Rounding out our check-in on the Chicago Cubs top prospects this season

Earlier today, we touched on the big-name guys most Chicago Cubs fans are aware of. Now, let’s delve into the back-half of the team’s top 10 prospects.

In part one, we dove into the Chicago Cubs top five prospects production up to this point in the season. The team has some intriguing young guys who will no doubt make an impact at the next levels — part two rounds out the top ten for fans to know what the future holds.

The Cubs have an eclectic group of young stars waiting in the wings. A mix of both offense and pitching should lead to new hope for fans soon. Led by Nico Hoerner and Brailyn Marquez, we could be looking at the next group of Windy City stars.

Rounding out the top ten group of prospects are some pitchers and hitters who have both an ability to potentially comprise portions of both the rotation and bullpen for the next decade-plus, as well as lead the offensive charge. Now many of these guys do not fall on MLB’s top 100 prospect list but don’t let that deter you from what they may bring.

Chicago Cubs: Brennen Davis, OF – South Bend Cubs

The team’s seventh-ranked prospect in the top 30 is another of this past season’s draft picks, outfielder Brennen Davis. Davis is just 19 years old, selected in the second round of the 2018 June Amateur Draft. He does not turn 20 until November.

Davis was called up to South Bend this past week due to an injury to Nelson Velazquez. In his first game with South Bend, Davis went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Last season in his first professional season, Davis shined. He finished the year at Rookie-level ball by slashing .298/.431/.333 with three RBI and six stolen bases in 18 games.

Take it as you will, but Davis gives off a young Dexter Fowler vibe. He is long and lanky like Fowler and does have the power to go along with his speed and overall quickness. There is a likelihood Davis will not be at South Bend once Velazquez returns, however, you never know. For now, he is someone with a ton of upside and potential for fans to keep their eye on moving forward.

Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele, SP – Tennessee Smokies

Drafted by the Cubs in 2014, Justin Steele is another young starting pitcher aiming to gain his chance. As a fifth-round selection, Steele has worked his way from Rookie-level ball up to Double-A, gaining significant experience along the way.

Steele has struggled through the first part of the season, so far pitching to a 7.71 ERA in his first seven starts. However, there have still been some glass-half-full parts to his season. For instance, Steele has increased his strikeout percentage from 16.7 to 20.2 percent from last season. He has also nearly doubled his ground ball rate from 27.6 last year to 46.6 percent this season.

While the start to his season has been up and down to this point, his last start was the best to date as the young hurler went five innings, giving up a single run, one walk, and four strikeouts. It is something Cubs fans hope Steele can build on moving forward.

Thankfully, he is still very young with time to continue to grow. There are many intriguing pitching prospects in the pipeline. Let us hope he can be apart of those top arms into the future.

Chicago Cubs: Cory Abbott, SP – Tennessee Smokies

Sliding in at number nine in the Cubs’ top 10 prospects is Smokies starter, Cory Abbott. Abbott was selected by the team in 2017, having impressively worked his way through the system in just two years.

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Currently, in his first season with Double-A Tennessee, Abbott has posted a 2.96 ERA through nine starts spanning 51 2/3 innings. From Class-A Advanced last season, Abbott has continued to improve in many facets of his game. He has lowered his xFIP from 3.39 last season to 3.15 this season.

Abbott has also decreased his walk rate to a lowly 5.3 percent, while still keeping a stable 24.5 percent strikeout rate. In his last start, Abbott went six innings, giving up just two runs and striking out five. Spanning his past three starts, Abbott has not allowed a home run, posting a 3.24 ERA with 16 strikeouts.

There is a high chance Abbott does not make his way to Triple-A this season, and that is hopefully what happens. Chicago needs to understand what they have in Abbott, allowing him to develop at a moderate pace. If they can do that, and Abbott continues to improve, the Cubs could have a second-round steal down the line.

Keegan Thompson, SP – Tennessee Smokies

Last week I did a piece on Keegan Thompson, outlining who he is to the Cubs’ future. Touching on Thompson once again, Chicago has a special player in him. Thompson has made just one start this season so far, landing on the shelf and has yet to return. It is not believed to be, and hopefully, Thompson can come back soon.

In that single start back in April, Thompson fired five scoreless innings, walking one, and striking out eight. Last year, Thompson made 13 starts for the Smokies finishing with a 4.06 ERA. The most impressive part of his game was his final FIP, which was an impressive 3.41. He is not a big home run pitcher which will play well in the Show.

Thompson is one of the more exciting pitching prospects in the teams’ pipeline, and it would not be a surprise to see him at the significant league level at some point in 2020.