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Chicago Cubs: 3 Lower-ranked prospects that could make an impact
While many may be feeling only doom and gloom is on the horizon going forward for the Chicago Cubs, the team has quietly done a good job restocking the farm since stripping it barren in their recent run of contention. The team still has a ways to go, but there’s plenty to like about the farm system now, and if they truly commit to selling at the coming deadline, the team could be in for a 2016-2017 Yankees-like turnaround.
The Cubs have a very toolsy farm, with most of the team’s prospects being more potential driven than finished products, and this rings true with their top prospects as well. While much has been written on when we could see some of the top guys in the minors, good teams have depth on the farm, and it’s also exceedingly important for some of the lower-ranked guys to contribute as well.
Chicago Cubs: Chase Strumpf has tons of offensive potential
While Strumpf isn’t very lowly rated in the Cubs system (#9 – MLB Pipeline), the sheer amount of talent the Cubs farm has on the infield means Strumpf sometimes gets lost in the shuffle, but the 2019 2nd round pick shouldn’t be overlooked. While much of the infielder hype goes to Chris Morel and Ed Howard, Strumpf in his own right has flashed the potential to be a good starter in the future.
The Cubs had Strumpf down in Arizona this year for spring training, meaning they could be interested in calling him up within the next year. Strumpf is a bat-first prospect with pipeline giving him a 55-grade hit tool and a 50 power tool, and after tearing up High-A to start the minor league season, was quickly moved to Double-A where he immediately made an impact.
Strumpf has floundered a bit in Tennessee as he gets adjusted to the higher level of competition, but his prowess for getting on-base along with his tendency to spray line drives across the field should make him a good candidate to make an impact in Chicago.
Chicago Cubs: Jordan Nwogu is very similar to top prospect Brennen Davis
With the 2020 MLB Draft shortened to just five rounds due to COVID-19, the Cubs had to make each pick count, and Jordan Nwogu out of Michigan was their third-round selection. Nwogu was the star on the CWS runner-up Michigan team and like the Cubs’ number two prospect, Brennen Davis, Nwogu is a supreme athlete. Nwogu (#27 – MLB Pipeline) has good power and speed, with his grades for both being above average.
Despite standing at 6’3, Nwogu is incredibly fast and does a great job of crushing the ball all over the field. Nwogu also has a good plate discipline but needs work on his approach against breaking balls. Brennen Davis and Jordan Nwogu are in the same mold of players which shows the Cubs like these types of players.
Nwogu has struggled thus far into his minor league career, but it’s hard to put a lot of stock into this as he’s someone that has probably suffered more than others due to last year’s lost minor league season. Even though he’s a college product, Nwogu is still very much an unpolished product, but if the Cubs can figure out how to get him to play up to his potential, Nwogu’s tools could make him a very good major leaguer one day.
Chicago Cubs: Michael McAvene has the stuff to be an elite reliever in the future
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Another 2019 draft pick, Michael McAvene was the closer for the Louisville Cardinals in the CWS and flashed his dominant pitching repertoire. He was recently coming off Tommy John which explains his slide to the third round, but the Cubs were so confident in his ability to bounce back, they originally tried to make him a starter once again.
McAvene would be much better off coming out of the pen going forward, however. The righty sits as the 25th-best prospect in the system currently, but he has maybe the second-best fastball in the system behind only Brailyn Marquez.
Pipeline gives McAvene a grade of 65 on his fastball, 55 on his slider, but his changeup lags behind at 45. The lack of a truly reliable third pitch is why he’s likely to be best suited to come out of the bullpen, but McAvene has the stuff to be a future closer on the North Side.
McAvene hasn’t pitched in the minors yet in 2021, instead starting the year in extended spring training, but he was absolutely dominant when he pitched in minors in 2019. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cubs try to use him going forward when he gets back into game action, but sooner or later, Chicago will probably have to convert him to a reliever.
Next. Cubs' postseason odds have plummeted since June 2. dark
While it may seem like the Cubs are heading toward an unfixable situation, if they approach the deadline correctly, the opposite is actually true. The minor league system has been getting better and better as time has passed and there are plenty of minor leaguers as is that could help the team in the future. The current core group of players may be on the way out now, but hopefully, we’ll see a new core emerge in the near future.