Cubs Starting to Litter Prospect Lists Again, Land 3 on BA’s Top 100

It has been a while since the heyday of 2015 when seven or eight different Cubs populated prospect lists all across baseball. That number quickly dropped, to the point that the Cubs have had just one representative on any particular roster for the better part of the last three summers. Today, however, Baseball America put three young Cub prospects on their top 100 list ($).

Brailyn Marquez, who BA named their top Cubs prospect back in December, came in at 37 and was quickly followed by Nico Hoerner. After a stellar campaign in South Bend, Brennen Davis made his debut in the 90’s. Miguel Amaya did not make the list, but one has to believe he is not too far away, especially if his bat plays up at AA.

Not to be outdone, MLB Pipeline has been rolling out their top 10 players at each position in the minors. Marquez (lefty pitchers), Amaya (catchers), and Hoerner (shortstop) were all relatively obvious choices for their respective lists, while Chase Strumpf was a very pleasant surprise for the second base group. Pipeline will release their newest top 100 list Saturday afternoon, which will probably contain Hoerner, Amaya, and Marquez. Jim Callis already stated that Davis fell just short.

The system is getting stronger and is beginning to develop high end talent, and that’s before you consider how the Cubs have restructured their tech system and added an extra hitting coach at each level. The added benefits of the pitch lab began to pay off last summer for guys like Jack Patterson and Rowan Wick. A more concentrated emphasis on hitting may have a similar impact on several position players this summer and beyond.

Keep your eye on these lists as they continue to change over the course of the next few months. With all the talent the Cubs have bubbling up from the lower levels of the minors, they figure to see more and more of their prospects being ranked as the season goes along.