So, just like last year, I will be going over the top 20 prospects list that John Sickels just released. Like I've said before, there is no way to know for sure where these prospects will end up, but John Sickels has always seemed to be the most accurate of those who make these predictions. I won't copy and paste his article, but you can read it here. I will quote him on occasion and give his list and grade, then give my comments. The article is actually almost 2 weeks old (Dec. 7), but I was hoping he'd do the White Sox soon after and I could do it all at once. He didn't, and when he does the White Sox, I'll do one for them as well.
1. Kris Bryant - A
No surprise here. Sickels even says he thinks that Bryant is the best prospect in baseball. I could see Russell getting this spot, but to me it's Bryant's. That huge bat will be on the north side of town very soon.
2. Addison Russell - A
No surprise again. Russell and Bryant are both top 5 prospects in baseball, and both will almost surely have a bright future.
3. Jorge Soler - A
Since he will still technically be a rookie to start next season, Sickels has him in there. I'm not one who considers someone a prospect once they've played in the bigs, but oh well. Soler brings a big bat, solid speed, and a strong arm in the outfield. He had a very strong start for the Cubs and hopefully carries that over into next season.
4. Kyle Schwarber - A- (borderline A)
Sickels' only question for him is defense, which is the exact same way I feel. There is no denying that huge bat and his ability to draw plenty of walks without striking out much.
5. CJ Edwards - B+
Edwards was a beast when he was healthy last season and was very good in the Arizona Fall League as well. His only concerns are his health and if he can stick as a starter. I'm optimistic myself on both of those.
6. Albert Almora - B+
I believe Almora was an A last year (maybe A-), so he has fallen a bit, but he should still be able to hit for high average with some power once he's up. He's still young and his body is still developing, so the power won't show for another couple of years. His defense is top notch, and he brings a great attitude and love for the game that should be a positive in the clubhouse. His only issues are his approach and how he doesn't walk much at all. That will really kill his OBP if he can't fix that.
7. Pierce Johnson - B
Sickels and myself both seem to agree that Johnson's bigget issue is his control and that he may be up by the end of 2015. If Johnson can get that control down he will be a very solid starter for a long time.
8. Billy McKinney - B (borderline B-)
Wow, we're 8 in and it's still solid B's. McKinney is still quite young, but he has decent power already, which can possibly become 20-25 home run power in the future. He's a very good hitter with decent speed. His outfield defense is solid as well. He doesn't project to be a regular starter in CF in the future, but he should still be able to play it on occasion. My ceiling for him is a rich man's version of 2006 Matt Murton. So I'm thinking a guy who can hit about .300 with 20 home runs, 30 doubles, .375 OBP, and .500 SLG. If those look high, remember that's the ceiling.
9. Duane Underwood - B-
Until I read Sickels' article I had forgotten that Underwood is still only 20 years old. He's got top of the rotation upside, but is still quite raw. He started to put everything together last season, and if he can keep that up he can rise quickly.
10. Jen-Ho Tseng - B-
Tseng is kind of like the anti-Underwood. Both are 20 years old, right handed pitchers, and both put up fairly similar numbers last season (Tseng gave many fewer walks though). However, Tseng is more polished now while having the seemingly lower upside. I can easily see both pitchers having bright futures still.
11. Gleyber Torres - B-
Torres will be 18 next season, so he's even younger, but he's a shortstop with a sky high ceiling. He's shown that he can keep up in the states, and will surely be tested next season in his first season of full season minor league ball. However, Sickels says that he can be near the top a year from now.
12. Carson Sands - B-
Sands was one of those overslot guys that the Cubs drafted in 2014. The high schooler looked good last season, as Sickels points out too. He's another one who has a chance to rise quickly.
13. Dan Vogelbach - B-
The bat is undeniable, but the glove is deniable. I still don't see him seeing a pitch for the Cubs unless the NL picks up the DH fast. However, he can be a good part of a good trade for the Cubs. Still, great bat that should take him far.
14. Eloy Jimenez - C+
Sickels notes the insanely high celing of Jimenez. I've always kind of taken the Soler Jr look at Jimenez myself, which would go along with what Sickels said. He's still only going to be 18 next year, so patience will be essential.
At this point Sickels notes that he's really not positive with the order, and that many of the guys can be interchanged with those around them.
15. Victor Caratini - C+
Caratini was the return in the Bonifacio/Russell trade. He's a catcher with a solid bat. His glove looks like it's going to play well in the field. Sickels notes his lack of power, but he otherwise looks good.
16. Corey Black - C+
Black was the main return in the Soriano trade. In fact, Cashman didn't want to give him up, it was only after Steinbrenner told him to that he did. Sickels notes his great stuff, but worrisome control. He's another pitcher that can be very good if he can harness that control.
17. Armando Rivero - C+
He looks like a potentially strong bullpen piece for the future. He's already 26, but he finished last season at AAA, so he'll be ready to go soon.
18. Jake Stinnett - C+
Was drafted as a pitcher, despite only playing the position for two seasons in college. He's raw, but already has been pretty solid in his minor league career after being drafted in 2014.
19. Mark Zagunis - C+
The Cubs 2014 3rd round pick is a catcher, but probably won't stick there, despite not being particularly bad on defense. He's got a ton of speed and gets on base very well. The Cubs, if they do wind up bringing him up, will likely want to preserve that speed by putting him in the outfield.
20. Jeferson Mejia - C+
Mejia was sent to Arizona in the Montero trade, which happened since this article was published, but like I said when the trade went down, he's got great upside, but he's also very raw and is no guarantee to even make it to the bigs.
Other C+ guys: Gioskar Amaya, Jeffrey Baez, Dallas Beeler, Paul Blackburn, Jeimer Candelario, Dylan Cease, Jonathan Martinez, Justin Steele, Rob Zastryzny
There's still some great talent there. Jeffrey Baez has to be close to a B- or even a B guy, especially if he puts together another good year next year. He's low in the system, but seems to be very talented. Blackburn is another guy you can make a case for being a B- or B, as he was very solid for the Cougars last year and will likely start next season in A+ ball. Dylan Cease and Justin Steele are both guys who were overslot day 2 draft picks last year (Steele round 5, Cease round 6), and both may have good futures. Amaya brings a nice bat for average and on base and solid defense, but very little power. Dallas Beeler looked solid in his 2 starts for the Cubs last season, even though he gave a lot up in his second start. He's a ground ball pitcher, and he still got those ground balls, they just found the holes in the infield. Candelario is a very young 3rd baseman with decent power and a decent glove for his age. He's still in the lower levels, and he will likely start next season a high A. I believe Jonathan Martinez was the return for Darwin Barney. He's an interesting prospect who did very well after coming over in that trade in Kane County. Rob Zastryzny was the 2013 2nd round pick for the Cubs. He did well in 2013, but got off to a bad start in 2014 in Daytona. After he got settled in he pitched much better and closed the season strong.
Others (I believe these are the C guys): Charcer Burks, Trevor Clifton, Rashad Crawford, Shawon Dunston Jr, Jake Hanneman, Marco Hernandez, Eric Jokisch, Rafael Lopez, Kevonte Mitchell, James Norwood, Juan Carlos Paniagua, Starling Peralta, Bijan Rademacher, Donn Roach, Matt Szczur, Daury Torres, Christian Villanueva
That's a very solid group of guys with many guys with high ceilings who are just at very low levels right now. Guys like Rashad Crawford, Jake Hanneman, Kevonte Mitchell, James Norwood, JC Paniagua, and Rademacher all fit this profile. Either way, these are guys who can all be good role players in the big leagues.
Sickels mentions that he thinks the Cubs have the best system in baseball, and he doesn't even seem to think it's too close. When you look at this and see that there's 46 guys who are C or better, it's easy to see why. He's also the first mainstream writer I've seen recognize that the pitching is starting to get impressive as well, although it has a long way to go to catch up to the hitting in his eyes (which I agree).
Seeing articles like this and seeing where the Cubs are now, going into next season, really continues to give me optimism for the future of the franchise. Even though very few of these guys will ever play for the Cubs, most that don't will still be parts of trades that will bring more big league talent to the Cubs. There is just so much that the Cubs have to work with here. This is a very exciting time to be a Cubs fan.
Again, please read the article. Here it is again.
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