Brennen Davis Had One Heck of a Year in 2019 - Photo by Todd Johnson

Brennen Davis, Cory Abbott Named Cubs’ Top MiLB Players

Photo of Todd Johnson Todd JohnsonSeptember 17, 2019

The Cubs announced Monday that Brennen Davis and Cory Abbott had been named the system’s Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively. I wouldn’t have been surprised had Robel Garcia won the former award, but Davis was clearly the breakout player in terms of explosive talent. And at just 19 years old, his ceiling is much higher.

Though Davis did not make his full-season debut ball until late May and battled a couple of finger injuries throughout the season, he showed clearly that he is a special talent. In 50 games, he hit .305 with a .381 OBP and smacked eight home runs with 33 RBI.  His 160 wRC+ really shows his value as a run producer. He had a really abbreviated follow-through that the Cubs lengthened quite a bit to produce a drool-worthy swing.

He should be in Myrtle Beach to begin the year. Everyone here at Cubs Insider is excited to see how he does as he matriculates up the system.

Abbott had more sustained success than anyone in the system and showed that he could be physically ready for the long grind of an MLB season. He threw a system high 146.2 innings and struck out 160 with a 3.01 ERA. What I liked most about Abbott this year was that he finished strong, winning the Cubs’ August Pitcher of the Month with a 0.98 ERA.

 

He should be at Iowa to begin the year and he could be in contention to pitch in Chicago at some point in 2020. With several other pitching prospects coming up through the ranks behind him, Abbot may lead the charge in changing the narrative about the organization’s inability to develop arms.

Both players will get their awards before the Cardinals game on Thursday, September 19.

Photo of Todd Johnson Todd JohnsonSeptember 17, 2019
Back to top button