Chicago Cubs: Which prospects can contribute in 2020?

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The Chicago Cubs do not have a top-tier farm system in baseball. However, it does not take away from the fact of having guys who can still contribute. The question is, who is in the best position to do just that heading into 2020?

Riding the rollercoaster of which 2019 ultimately became, fans did have the fun experience of witnessing the new wave of talent in the Windy City. We saw the team call on their top overall prospect Nico Hoerner late in the season, as well as one of the Chicago Cubs top pitching prospects in Adbert Alzolay.

Hoerner kicked his career off in style with a four-RBI performance in his debut. Alzolay experienced much of the same, striking out five during a strong relief appearance during his debut. It was an exciting moment for the young prospects, the team, and the fans themselves.

Heading into 2020, the crop of potential prospects who could crack the major league roster is ever-growing. Hoerner and Alzolay each have a golden opportunity to build on their first go-around, but who else eagerly waiting in the pipeline could experience their golden moment next year?

Chicago Cubs: Brailyn Marquez, SP, No.4 overall

There is probably no more exciting of a prospect in the Cubs’ system currently than left-handed pitcher Brailyn Marquez. While it was Alzolay who got the call in 2019, Marquez continued his development at Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, displaying ‘ace-like’ prowess on the mound.

Marquez began his campaign at Class-A South Bend, making 17 starts. He posted a 5-4 record, finishing with a 3.61 ERA and a robust 30.7 percent strikeout rate. Towards the close of the season, the Cubs decided to promote him to Myrtle Beach, and Marquez turned on the jets.

Over his five starts, the 20-year-old left-hander made five starts. He went 4-1, posting an insanely good 1.71 ERA, lowering his FIP to 2.81. Leading up to the promotion, Marquez pitched arguably the best game in MiLB last year, racking up 14 strikeouts across six innings of one-hit baseball.

His career at Class-A Advanced started with ten shutout innings and finished with a quality start in which Marquez threw six innings, allowing a single run, one walk, and six strikeouts. At 20 years old, the lefty has every tool to become the Cubs’ next ace. Assuming he continues to dominate like he did this year, Marquez could be on the fast track to the big leagues in 2020.

Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS, No.1 overall

Let us start by saying the hype is real. Following an injury to Addison Russell late in the season, Chicago decided to call on their number one overall prospect Nico Hoerner and he did not disappoint.

Hoerner was the Cubs’ first-round selection in 2018 out of the University of Stanford. Moving from Rookie ball to Double-A last year, Hoerner completely skipped Triple-A, showing why he was the right selection by Theo Epstein and company.

Seeing action in 20 games, decent sample size in its own right, Hoerner finished with a .282/.305/.436 slash line, three home runs and 17 RBI. The 22-year-old started his career on fire, recording a three-hit, four-RBI performance in his debut on the road in San Diego.

One aspect of Hoerner’s game, which stuck out was his low strikeout rate. The young right-handed hitter only struck out in 13.4 percent of his 82 at-bats. He displayed steadfast patience at the plate and posted a lowly 10.3 swinging strike percentage.

The Cubs have a vital choice to make with their current starter Russell heading into next year. There is a good chance, and maybe now an even better opportunity, they decide to cut bait with Russell altogether.

Making a move would all but solidify Javier Baez returns to his spot at second base, leaving the door open for Hoerner at shortstop. The expectation is the team will start Hoerner in the minors to begin the season, but you can’t keep a caged animal down for long, and Hoerner is the future at shortstop. Expect him to make the most significant impact of all prospects in 2020.

Chicago Cubs: Adbert Alzolay, SP, No.5 overall

The final prospect on this list who could legitimately make an impact for the Cubs in 2020 is Adbert Alzolay. As the other half of the duo who made their debut in 2019, Alzolay does have a nice upside and showed glimpses of what he can bring to the table.

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While the final stat line gives the notion of a small four-game sample size, much of that was inflated from one disastrous start. Alzolay allowed seven earned runs across 2 2/3 innings in a start versus the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road.

Alzolay made waves in his debut in June, entering for Tyler Chatwood. He would go on to throw four innings of one-run ball, earning his first major league win. Alzolay followed up that with his first start, finishing 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball versus the Atlanta Braves in a game where he struck out four.

Unfortunately, growing pains on the grandest stage are a real thing. The start versus the Pirates is one Alzolay was bound to face at some point. It is better to get it out of the way now and work his way into a stronger spot, however. The 24-year-old experienced an exciting road, moving from Myrtle Beach to Iowa and then to Chicago.

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Alzolay finished with a 21.7 percent strikeout rate for the Cubs, which is not bad for his first go around. His fastball ran 94.4 mph, and he worked a strong changeup. Displaying solid movement on his pitches, with some more fine-tuning Alzolay, could turn into something special. While its doubtful he will be a starter in 2020, there is a good chance Alzolay could spend time in the bullpen, which would be just fine.

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