Chicago Cubs: The final countdown to the top organizational prospects

We arrive, finally, to the coup de grâce of the prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization ready to roll in 2020 after turning heads this season.

They are considered the best of the best. Club’s top prospects throughout Major League Baseball bring an exceptional level of talent to the table for their respective clubs. For the Chicago Cubs, that fact is no different.

Sure, the Cubs may not be the San Diego Padres or the Atlanta Braves when it comes to their farm system. However, there is still some exceptional talent both waiting for their shot as well as their encore as we turn our attention toward next season.

Throughout this series, we have profiled some fascinating young players. Some, in fact, are guys you may not have considered in the past who may be ready to make that big leap. Concerning the top of the mountain, though, it is about as cut and dry for the Cubs on who of their top names is ready to make an impact sooner rather than later.

Chicago Cubs: Miguel Amaya, C

Rolling in number four overall is an extraordinary young talent in Miguel Amaya. The 20-year-old backstop has made waves in his first few seasons at the professional level. In each of his subsequent four years since the Cubs signed him in 2014, Amaya has moved through the pipeline with ease.

Last season was a massive step in the right direction for Amaya’s development. He improved in every offensive category, slashing .256/.349/.403 with a much-enhanced amount of power, and saw his wRC+ rise from 71 in 2017 to 114. Amaya was an above-average player and displayed that in South Bend.

This season, Amaya made the jump to Myrtle Beach. While there was a dip in batting average, he still managed to slash .235/.351/.402 while simultaneously raising his walk rate of nearly three percent. If that wasn’t enough, Amaya posted a .354 wOBA and 122 wRC+. His overall ISO has also improved from a .072 in his first season to .167 last season.

Defensively, Amaya is as solid as they come at his stage in his career. He has posted back-to-back seasons with a .989 fielding percentage, managing to throw out 41 percent of baserunners at South Bend and 35 percent of baserunners at Myrtle Beach.

The Cubs have zero plans to move on from their star catcher Willson Contreras as he is set to hit the first stage of arbitration. What will be interesting to see is if the Cubs decide to add Amaya to the big league roster.

He is Rule 5 eligible this year, however, don’t think for a second Theo Epstein and company will fathom losing Amaya to a new team. A catcher with above-average speed and strength behind the dish, Amaya is here to stay for the long haul and could make that impact sooner rather than later.

Chicago Cubs: Brennen Davis, OF

Down to the nitty-gritty in the top organizational prospects, Brennen Davis ranks in at number three overall. I do not know what can be said about the 19-year-old outfielder that hasn’t already, but Davis is quickly growing into a phenom.

A second-round selection in the 2018 amateur draft, Davis has made a mockery of minor league baseball two seasons into his professional career. In his first year at Rookie ball, Davis slashed a cool .298/.431/.333 with a .387 wOBA and 132 wRC+.

If that wasn’t good enough, he followed it up at the next level in South Bend by slashing .305/.381/.525 with a .415 wOBA and 160 wRC+. Davis was able to find his power as well, swatting eight big flies and driving in 30 runs. Concerning his strikeouts, Davis has done a great job in that regard. He posted an 18.6 percent strikeout rate at South Bend and as a 19-year-old, displayed fantastic patience.

His glovework is fantastic too. Across 410 2/3 innings at South Bend last year, Davis did not make a single error in any of the outfield positions. Davis has made just one total error through his first two seasons. That is one miscue in 60 games.

Davis is someone who is not expected in the big leagues until 2023. However, if he continues to perform as he has been, Davis will smash the daylights out of that expected arrival date. Beginning next season at Double-A for Davis would not be a surprise, followed up with an immediate promotion to the Show. Whatever the case may be, Davis is a unique talent who can make an impact on this club for the next decade.

Chicago Cubs: Brailyn Marquez, SP

While it would seem fitting to slide Brailyn Marquez to the tippy top of the list, he does come just in at number two of the top fifteen organizational prospects. Like Amaya, Marquez is only 20 years old. Signing with the team in 2015, Marquez has already swept his way through the pipeline and is making a significant impact.

Named the 2019 Minor League Play of the Year by Baseball America, Marquez dominated in his time in South Bend and Myrtle Beach. Spending the majority of this year in South Bend, Marquez pitched to a 3.61 ERA over 77 1/3 innings. He did an excellent job keeping his FIP and xFIP at 3.30 and 3.28, respectively.

While his walk rate was still too high for anyone’s liking at South Bend, Marquez did manage to carry a 30.7 percent strikeout rate. The 20-year-old lefty also did a great job in keeping the ball in the yard, finishing with a 0.34 HR/9 in his five starts at Myrtle Beach.

Regarding his line in those starts for the Pelicans, Marquez posted a video game-like 1.71 ERA with a 2.81 FIP and 3.40 xFIP. The strikeouts dipped a bit, and his walk rate rose slightly. However, Marquez did strand more runners on base and lowered his WHIP from 1.38 to 1.06.

Marquez’ best start of the season came on July 25 when he struck out a career-high 14 batters in six shutout innings. He walked only one in that start. From that start on until the end of the season, Marquez held a 1.17 ERA with a complete-game shutout. In that span, Marquez allowed opposing hitters to hit just .244 against him and posted a 1.94 FIP.

Likely to begin next season at Double-A, Marquez has an estimated arrival date of 2021. He could crush that and be in the big leagues by next September at the pace he is going. It should be a fun ride for the young lefty moving into the future.

Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner, SS

Not knowing why I feel like Nico Hoerner could be that guy a few years down the line who fans are yelling at, “You were the chosen one.” Moving on from the cheesy Obi-Wan Kenobi quote from Start Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Hoerner is a guy who at that time could already be a star.

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The team’s first-round pick in the 2018 Amateur Draft, Hoerner, made a mockery of both the Low-A and Class-A leagues before moving to Double-A in 2019. Last season at South Bend, for example, Hoerner slashed a whopping .400/.471/.667 with a .508 wOBA and 222 wRC+ over 17 plate appearances.

In 70 games this season at Tennessee, Hoerner slashed .284/.344/.399 with a .342 wOBA and 117 wRC+. Only 22 years old, the Cubs decided to bring him past Triple-A Iowa and into the bigs where he became a quick fan favorite. In his first week in Chicago, Hoerner posted a .443 wOBA, 177 wRC+, and slashed .379/.438/.655 with a 1.093 OPS.

By the end of his 20 game span, Hoerner carried a respected .282/.305/.436 line with only a 13.4 percent strikeout rate. Impactful, to say the least. Next season Hoerner should be back with the big league club, preferably at the end of April.

Part of the middle infield situation is dicey at best, and Hoerner would give the Cubs much-needed stability. Of all the prospects in the system, Hoerner is set up to make the most impact next year. Let’s hope he can continue building on a strong future in the Windy City.