The Chicago Cubs enter the 2020 season fresh off a disappointing 2019 campaign in which they missed the MLB Playoffs for the first time since the 2014 season. The Cubs are in an odd position as we are just 60 days away from opening day and it has some fans a little upset.
The lack of spending this offseason is disappointing and has fans wondering if the window has officially closed on their title run. But as we get ready for a new season, there is some hope for a brighter future. MLB Pipeline released their Top 100 prospects list for the upcoming season and the Cubs had four players land on the list:
- No. 95 Miguel Amaya
- No. 78 Brennen Davis
- No. 68 Brailyn Marquez
- No. 51 Nico Hoerner
Here is what MLB Pipeline had to say about the Cubs prospects:
The Cubs’ ability to churn out quality position prospects resulted in a long-awaited World Series title, but their inability to develop pitchers has hurt their chances of adding another championship. Though Marquez is a potential frontline starter, Hoerner, Davis and Amaya testify that the system is still deeper in bats than arms.
The Cubs having four members on the list is a positive. Their farm system was cleaned out after making some trades, including sending Eloy Jimenez and Dylan Cease to the Chicago White Sox a few years back.
But now they have started to rebuild it with the emergence of not only those four prospects but a few others who could make their mark soon as well. The highest-rated Cubs prospect, Nico Hoerner, got a taste of the big leagues last season and should spend most of 2020 at the Big League level. While the 22-year-old Hoerner tops the list for the Cubs and is the No. 9 shortstop overall, Marquez is also a prospect that has impressed the Cubs.
Cubs senior director of player development Matt Dorey commented on the prospect and the expectations for him this season:
“Brailyn, his last half of last year in Myrtle was an epic run, just in terms of the raw stuff, the strikes, the breaking ball development,” Dorey said Sunday at Cubs Convention. “I think it’s a little early to decide where he’s going to start [the season], but I would guess Double-A.
“But I wanna see how he comes into camp — especially with our new pitching infrastructure — that we’re not missing anything with his delivery or anything from a pitch data perspective. We want to make sure that’s really tied before we send him out [for] a long, full season. It’s such a big year for him. But I think it would be foolish to put any cap on what he can do this year.”
Amaya and Davis likely won’t see the Big Leagues until the 2021 season at the very earliest with Amaya likely coming before Davis.
For more on the Cubs and their farm system, check back with ChiCitySports.com.
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