Chicago Cubs minors recap: Cubs’ farm system still has talent

It’s been a productive couple of weeks for the Chicago Cubs as two of the most anticipated prospects have made their way to Wrigley Field. The hype has been measurable, the excitement has been palpable, and the results have been memorable. We will examine what could be next down the pipeline, South Bend goes dancing and our weekly round-up on this week’s The Call-up.

What’s next after Almora and Contreras

If it feels like every time a prospect gets called up and they produce, it’s because by and large they do. Wave after wave of players the past two seasons are making the improbable the norm in Chicago. Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, and Kyle Schwarber have all made their indelible mark on the Cubs.

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Most teams develop their prospects and hope one or two will live up to the hype. In Chicago, it’s almost expected at this point.

So when the Cubs added Albert Almora Jr. and Willson Contreras to the mix, we shouldn’t have been shocked that the two immediately made their presence known. In limited duty so far, Almora has been a spark plug off the bench. He has shown maturity beyond his age and the contributions he has made both offensively and defensively have fans excited.

It took Willson Contreras one pitch to make the league google his name. You could see the intensity in his eyes as hit crushed his major league debut into the first few rows in right-center field.

The plan for Almora and Contreras will be similar to the one used with Schwarber a year ago. The Cubs want to take their time acclimating the young stars without burdening their development.

Both may see the minor leagues again this season but it won’t be for long. When Schwarber was sent down, he returned to the Majors already feeling like a big league ballplayer. The comfort zone was there. That allowed Schwarber to be himself and we saw the results. The Cubs hope this approach can work again.

Despite the influx of talent already in Chicago, what can we expect down the road?

Believe it or not, the Cubs still have a few highly touted pieces left in the farm system. We won’t know for sure how the remaining Cubs prospects will fit into the future. Logjams at some positions have already forced the Cubs to use players like Javier Baez and Kris Bryant in ways that we never considered before.

First baseman Dan Vogelbach is the poster child when it comes to tough luck. Through no fault of his own, Vogelbach has done pretty much everything you could ask for, but he still hasn’t gotten the call. A catastrophic injury to Anthony Rizzo and a slew of other injuries would be his only path to the show unless he is traded.

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