Chicago Cubs: Player development has been cornerstone of this rise

The Chicago Cubs have assembled a young core of talented players. So talented that many are already using the word “dynasty”. We haven’t gotten that far, but a quick look shows that the player development of the Cubs has helped lead the way.

Gone are the days of the Chicago Cubs having to buy all their talent during the offseason. Take the 2015 offseason for example. The Cubs signed Jason Heyward for a massive deal, and to be honest, he was a letdown. Great defense, but lost at the plate. Ten years ago, he’s a bust and the Cubs are stuck with him. But it turns out he wasn’t the prize piece, but simply an addition to help fill in the gaps. Why? The Cubs have been able to not only identify but develop young players to be successful.

The man who Epstein chose to spearhead the task is Jason McLeod. They’ve been together since their early days in the 90’s within the San Diego Padres organization. And it’s not like he simply caught lightning in a bottle with the Cubs. He’s been part of the drafts that produced players like Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jed Lowrie and the Cubs Anthony Rizzo while in Boston. Epstein gave McLeod great praise during his press conference back in 2011.

"“Jason McLeod is the rarest commodity in the industry. He’s an impact evaluator of baseball talent.”"