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ESPN Insiders rank MLB farm systems, Cubs top list at No. 1
By David Miniel
ESPN Insider’s very own Keith Law recently released a ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems, and after last years performance, the Chicago Cubs currently sit at the top of the list.
Honestly, does this come to a surprise to anyone? There’s no secret that this organization has a ton of top-notch talent brewing within their farm system. Last year, we witnessed the debuts of top-ranked prospects in Javier Baez and Jorge Soler along with Arismendy Alcantara, Kyle Hendricks and Tsuyoshi Wada.
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With fans have receiving a taste of what’s to come with the group of guys listed above, Kris Bryant and pitching prospect C.J. Edwards could be stepping into the spotlight very soon.
More Bryant than Edwards right now, but the young right-hander is expected to become a solid piece to this starting rotation.
Other guys such as Addison Russell, Albert Almora, Billy McKinney, Pierce Johnson, Jen-Ho Tseng, Paul Blackburn, Duane Underwood, Corey Black and Carson Sands are just a couple of names that will eventually make an impact with this team.
Either that, or they become potential trade chips for additional big league help, or other promising prospects who catch the attention of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer.
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, Chicago’s farm system had themselves one of the greatest seasons in franchise history – especially in Kane County.
Former affiliate Kane County Cougars finished the year with 91 wins and went on to sweep the post-season with seven straight victories to win the 2014 Midwest League championship.
As for the newly affiliated South Bend Cubs, formerly known as the Silver Hawks, they finished with a total record of 83-56 in the Eastern division during the 2014 campaign. Just eight games shy of Kane County’s historic mark. Now that both Kane County and South Bend switched affiliates and rosters, the new look Cubs (Cougars) are looking to repeat their success.
Other tops who sit behind the Cubs in the top five include the No. 2 Minnesota Twins, No. 3 Houston Astros, No. 4 New York Mets, and the No. 5 Boston Red Sox.
It appears that the big league Cubs aren’t the only ones receiving a ton of attention on top of high expectations.