This is where I'll be making my guesses as to where the top Cubs prospects will be starting next season. With the Baez promotion, things are getting fun, especially with how well some of the rest of the top prospects have been playing lately. I'm going to take a bunch of current Cubs prospects, ones that I'm the highest on, and predict where they start next season. Why do I do this? Not because I think it's something super important, I mean, sports in general are pretty trivial in the big picture of life, at least for 99% of us, I'm doing it because it's fun to speculate and then see how you did later. I'll probably be doing an updated version later, but I won't make any promises. Also, I will include a couple of guys with some big league experience, one with 3 games and another that's back in AAA.
Jorge Soler - Major League
Soler will probably be up by the end of this season, maybe even by the end of this month. I see very little chance that he's in the minors at the start of next season, especially considering he's considered to be ready for the Cubs already.
Javier Baez - Major League
This is more saying that I think he's up to stay.
Kris Bryant - AAA
I think Bryant would be ready if he's brought up, but it seems like Jed and Theo want to keep him down for a bit more. He could wind up being up by the end of the first month of next season though.
Mike Olt - Major League
Hopefully Olt has worked through his problems by the time next season starts, because I think he's given another chance in the bigs. He's absolutely tearing AAA apart right now, so if this continues he's earned another shot.
Addison Russell AAA
I don't see any way Russell doesn't get the call to AAA. He's simply playing too well in AA right now. He's earned the promotion, and rather it happens late this season or not until the start of next season, I'm pretty sure he starts at AAA.
Albert Almora AA
He hasn't really done much at AA yet. He clearly will need to get adjusted and have some sort of sustained success at AA before he's moved to AAA, and I don't think he's going to be able to do all of that by the end of the season. I think he'll eventually be up, but that promotion to Tennessee may have been a touch aggressive.
Stephen Bruno AAA
Bruno's been very solid at AA this year, I don't see any way he starts next season still at AA.
Pierce Johnson AAA
Johnson hasn't played a ton this year, but he's played enough to show that he's ready to play at AAA. He may get some AFL action just to be sure though.
CJ Edwards AAA
I'm certain Edwards gets some time in the AFL before this happens, and I doubt that AAA is any more than penciled in at this point, eraser ready if he even tweaks anything or has a bad AFL experience.
Christian Villanueva AA
Once Bryant is up, this moves to AAA.
Corey Black AAA
Black has been very good this year in AA, and I have no doubt that he moves up.
Lendy Castillo AAA
He was solid for the Smokies this year, and I think he's done enough to start next year in AAA.
Billy McKinney AA
To be honest, I think he might get a call to AA by the end of this year. If he tears things up enough there, this could wind up being AAA, but I doubt it happens. He's another candidate for the AFL, and if he plays well there he might wind up at AAA, another way for him to possibly land there, but that would have to be combined with an in season promotion to AA. Either way, he's looked very good since coming to the Cubs.
Dan Vogelbach AA
Vogelbach may be moving as slowly as he has been because they just want to wait up until there's a chance for the NL to add the DH, because once he figured things out at high A he started hitting the ball very well. He had another home run today, and has been hitting everything better the last couple of months. He'll be ready for AA next year.
Kyle Schwarber AA
He has had a few problems at high A, but there's no doubt he'll be ready for AA once next season starts.
Jacob Hanneman AA
After a slow start, this season turned into just what the doctor ordered for Hanneman. He's been hitting for some power, but moreso he's been stealing a lot of bases and hitting for good average.
Rock Shoulders High A
Shoulders has hit for some power this year, but he's also hit for low average and has a below average OPS right now, so I think he'll have to at least start next season in Daytona still.
Gioskar Amaya AA
Amaya has quietly had a very nice season.
Rob Zastryzny High A
While this has been a tough year for him, I think he starts in Daytona, but can be promoted very quickly if he performs early.
Gerardo Conception AA
Conception isn't who the Cubs thought they were getting when they signed him out of Cuba, but he's gradually started putting things together. It's still unsure as to if he'll be a starter or reliever once he's up, but he's starting to actually show some life.
Jen-Ho Tseng High A
Hopefully the only question here is how high he's promoted. While I think he could pitch well in AA, I think the Cubs keep it one step at a time and don't try to skip any levels.
Paul Blackburn High A
Much like Tseng, I don't see any way Blackburn doesn't get promoted, although I am positive it's just one level this time.
Duane Underwood High A
Underwood's probably been Kane County's second best pitcher this year. I don't see him getting rushed at all, but he'll easily be promoted.
Dillon Maples Low A
Maples just hasn't had a great year. He's barely played due to injury and hasn't been able to get anything really going all year. It's been a lost year for him.
Ben Wells High A
He's done well in KC and Boise this year, but in Daytona he's struggled a bit. I see him getting another shot at Daytona.
Chesny Young High A
He hasn't played a ton at Kane County, but everywhere he's been he's torn up pitching. This is a case I see of a player just not being challenged where he is right now. Daytona may finally give him a challenge.
Jeimer Candelario High A
They started Candelario at Daytona this year, but had to move him down. He's still quite young, only 20 right now, and at 21 he might be good to go in Daytona.
Victor Caratini High A
In the Braves system and so far in Kane County he's played well, and as a catcher prospect the Cubs will very likely be willing to move him up.
Jeffrey Baez High A
I have a feeling his recent promotion was to see if he would be ready for a Daytona promotion for next season, and so far it looks like he is.
Shawon Dunston High A
He had a slow start, but has since really kicked it up a notch. He will be ready for Daytona next year.
Trevor Clifton Low A
He hasn't turned the world upside down, but he's a high ceiling pitcher who has been solid this year.
Joshua Conway Low A
He's fallen a bit behind due to injury, so the Cubs will probably be willing to move him as he shows it. Expect it to start with Kane County next season.
James Norwood Low A
One of the overslot signings from the top ten rounds in this year's draft, Norwood is likely only in Boise to get acclimated to professional baseball right now.
Charcer Burks Low A
Burks will be ready to be a young 20 year old in Kane County next season.
Rashad Crawford Low A
Crawford has shown enough at this point to go ahead and start him at Kane County next season. He'll be their Shawon Dunston next year.
Mark Zagunis Low A
Zagunis is another catcher that brings a solid bat. While he's getting a lot of time in the outfield, it's likely to keep his legs fresh so he doesn't wear them down on his way up. His bat has been very good this year.
Jeferson Mejia Short A
Mejia is raw, but he's ready to move forward.
Carson Sands Short A
It's been a small sample size, but Sands has just dominated AZL hitters so far.
Justin Steele Short A
Same thing as with Sands, both are also some of the overslots from the top ten rounds as well.
Jake Stinnett Short A
He hasn't even pitched an inning yet (.2), but I have a feeling the Cubs are already planning to start him in Boise next year.
Varonex Cuevas Short A
He started in Boise this year and had a slow start, but as he started to heat up he was sent to the Arizona Rookie League instead of being kept in Boise. He's done very well there and looks to be ready to start next year in Boise.
Ho-Young Son Short A
Son was a pretty big international signing, for as far as international signings go, but he was forgotten in the excitement over Mejia, Tseng, Torres, and Jimenez.
Gleyber Torres Short A
Torres got off to a quick start, then slumped pretty badly, but has turned it back on since then. He looks like he's ready for Boise at this point.
Eloy Jimenez Short A
Jimenez hasn't been great so far, but he's been solid. He's starting to get a reputation for being like a younger version of Jorge Soler. He's only 17 right now, so he'll be very young for Boise, along with Torres.
Kevonte Mitchell Short A
He's been very solid in Arizona so far, including 12 stolen bases without being caught.
Of course I wasn't going to go over everyone in the entire system, I still wound up touching on over 40 prospects here. These are some of the guys I can see actually getting to the major league level at some point, and they're clearly not everyone in the system who will make the big league level. There's some that just aren't anything more than future reserves, and others I may have just plain forgotten. Of course not all of these guys will make it to the Cubs, as there isn't even enough room on the 40 man roster for all of them, but it's great to see such a high number of prospects that we can be hopeful for.
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