Cubs News: Cristian Hernandez makes latest Baseball America Top 100

Chicago Cubs fans have a lot to look forward to in the future of the organization. The next great core may very well be waiting in the wings between Brennan Davis, Brailyn Marquez and Ed Howard, but their latest international free agent signing Cristian Hernandez has been turning a lot of heads. With comps to Alex Rodriguez as a 17-year-old, Hernandez looks to be a potential superstar talent and Baseball America agrees.

Despite not playing any professional games, Hernandez just cracked BA’s top 100 prospects, earning the 100th spot on the list. To put that accomplishment in perspective, neither Gleyber Torres nor Eloy Jimenez were top 100 prospects right out of the gate! Moreover, he joins fellow Cubs prospects Marquez (47) and Davis (65) on the list.

Obviously, it will be a long time before we see Hernandez make his Wrigley Field debut, but such praise early on is indicative of the kind of talent he has. Alongside the impressive player comps, he grades out as a five tool player at his age with the potential to grow into some tremendous power. Together in that package, Hernandez has received high praise not just from BA, but from the Cubs as well.

Cristian Hernandez is the Cubs’ next superstar prospect.

One of the things noted by scouts that made Hernandez so impressive was his eagerness to learn and grow as a player and his ability to self-evaluate. He’s shown an ability to adjust how he plays and his approach has gotten better and better over time as he’s learned how to harness his raw power.  It was all enough to have Cubs scouts salivating at the prospect of drafting him.

Admittedly, this ranking may be a result of BA really liking Hernandez as they immediately rated him the team’s third-best prospect above Miguel Amaya, but even MLB Pipeline has him as high as the team’s fourth-best prospect. With some professional games under his belt, it wouldn’t be surprising if Hernandez continues to climb that list and finds himself on both rankings before too long.

All of this is to say that Hernandez not only has the talent, baseball IQ, and drive to become a big contributor, but he also has the confidence of major outlets. He may not be the team’s top prospect, but he’s likely the most interesting to watch given the insane projections and hype from BA.

The Cubs have something really special in Hernandez and it’s going to be really fun to watch his development going forward.