Under is an evaluation of the prospects within the farm system of the Chicago Cubs. Scouting studies had been compiled with info supplied by trade sources in addition to our personal observations. That is the fifth 12 months we’re delineating between two anticipated aid roles, the abbreviations for which you’ll see within the “place” column beneath: MIRP for multi-inning aid pitchers, and SIRP for single-inning aid pitchers. The ETAs listed usually correspond to the 12 months a participant needs to be added to the 40-man roster to keep away from being made eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Handbook changes are made the place they appear acceptable, however we use that as a rule of thumb.
A fast overview of what FV (Future Worth) means could be discovered right here. A a lot deeper overview could be discovered right here.
All the ranked prospects beneath additionally seem on The Board, a useful resource the location gives that includes sortable scouting info for each group. It has extra particulars (and up to date TrackMan information from varied sources) than this text and integrates each group’s listing so readers can examine prospects throughout farm techniques. It may be discovered right here.
Different Prospects of Be aware
Grouped by kind and listed so as of desire inside every class.
Energy Bats, Dicey Contact
Haydn McGeary, 1B
Felix Stevens, 1B/OF
Andy Garriola, OF
Anderson Suriel, OF
Ivan Brethowr, OF
A small college catcher, McGeary’s professional profession was shot out of a cannon, as he hit 19 homers in 2023 and put up a few of the extra spectacular exit velos within the minors. In 2024, he struck out 31% of the time and slugged .354. He must return to the 23%-ish strikeout space. Stevens is an enormously sturdy 25-year-old Cuban first baseman who has additionally posted a few of the loudest peak exit velocities in all of professional baseball, however he’s putting out at a 34% clip within the mid-minors. Garriola is a 25-year-old outfielder from Outdated Dominion who hit 18 bombs in 90 A-ball video games earlier than he was promoted to Excessive-A in August. Suriel is a medium-framed nook outfield prospect with above-average bat velocity. He’s taken perpetually to exit rookie ball, however he’s developed fairly massive energy throughout that point. Brethowr (who transferred from ASU to UCSB) is a 6-foot-6 power-hitting proper fielder who had 28 bombs in 112 school video games.
Wild Guys With Monster Stuff
JP Wheat, RHP
Sam Thoresen, RHP
Jose Romero, RHP
Wheat, 22, is a 6-foot-5 low-ish slot righty who sits 96 and flashes an enormous slider. He had 36 walks in 22.1 innings final 12 months. A 2020 undrafted free agent out of Minnesota, Thoresen sits 95 with above-average carry and flashes a plus upper-80s slider, however he has 20 or 30 management and walked nearly a batter per inning in 2024. Romero is a 5-foot-10, 185 pound righty with a 94 mph fastball and a plus sweeper. He walked practically a batter per inning at Excessive-A final 12 months.
Raiders of the Misplaced Park (Indy Ball Signees)
Nico Zeglin, RHP
Connor Schultz, RHP
Zeglin, 24, started his school profession at a JUCO, then went to Gonzaga, and eventually landed at Lengthy Seashore State, the place he had a sub-1.00 WHIP as a starter throughout his senior 12 months, however nonetheless went undrafted. Zeglin instantly went to the Pioneer League, the place he performed for the Rocky Mountain Vibes, man. He signed with the Cubs in 2024 and pitched rather well, posting a 0.33 ERA as a Excessive-A reliever through the second half of the season. He sits about 91 and has a superb changeup. Schultz, 25, spent 4 years at Butler, one at Iowa, after which components of three seasons with the Missoula PaddleHeads, additionally of the Pioneer League. He signed with the Cubs in 2024 and dominated A-ball for 30 innings, principally with changeup of his personal.
Nonetheless Creating
Erian Rodriguez, RHP
Yovanny Cabrera, RHP
Thomas Mangus, RHP
Daniel Avitia, RHP
The 23-year-old Rodriguez, who very similar to Daniel Espino was born in Panama however went to highschool in Georgia, was a 2021 Day Three select of Georgia Premier Academy. He has a statuesque 6-foot-3 body and can bump 95-96, albeit with ineffective motion. He moved into the rotation through the second half of 2024 and commenced working extra along with his secondary stuff. Each his slider and changeup are about common and bettering. Though he’s 23, Erian is a fairly good developmental prospect who would possibly break late.
Cabrera is a 23-year-old Dominican righty who’s on the aid prospect fringe. He sat 93-96 in 2024 and has an sometimes good curveball. His command was higher on the very finish of the 12 months and if he can maintain that in 2025, we may be speaking a couple of quick-moving center inning man. Mangus signed for a bit over $200,000 out of Navarro JC in Texas relatively than head to Oklahoma. He’s a well-built righty with a protracted arm swing, plus-plus fastball spin (however below-average velocity), and a doubtlessly good slider. Avitia is a low three-quarters slot right-hander out of Grand Canyon who the Cubs gave $150,000 to within the twelfth spherical. He works with a fastball/changeup combo. His heater sits within the low-90s with operating motion, whereas his low-80s changeup, which he exhibits superior general really feel for, has vital fade and depth to it.
Younger, Excessive-Variance Bats
Robin Ortiz, OF
Jose Escobar, 2B
Angel Cepeda, SS
Ludwing Espinoza, SS
Ortiz is a huge-framed 18-year-old outfield prospect at 6-foot-4. He has above-average uncooked energy already and didn’t strike out a regarding quantity in his professional debut. Escobar is the following Pedro Ramirez or maybe Yonathan Perlaza kind. He’s a compact second base grinder, superior for his age and wielding a possible 50/40 hit/energy combo. Cepeda is the toolsiest of this bunch, a 6-foot-1 Dominican SS/3B who slashed .298/.383/.428 on the advanced. He has looming strikeout points retaining him off the principle part of the listing. Espinoza was a $1 million signee who has but to submit a mean DSL line in two seasons there.
System Overview
The Cubs have made some high-profile strikes on the halfway level of the offseason, however their farm system hasn’t modified a ton. The Kyle Tucker commerce price them 2024 first spherical choose Cam Smith, who would have ranked fourth on this listing and whose scouting report yow will discover right here. Because the system stands proper now, it’s a shade beneath common by way of each depth and high-end affect. Their drop relative to our 2024 in-season evaluation principally comes from rounding down on Moises Ballesteros and Owen Caissie, who had been each High 100 prospects within the current previous, and who each now look extra like good function gamers than foundational guys you construct round.
The core of this method, and the place the place potential foundational items lurk, is in all of these younger shortstops littered by way of the underside third of the listing. The early returns on these $3-4 million worldwide newbie shortstops aren’t nice, however their defensive skill and bat velocity give them the potential to make an eventual leap. The identical is true of Ty Southisense, Ronny Cruz, and a extra mature Derniche Valdez. In every of those gamers’ particular person instances you may see why the Cubs gave them as a lot cash as they did, although the priciest three (Cristian Hernandez, Fernando Cruz, and Valdez) are those struggling probably the most proper now. Eriandys Ramon (massive hole) and Yahil Melendez have the most effective probability to leap into the general High 100 over the course of the following two years.
There was fairly a little bit of digital ink dedicated to the Cubs’ funding in tech and dev infrastructure to attempt to higher develop pitchers. There actually isn’t a lot proof of progress on that finish of their system proper now. Accidents or regression are an enormous a part of the write-up for all however a pair pitchers on this complete listing. Birdsell, Noland, and Neely (who isn’t homegrown) are principally prepared, however everybody else has to show they’ll keep wholesome, throw strikes, or each.
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