Mar 15, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum prior to the spring training game against the Chicago White Sox at Camelback Ranch. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports

The latest victim of the current Cubs injury plague is No. 1 draft pick Albert Almora who has broken his hamate bone on Thursday in minor league camp.

While hamate bone breaks aren’t too serious, it’s most certainly not the type of news you want to hear from one of your top prospects. He’s expected to be sidelined for 3-4 weeks after undergoing surgery today.

He seems to be in high spirits:

Surgery was a success! Thank you for all the get well tweets! Time to rehab and get back to my team! #Cubs

— Albert Almora (@albertalmora) March 15, 2013

Not that this news will have any real implications on the major league squad, but it will delay Almora’s development even if just slightly. It’s just a crummy occurrence.

Not much can be done now. Almora will heal and resume baseball when ever he can.

While seeing Jorge Soler, Arodys Vizcaino, Javier Baez and Albert Almora on top prospect lists is becoming a bit of a no-brainer at this point, this list in particular has some serious traction to it.

Mainly because it’s from the good folks at Baseball Prospectusand written by one of my favorite scouts: Jason Parks.

Feb 23, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs manager Dale Sveum (left) talks to Chicago Cubs shortstop Javier Baez (center) before a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

You may remember Parks from the “Up and In” podcast with now Houston Astro Pro Scouting Coordinator Kevin Goldstein. Not only were the two a hilarious combo of wit and charm, but they provided excellent insight in to the world of scouting. The show is now dead because of Goldstein’s job with the Astros, but I still recommend you go check out the archived episodes.

When Parks speaks, I listen. He’s just one of those guys who seems to have a beat on the pulse of prospects and he has some serious praise for the Cubs.

Parks ranks Almora #18, Baez #20, Soler #36 and Vizcaino #54. These are some seriously generous rankings and coming from a source like this, it’s something to be excited about.

Almora tops the ranks of Cubs’ players as expected, but it’s the placement ranking that makes me giddy. Almora is touted for his unique blend of all 5 tools and a + to ++ projection on hit power, but to be placed in the same field as guys like Tyler Skaggs and Austin Hedges is a huge compliment to him, especially at such a young age.

Should Soler be higher up on the list considering his current hot streak in spring training? Should he not at least be above, if not near the same rank as Baez? While baseball is a streaky game and there is a lot of hype around him right now, he simply doesn’t show the same upside as Baez or Almora. He may be a better player right now, but these lists focus on the future and potential on the whole. Not that Soler is a bad player… he’s still a physical monster who will have an impact role with the Cubs one day.

Regardless of who falls where in the rankings, it’s a lot to be excited about as a Cubs fan.

Those of you whom have been keeping up with the short series by the Crib will recognize that Dan Vogelbach is the one positional Top 10 honoree that did not make the Top 100 cut. This should not be considered a knock against Vogelbach, as the young first baseman still possess the potential to become a Major League player. Our very own Andrew Denny did a nice write up on Vogelbach last month, where you will find that the hefty Vogelbach still has a couple areas in which he needs to improve to the level of his offensive abilities to be considered a top tier prospect.

Nov 1, 2011; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs new general manager Jed Hoyer (right) speaks after being introduced by president of baseball operations Theo Epstein (left) during a press conference at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Vogelbach’s void on the Top 100 list also is a reflection of the depth in quality and quantity at some of the other position designations, notably in the outfield as mentioned in my piece on Almora, as well as on the mound. Further evidence of this is the fact that the Cubs Jorge Soler was registered as number 42 out of 100. This puts the Cuban just a couple of steps behind Almora in the rankings and shows that Soler just missed the Top 10 cut by outfield position.

On one hand, Cubs fans should be excited that the farm system is gaining accolades from sources other than from within the organization. While none of the honorees may have achieved potential can’t miss status by being a Top 10 overall member, the fact that this trio has made it within the Top 50 is something to step back and enjoy for a moment, considering the disappointing state the Cubs system had reached under the prior front office and ownership. Remember, the Cubs staff regarding drafting and prospect development was a fraction of that of teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. A fraction!

But at the same time, North Side fans also need avoid drinking too much of the blue Kool Aid. While these honors and the potential of these prospects are promising, they are also no guarantees to translate at Wrigley Field one day. That is just the nature of drafting and projecting young kids, an inexact science no matter what team or even sport for that matter. The saving grace is that Theo Epstein and Company are bringing their vision, thinking, and a revamped front office staff that will work towards limiting the mistakes and busts while developing the future stars they do get their hands on.

With good news like this regarding the Cubs system being on its way back up, combined with the reality that 2013 may not be much better on the field as 2012, one thing to look forward to is the June 2013 amateur draft, through which Jed Hoyer and staff will look to further build on the praise of the current batch of Cubs prospects.