Cubs' top 20 prospects for 2022: Keith Law ranks Chicago's farm system (2023)

TheBabieshad just one top-100 prospect, but the system is actually in its best shape since the core of the 2016 team was running in the minors, with a bunch of bats with high upside in the lower levels since the recent spate of trades and the most recent rough class.

To qualify for these rankings, players must still be eligible for the 2022 Rookie of the Year Award, meaning they cannot have more than 130 at-bats, 50 innings, or 45 days on an active roster for this year season.

1. Burn Davis, OV (Top 100 ranking: No. 28)

Age:22 | 6-4 | 210 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 62 in 2018

Davis is an exceptional athlete who starred in baseball and basketball in high school, and this year some of that amateur showing showed up in games, as he hit 19 total homers across three levels, ending up in Triple A as a 21-year-old. Davis has gotten a lot stronger since the pandemic wiped out his 2020 season, and now drives the ball to all fields, with a balanced swing that generates that power from his upper and lower half. He's still running well, though he's lost some velocity as he's filled out, and there's a better chance he'll end up in right field than he did a year ago, though he could probably be an average centerfielder for a team without an elite glove out there. The power/OBR ability is what really sells Davis, who looks like he'll be a very different player than anyone saw him as a skinny 18-year-old with 30-homer upside and a chance to remain a middle infielder.

2. Owen Caissie, OF

Age:19 | 6-4 | 190 pounds
Bats:Left |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 45 in 2020

Caissie came over in the Yu Darvish trade last winter, and never played a game for the team that drafted him (San Diego), then destroyed extended spring training and the Arizona Complex League. Even with concerns about his glove — he runs and throws well enough to play right field, but has been bad out there so far — his bat looks like he'll play at either position, with potential for 50 strikeouts and 60 or even 70 strength. He hits errors far and shows good strike zone awareness, even with some swing and miss, which is more offensive than failing to recognize pitches or balls and strikes.

3. Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF

Age:20 | 6-0 | 184 pounds
Bats:Left |Throws:Left
Compiled:No. 19 in 2020

Acquired on deadline forJavier Baez, Crowe-Armstrong played just six games in 2021 before injuring his non-throwing shoulder and undergoing season-ending surgery. It was theMetsFirst-round pick in 2020, a potential hitter with hitter feel, good eye at the plate and plus defense in center, with nothing but power among key tools. Missed time hurts, but he was already an advanced player for his age, so maybe it will matter less in his case.

4. Jordan Wicks, LHP

Age:22 | 6-3 | 220 pounds
Bats:Left |Throws:Left
Compiled:No. 21 in 2021

Wicks, who made his Cubs debut in 2021, is a lefty changeup who has more power than the typical college lefty, and the Cubs have already worked to help him tighten up his curveball. His fastball could end up being his least valuable pitch in time, being up to 95, but he can play true, but between his feel for handling the baseball and some physical deception, there are middle-of-the-rotation starting ingredients. He may never be much better than league average, but he could contend for a long time, even as his fastball starts to wane.

5. Cristian Hernandez, SS

Age:18 | 6-2 | 175 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly

The Cubs signed Hernandez for $3 million last offseason, and he made his DSL debut last summer, hitting .285/.398/.424 as a 17-year-old. He's shown some tendency to try to pull the ball for power there, but his normal swing uses the middle of the infield well, and he'll get more than enough power without resorting to a dead-pull approach. He'll be on the longer side for shortstop, but not so much that he has to move out of position with an arm and a leg to be able to stay there. We'll see how the bat performs against the best competition in the ACL this year, but he offers more upside than anyone in the system.

6. Kevin Alcantara, OF

Age:19 | 6-6 | 188 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly

Acquired in the Anthony Rizzo trade last summer, Alcantara is a tool-type pitching guy who has already shown tremendous growth since his 16-year-old debut in 2019. He put on significant muscle during 2020, and the added strength has helped improve of his bat control, so his swing became much more consistent and powerful, even with more room to continue filling out his 6-6 frame. There's a potential for plus hitting, plus power, in a center package here, depending on how his body develops. Early signs are very positive overall.

7. James Triandos, SS/2B

Age:19 | 6-1 | 195 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 56 in 2021

The Cubs' second-round pick in 2021, Triandos reclassified from the 2022 draft class to graduate early and had a strong spring where he just hit — reports have him hitting once all season, though that's unconfirmed - without being a big power potential. In pro ball, though, he showed harder contact than expected, with plenty of bat speed to get to it without needing much projection. He's stocky now, much more likely to move to second in the future, but if you buy this hit tool, he should be a strong regular at worst.

8. Reggie Preciado, SS

Age:19 | 6-4 | 185 pounds
Bats:Both |Throws:correctly

Preciado was also part of the Darvish deal, along with Owen Caissie, and like Caissie made his Cub debut. He's long and lean with the potential for above-average power down the road, but has less of a chance with his hit tool than the Caissie/Alcantara/Triantos team. He's also more likely to move to third base as he fills in, perhaps a 60/40 or 70/30 chance, with the tradeoff that more power would probably equal more power.

9.Caleb Kilian, RHP

Age:25 | 6-4 | 180 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 236 in 2019

I couldn't have seen Kilian any worse since I was in his AFL appearance where he didn't retire a batter and gave up seven runs - he didn't have his usual stuff and hitters. He's usually up to 98 with a 55/60 changeup and a new curveball that has a chance to add another above-average weapon while doing so with plus control and a great feel for moving the ball up the zone, with just 13 walks in 100 regular season innings. He's probably a solid starter at No. 4, but the way he's acquired more things, from better velocity to the new ball, gives a little reason to believe he could be more.

10.Miguel Amaya, G

Age:23 | 6-2 | 230 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly

Amaya is set to miss most of the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and could end up with just 106 PA between 2020-2022 if he is out for the entire year. He has upside power, but he hasn't hit that well since 2018, and his best attribute behind the plate has been his arm, so his prospect status is very much up in the air.

11. Yohendrick Pinago, OF

Age:20 | 5-11 | 170 pounds
Bats:Left |Throws:Left

Pinango's year was better than it seemed at first glance. Myrtle Beach is a bad place to hit, especially for power, and Pinango has been much better on the road, hitting .290/.350/.421 in road games. He is able to put the bat on the ball so easily that he can swing at suboptimal pitches. He needs to learn to take more advantage of the crowd to hit pitches that he can drive into the gaps, with solid average power coming in the future. It's out for a corner so he has to tap. Just don't count the 2021 season as anything but a positive sign for a 19-year-old who had only played in the major leagues.

12. Kevin Made, SS

Age:19 | 5-10 | 160 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly

Made went to Low-A Myrtle Beach at age 18 and did just about everything he pitched, with just six walks in 243 PA. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and still managed to put the ball in play quite a bit while playing capable defense at short and third (after splitting time with 2019 first-round pick Ed Howard). He'll mostly be a closer, but he can reach average power despite his 5-10 frames.

13. DJ Herz, LHP

Age:21 | 6-2 | 175 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:Left
Compiled:No. 252 in 2019

Herz, who should be part of a hip-hop duo with MC Hizz, is a funky lefty with changeup upside and a decent slider, and if he can even get to solid average control, he can be a fourth baseman. The lack of a plus breaking ball is less of a problem for him because lefties simply don't see the ball out of his hand.

14.Brailyn Marquez, LHP

Age:23 | 6-4 | 185 pounds
Bats:Left |Throws:Left

Marquez was a top 100 prospect a year ago, thenhe missed the entire seasonwith shoulder pain, not even flying in back fields in Arizona. He had gone 101-102 with a plus slider, but we have to see how his stuff comes back and what kind of workload he can handle.

15. Kohl Franklin, RHP

Age:22 | 6-4 | 195 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 188 in 2018

Franklin missed the entire 2021 season with a strained strain, which is new to me, but before that he was probably the Cubs' most intriguing prospect, a three-pitch guy with good output and potential for average or better control. We just have to see him play.

16. Ed Howard, SS

Age:20 | 6-2 | 185 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 16 in 2020

Howard showed he's a potentially elite defender at short, but his pro debut at Low-A Myrtle Beach yielded just a .225/.277/.315 line as he was outmatched by pitching all season . He is oneIllinois high school kidwith no professional experience before 2021 and who hadn't faced a very high standard of pitching as an amateur, so he may need more time and reps to catch up to other players his age.

17. Ryan Jensen, RHP

Age:24 | 6-0 | 190 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 27 in 2019

The Cubs' 2019 first-round pick now appears destined for the bullpen — every scout I asked had him as a future reliever. He can hold plus-plus velocity late in games and now has a solid average or better curveball, but he needs a third pitch for lefties and minor leaguers have been able to match his heat.

18. Christian Franklin, OF

Age:22 | 5-11 | 195 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 123 in 2021

Franklin is a plus center fielder, maybe a 70 out there with plus power, but he struck out 78 times in the SEC last spring because he struggled with ball recognition and some mechanical issues that caused him to swing uphill. He has electric bat speed and at least has some ball/strike recognition. add in his athleticism and the Cubs have at least a lot to work with here as they try to get him to stay flat and get his weight to his front end sooner. I think he's a boom-or-bust guy - either he becomes an above-average regular in center, hitting 20-25 homers with great defense, or he sticks around in Double or Triple A.

19. Pablo Aliendo, C

Age:21 | 6-0 | 170 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly

Aliendo is a soft-spoken catcher with an upside who showed enough bat-handling skills that the Cubs pushed him to pitcher-friendly Myrtle Beach last year, even though he hadn't pitched above the DSL before the pandemic hit. It's a long way off, but has daily upside if the hit/power tools move to average.

20.Nelson Velasquez, OF

Age:23 | 6-0 | 190 pounds
Bats:Right |Throws:correctly
Compiled:No. 165 in 2017

Velazquez was one of the breakout stars of the Arizona Fall League after some mechanical tweaks helped him keep his swing on the plane longer, but he's still a power over hitter and will likely whiff too much to be regular at a corner, with power and enough defense in right field to be a solid bench piece.

Other notables

Anderson Espinozacame as a comeback for Jake Marisnick, and returned to the 90s with a plus change after his second Tommy John surgery, with a decent curveball. The Cubs may try to start him, but it will be some time as they rebuild his arm after missing four calendar years, pitching 58 innings in his return in 2021…Alex Canary, who came with Killian toChris BryantTrade, he's a tool hitter with power and speed, but he does everything and High-A pitchers are already starting to take advantage of last year's impatience and lack of recognition… What I said about Canario is twofold.Chris Morrell, who is on the hunt for a position and was similar in the same way at Double-A…Alfonso Rivascould make the Cubs this year as a platoon player or lefty off the bench, with 55 power and strong OBP skills against righties, but is limited to first base or left field…Chris Clarkhe had a hip impingement and a scrotal injury which seems to have affected his delivery as he returned with reduced stuff and command. was miscast as a reliever at USC before the Cubs signed him in 2019 and I'd like to see how he does after a rested offseason… Right-handedAlex Vizcainocame along with Alcantara in the Rizzo trade. he was up to 99 with a plus-plus changeup, but missed most of 2021 with arm soreness and was ineffective when he gave...Drew Graywas the Cubs' third-round pick in 2021 out of IMG Academy, where he was a two-way player. He threw just four innings after signing, but was 93-94 with an average changeup and plus curveball when he pitched. It's very likely he'll see a big uptick in things now that he's not trying to be a position player at the same time… Right-handedBen Leepersigned during the pandemic as an undrafted free agent. He went straight to Double A for his pro debut, then moved up to Triple A after just 10 plate appearances and the year he struck out 39% of the batters he faced. He's up to 98 with an above-average plus slider, and at least so far hasn't shown much platoon splitting. He's already had two Tommy John surgeries at 24 and is only a reliever, but this thing is legit, and how can you not find him?

2022 implications

I think it's all small pieces for this year - Rivas should see big league time, Leeper make his debut, maybe Jensen make it to the bullpen or we could see Marquez do the same if he's healthy and the team limits his holdings. Of the guys in their top 10, Killian is the most likely to see the bigs at some point this year.

The fallen

The Cubs gave Venezuelan catcher Ronnier Quintero $2.9 million in 2019, but he looked awful on both sides of the ball last year, to the point where one scout told me he didn't think Quintero would make it out of A-ball. To be fair, Quintero will be 19 this year and had no professional experience before 2021. However, early returns are not good.

Sleeping car

I define sleepers as people who weren't in the top 100 this year, but could end up in the top 100 next year, and probably in the middle rather than the bottom of the list. That's Alcantara for me, but he's in a group of five to six guys who could do that in this system.

(Photo by Brennen Davis: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)