 | Overall: 40
66. Juan Mora, 2B, 23, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Arm: 40 | Field: 50 | Overall: 40
65. Levi Jordan, IF, 27, Triple-A Iowa
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 40 | Run: 45 | Arm: 40 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
64. Gabriel Agrazal, RHP, 19, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 40 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
63. Cole Roederer, OF, 23, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Hit: 35 | Power: 40 | Run: 50 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
62. Brandon Birdsell, RHP, 22, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
61. Mason McGwire, RHP, 19, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Slider: 35 | Splitter: 50 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
60. Tyler Schlaffer, RHP, 21, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
I really like Schlaffer and can easily see him rising rapidly through prospect rankings in 2023. The 2019 ninth-round pick from Homewood, Illinois has some impressive breaking stuff that stands out more than his fastball. Still, though, he incorporates a four-seam and two-seam fastball and projects solidly as a back-end starting pitching prospect.
In 2022, Schlaffer put up a 3.82 ERA and 1.12 WHIP over 18 starts in Low-A Myrtle Beach. Batters hit just .193 against him, and he struck out 84 over 75.1 innings. Schlaffer ended the season in South Bend, making one start. He gave up two earned runs in 5.0 IP, striking out two and walking just one. If Schlaffer starts out as well as he ended the season, expect to see him climbing prospect rankings and through the farm system.
59. Adan Sanchez, C/3B, 17, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 30 | Run: 35 | Arm: 45 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40
58. Pedro Ramirez, IF, 18, Low-A Myrtle Beach
Scouting Grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40
57. Luis Verdugo, IF, 22, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 35 | Run: 45 | Arm: 45 | Field: 45 | Overall: 40
56. Brody McCullough, RHP, 22, ROK
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 40 | Curveball: 40 | Slider: 45 | Changeup: 40 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
55. Adam Laskey, LHP, 24, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Curveball: 45 | Changeup: 45 | Control: 40 | Overall: 40
54. Ismael Mena, OF, 20, ROK
Scouting Grades: Hit: 40 | Power: 30 | Run: 60 | Arm: 40 | Field: 40 | Overall: 40
53. Jake Slaughter, IF, 26, Double-A Tennessee
Scouting Grades: Hit: 45 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 45 | Field: 40 | Overall: 45
Slaughter finds himself in the low 50s of my rankings, but he’s still a prospect to keep an eye on this year for Chicago Cubs fans. There’s a real chance Slaughter gets some time with the Cubs this year or next. Primarily, Slaughter plays third base, but he can also handle first and second. He’s not exactly a standout on defense, but he has a solid arm and could be solid MLB depth.
In 2022, Slaughter broke out offensively. The LSU product spent a little time with High-A South Bend before primarily playing with Double-A Tennessee. While Slaughter performed significantly better with Tennessee, his stat line between the two levels is still, overall, impressive. On the season, Slaughter slashed .284/.381/.514 with 21 doubles and 23 home runs.
Moreover, Slaughter stole 36 bases on 44 attempts, hence the 60 grade for running. Slaughter is on the older side for prospects, especially beneath Triple-A, but he just broke out and will hopefully continue to build on that success.
52. Jake Reindl, RHP, 25, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Control: 40 | Overall: 45
51. Riley Martin, LHP, 24, High-A South Bend
Scouting Grades: Fastball: 50 | Curveball: 50 | Control: 45 | Overall: 45
What's On Tap Next?
Next up, we’ll dive into prospects 50-26, and we’ll go more in-depth on those guys. One of the most interesting things about building a top 100 prospects list for a single team is there can be a ton of varying opinions on prospects, especially those who have not had much experience (or any experience) playing professional baseball yet.
As such, if you see anything on this list you disagree or agree with, let me know on Twitter! I’d love to talk about it with you. Otherwise, stay tuned for prospects 50-26 in the Chicago Cubs farm system.
More must-reads:
- A's place struggling starter on injured list
- This player is responsible for more than a quarter of Tigers' offense
- The 'MLB Rookies of the Year' quiz
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