Chicago Cubs: Working our way up the organizational top prospect rankings

Chicago Cubs: Nelson Maldonado, 1B

A much surprising choice to many fans, most likely, Nelson Maldonado flies in under-the-radar at number 10 overall in the pipeline heading into 2020. Not considered by any means as a top prospect, Maldonado has quietly torn it up in the system and its time to recognize its significance.

Maldonado is part of the newest draft class, selected in the 21st round by Chicago. Impressively, Maldonado has done a fantastic job of moving through the pipeline quickly and efficiently. In his first professional season alone, Maldonado made the leap from Rookie ball to Class-A South Bend.

His time at Rookie ball began his showcase of talent and what he can bring to the Cubs in the future. In 8 games, Maldonado slashed .278/.333/.500 with a .377 wOBA and 121 wRC+. Maldonado was keen at the plate, striking out just 15.4 percent of the time while simultaneously posting a .222 ISO.

Leaping to Class-A Short Season, Maldonado excelled. In 66 plate appearances, he slashed a ridiculous .414/.470/.534 with a 187 wRC+. The strikeouts were also cut down as Maldonado showed great patience in registering a higher walk rate.

Following another promotion to South Bend, Maldonado saw a significant sample size increase to his production. He slashed .313/.348/.409 in 141 plate appearances. The power was not so much displayed. However, Maldonado still managed a 118 wRC+. As a prospective first baseman of the future, it is exciting to see what Maldonado will do in 2020.