Pete Crow-Armstrong Moves to No. 15 Overall, Cade Horton Among Biggest Risers in Updated Top 100 Rankings

MLB Pipeline has updated its top 100 prospect rankings and the Cubs have three representatives rising up the charts. The organization did have one player drop off, however, as Brennen Davis is no longer listed. That shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, nor is it a strike against a system that has long been viewed as deeper and broader than the top-heavy iterations of 2014-16. As we’ve noted here many times, running the ranks to 150 prospects would make the Cubs look much better.

No one in the system looks better right now than center fielder of the future, Pete Crow-Armstrong, who got enough helium from a fast start at Double-A Tennessee to move to No. 15. That’s 13 spots higher than he was in the January version, and the argument could be made that it’s not high enough.

Kevin Alcántara moved to No. 75, up 12 spots from January, and Cade Horton shot all the way to 68 after not being listed at all at the start of the year. He was actually at No. 89 in Pipeline’s more recent update, putting him among the highest risers this time around. Just six other prospects made bigger climbs up the ladder, with Mariners righty Bryce Miller (86 to 61) standing as the only pitcher to move up more spots.

Again, I have to point out just how strong the Cubs’ system remains behind these top three. Davis dropped to seventh on Pipeline’s top 30 for the org, surpassed by Jordan Wicks, Matt Mervis, and Ben Brown. Jackson Ferris, who is already at Low-A as a 19-year-old after being drafted out of high school last summer, is at No. 8 and Owen Caissie is somehow all the way down at 12.

Miguel Amaya, who was very impressive during his time with the Cubs filling in for Yan Gomes, is all the way down at No. 14. That tells you more about how good this system is than seeing Davis fall out of the top 100.