Cubs: When will we see the team’s top prospects in Chicago?

The Cubs are about to turn the page, giving top prospects increased importance.

The Chicago Cubs have already begun moving on from its core from recent years and those who are left – namely Kris Bryant and Willson Contreras continued to be floated on the rumor mill. The message is clear: it’s time to focus on the future.

Chicago gutted much of its farm system while still competing to try and maximize their opportunities, which is to be expected from any team looking to win. After pilfering the minor league ranks in trade, the team’s prospects are once again intriguing. But how long until we see these guys make an impact at the big league level?

Cubs have three clear headliners atop their farm system

After a few years of a barren farm system, the Cubs finally have an intriguing system once again, but how long until some of these prospects actually make an impact in the majors?

The Cubs have three top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. They are Brailyn Marquez, Brennen Davis and Miguel Amaya, all of whom have a great chance of being key pieces of the Cubs future, and it probably won’t be long until we see them on the North Side.

Marquez (#60 – MLB Pipeline) has potential to be the team’s next ace. With an unbelievable 80-grade fastball that can get up to 102 MPH, and two other plus pitches, the young southpaw has the perfect tools to become a dominant pitcher in the majors.

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He made his big league debut in 2020 but was a bit wild, walking three batters and recording just two outs. He may seem like a candidate to make the Opening Day roster in 2021, but it makes a lot more sense for him to start the season in the minors. Marquez still has control issues to work out, and it makes more sense for him to do it in the minors rather than feeding him to the wolves in the Show. We likely will see Marquez for some of 2021, but he likely won’t be a major contributor until 2022.

As I mentioned, Brennen Davis is another top talent in the system (#61 – MLB Pipeline). Davis is a very well-rounded player with no real weaknesses to be found. He isn’t dominant at any one thing but he’s an intriguing combo of power and speed that’s never easy to find. Many see Davis as the Cubs’ true top prospect as he has raked effectively at every level he’s been at. Davis likely won’t find his way to Wrigley in 2021, but there’s a good chance we see him as a big contributor in 2022 and beyond.

The final top 100 prospect for the Cubs is Miguel Amaya (#89 – MLB Pipeline). Amaya was signed by the Cubs in 2015 when he was just 16 and he’s the longest-tenured Top 100 Cubs prospect. Amaya’s strength is definitely his defense behind the plate, but he has a decent amount of power as well. At just 21, he’s never played above High A so he likely won’t be a major factor in 2021 or the start of 2022, but he could very well be Willson Contreras’ successor down the line.