4 prospects the Cubs must protect from the Rule 5 draft at all costs

4 Cubs prospects to protect from the Rule 5 draft: #1 – Luis Devers

Luis Devers lands on this list at #1 simply because of how serious of a tear he is on this year between A and High-A. Though Devers may seem like an absolute no-brainer in terms of protecting him this season to some, for those who don’t follow Cubs prospects as religiously as some of us do, he deserves a well-earned introduction.

The 22-year-old right-hander pitched a total of 51 1/3 innings for South Bend on the season and accumulated a 4-0 record to go along with an other-worldly 1.05 ERA. Across both levels that he has pitched at in 2022, he owns a 1.95 ERA and impressive 13-3 record.

Success wasn’t as surprising as it seems though, as Devers has been pretty incredible the entire four seasons he has spent in the Cubs organization. In the Dominican Summer League between 2018 and 2019, he recorded a  2.77 and 2.66 ERA, respectively. Important to note with the pandemic leading to the cancellation of minor league baseball in 2020, every prospect lost a year of development. Realistically, had the pandemic never happened and Devers broke out last year instead, you’d probably be seeing him getting ready to make the jump to Triple-A if he wasn’t already there.

If you’re looking for a guy that is a couple years away still but really is must-see stuff every time he takes the mound, then Devers is, far and away, your guy. In all 12 of his appearances at South Bend since his promotion, he has not allowed more than one run per outing. There are some more eye-catching names among the Cubs’ pitching prospects, but this is a guy we need to keep our eye on.