Breaking down the top prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization

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As the Chicago Cubs farm system continues to develop, who finds themselves at the top half of the pipeline? Let’s take a look at the team’s top prospects.

One of the most exciting aspects of following a big league team has to be watching the development of prospects in the farm system. The Chicago Cubs don’t rank anywhere remotely close to the likes of the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves or Tampa Bay Rays in terms of young talent, but they still do have many intriguing young players.

It is important to note and keep tabs on the likes of these guys, which is what we are doing in bringing you this mini-series of the teams’ top minor league players. A ton of development helped to showcase many of these players, as well as our coverage throughout the year.

The team is in an interesting position with their current core. While none of the big names are in any danger of moving on, there is still the unique position Theo Epstein and management find themselves in moving toward the future. So without further adieu, let us jump down the rabbit hole into the first of the top 15 prospects in the system.

Chicago Cubs: Cory Abbott, RHP – No.15

Sliding in as the number 15 overall prospect heading into 2020, right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott displayed his talents in a big way in 2019. A second-round draft selection by the Cubs in 2017, Abbott has improved significantly over his first three years in professional baseball.

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Unlike many of the teams’ prospects, Abbott jumped head first, immediately going to Class-A Short Season, joining the Eugene Emeralds. It was a brief stint for the Emeralds, as Abbott made just five starts and seeing a lowly 14 innings of action. He did, however, impress.

Abbott finished with a respectable 3.86 ERA over that span, posting a lofty 31.0 percent strikeout rate. More impressive, maybe for Abbott, was his insanely low walk rate of 5.2 percent. Abbott posted a 2.96 xFIP as well, limiting home runs in his first season.

Chicago decided Abbott was ready for the next level by last season. He began the 2018 campaign in Class-A South Bend, making nine starts and finished with a 2.47 ERA, a 2.94 xFIP, and a near-identical strikeout rate of 30.8 percent. Making the jump to Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach, Abbott continued to dominate. He made 13 starts for the Pelicans, pitching to a 2.53 ERA over 67 2/3 innings.

This year, Abbott spent the entire season at Double-A Tennessee. Doubling his starts to 26, Abbott pitched exceptionally well. His 3.01 ERA was a hair up from Myrtle Beach, and Abbott lowered his xFIP by a couple of points. The strikeouts increased once again, moving from 26.2 percent to 27.8 percent. Abbott is 24 years old but should have a great chance to start 2020 in Triple-A Iowa. It’ll be exciting to see what he has in store at the next level.

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Chicago Cubs: Kohl Franklin, RHP – No.14

Coming in at number 14 of the series is right-handed pitcher Kohl Franklin. A relatively fresh face in the Cubs’ pipeline, Franklin was selected in the 2018 draft by Chicago in the sixth round. At 6-4, 190 pounds, the 20-year-old is a lean, mean gun-slinging machine.

Franklin did begin his professional career at Rookie ball, appearing in five games to include three starts. Over a sample size of only 8 2/3 innings, Franklin struggled mightily to an uninspiring 6.23 ERA. In his defense, Franklin was just 18 years old when he made his professional debut.

Since then, however, Franklin has shown up and has changed things around for the better. In a complete 360, Franklin impressed in 2019. Moving up to Class-A Short Season Eugene, Franklin made ten starts.

Not going more than five innings a start, Franklin still finished his year with a 2.31 ERA over 39 innings. Regarding his walks and strikeouts, the young righty increased his strikeout rate from 21.1 percent in 2018 to 29.7 percent this year. He also cut his walk rate in half from 15.8 percent to 8.5 percent.

Franklin also did make one start at Class-A South Bend in 2019. In that start, he went three innings, giving up one earned run with five walks and three strikeouts. It is clear that Franklin is not ready for the next level, but he still has plenty of time. With the proper development and grooming, he can turn into something special.

Chicago Cubs: Christopher Morel, 3B/SS – No.13

Finding a spot for Christopher Morel was difficult, however sliding him in at number 13 in the pipeline feels fitting. Signed out of the Dominican Republic for $800,000 as part of Chicago’s 2015 international class, Morel has shown an ability to continuous improvement.

In his first two seasons with the organization, Morel spent time in Rookie ball. In his first year, 2017, Morel slashed just .220/.332/.359 with an alright .343 wOBA and 105 wRC+, respectively. The next year was even worse for Morel.

The 20-year-old slashed .216/.264/.299 between Rookie ball and Class-A Short Season Eugene. To touch on how bad he was at Eugene, Morel finished with a .177 wOBA and 4 wRC+ in a 25-game span.

It is funny how progress plays out, however. In a surprising turn of fate, Morel suddenly seemed to put it all together in 2019. Moving up the pipeline for some reason, to South Bend, Morel slashed .284/.320/.467 with six home runs, 31 RBI, a .359 wOBA, and 124 wRC+.

Impressively, Morel also lowered his strikeout rate from 31.2 percent while at Eugene to 21.6 percent at South Bend. A shift that nobody expected, Morel showed what he is capable of moving forward.

Like Franklin, Morel has more years to develop into a solid contributor. If 2019 was any sore of sign to come, both Morel and the Cubs should be excited moving into the future. Keep an eye out for Morel in case he follows his encore up with an equally impressive performance.

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Chicago Cubs: Tyson Miller, RHP – No.12

Helping to round out the bottom half of the top 15 prospects is right-handed pitcher Tyson Miller. A fourth-round selection back in 2016, Miller’s first few seasons have been an up-and-down affair.

Like Abbott, Miller is also 24 years old. He has been in professional baseball for four years now, beginning at Rookie ball in his first year and working his way up to Iowa by this season. His stint at Triple-A did not go as he and fans had hoped, yet he has for sure shown signs of dominance, and hopefully, he can continue.

Miller spent all of 2016 bouncing between Rookie-level and Eugene. After posting a 3.97 ERA for Eugene across 22 2/3 innings, the team decided to move him to the next level. Not surprisingly, Miller struggled. Every pitching category, sans walks, increased. For instance, both Miller’s FIP and xFIP both increased exponentially. He also started giving up more home runs.

Fast forward a year, Miller’s ERA is still ridiculously inflated. However, he had decreased both his FIP and xFIP by quite a lot. In 2018 at Myrtle Beach, Miller came back down to earth and rebounded nicely. The emboldened minor league vet by this point lowered his ERA back down to the mid-3’s. The FIP and xFIP continued to decrease as well.

His 2019 season was all over the place. At Tennessee, Miller was outstanding. Given the role, Miller made 15 starts over 88 innings, finishing with an impressive 2.56 ERA and simultaneously once again lowering his FIP and xFIP to 3.05 and 3.50 xFIP. It came crashing down, though, as Miller could not cut it in Iowa this year. His stats there are ones he wishes to forget.

In the 11 games at Triple-A, Miller was shelled. He finished with a disgusting 7.58 ERA. His strikeout rate dipped, and the walk rate completely fell off. Miller is one of those borderline guys who you can never tell what will happen next. At 24 years old, he better figure it out quick. Still, he is the Cubs’ number 12 prospect on this list. Hopefully, Miller will build on last season to create more success moving forward.

Chicago Cubs: Riley Thompson, RHP – No.11

To round out the first part of this series is right-handed pitcher Riley Thompson. Thompson was one of the most fun prospects in the Cubs’ pipeline in 2019 and could force his way into the organization’s top ten by the end of next year.

An 11th round pick by the Cubs in 2018, Thompson found his groove this year. Beginning his career at Eugene, Thompson quickly showcased his ability for the Cubs and why waiting 11 rounds was foolish. Making eight starts and nine total appearances in his first year, Thompson finished with a 2.84 ERA. He failed to record a win, however wins don’t matter, and that is not what made him impressive.

Not a big strikeout guy or at least not yet, Thompson posted a 22.9 percent strikeout rate along with an 8.3 percent walk rate in 2018. He pitched to nearly the same numbers for South Bend this year, carrying a 22.3 percent strikeout percentage and 7.9 percent walk rate, through 21 starts.

The 23-year-old right-hander finished his season at South Bend with a 3.06 ERA. He decreased his xFIP from 3.84 last season to 3.59 this year, which is a significant step in the right direction. The best stretch for Thompson came at the end of the year in which he made two consecutive scoreless starts. Over those two games, he allowed only four hits and struck out nine.

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Realistically, there is a good chance Thompson starts 2020 in Tennessee. He will be 24 years old, and if the team can continue to develop him and keep him healthy, he should blossom into a very nice starter in the future.

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