Chicago Cubs: 2021 will be a key season for prospect Brennen Davis

As the Cubs look toward the future, 2021 will be important for Brennen Davis.

While the Chicago Cubs do not have a top-tier farm system, they have slowly started trending in the right direction the past few years.

This year, MLB.com ranked the team’s top prospects. Highly-touted outfielder Brennen Davis clocked in at #2, tops among the organization’s position prospects and trailing only left-hander Brailyn Marquez, who made his debut late this year.

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Davis, 21, was drafted in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of Basha High School in Gilbert, Arizona. Since being drafted he has turned some heads with his performance in both the Arizona Fall League and at Single-A South Bend. In 2020 Baseball America included Davis in their Top 100 prospect rankings.

Because there was no minor league season in 2020 due to the pandemic, Davis obviously did not have a normal year of development. He was put on the initial 60-man player pool, but it is just not the same as playing in normal games every day.

If all goes well, Davis could be at Wrigley Field as early as 2022. He’s showed a lot of promise, but is yet to have played a single game above A-ball, so this season will be critical in his continued development if he is to have any chance of being ready for the big league club in 2022.

Where Davis is right now in his professional career

The numbers speak volumes about what Davis has accomplished already in his young career. In 2018 he hit .298/.431/.333 with six stolen bases in 18 games. In 2019 he hit .305/.381/.525 with a .907 OPS, eight home runs and 30 RBI in 50 games with South Bend. It’s worth noting he spent most of his time splitting time between left and center field and did not make an error while in South Bend. Sadly his South Bend stint was shortened due to injury, but health does not seem like a long-term concern.

As long as there is a minor league season in 2020, he will be an everyday presence in the outfield. He is seen as a five-tool player who can hit, display power, has solid speed and play his position well. He has worked on adding more muscle to work on improving his pop. According to prospectinsider.com, Davis’ strongest part of his game going forward could very well be his power.

For 2021 he will work on getting back to normal routine and continue to develop with the goal of making it to the majors as soon as possible. As previously mentioned, the goal is 2022 for him to break through. It’s hard to imagine even a Nico Hoerner-esque scenario given the Cubs’ fringe status heading into next season, so, again, I’d back on 2022 at the earliest.

It’s easy to fall into the doom-and-gloom surrounding the team’s immediate future. After all, the Cubs could be without Javier Baez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo by this point next year. But in Davis, fans can get a glimpse of what the next era could look like.