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3 Chicago Cubs prospects who have improved their stock and 2 who hurt it
The Chicago Cubs have an incredible farm system but so far this season, these prospects have separated themselves from the rest; for better or worse.
The Chicago Cubs have amassed some tremendous talent in the minors in order to boast one of the most impressive farm systems in all of baseball.
The 2024 season has seen some of those prospects continue to blossom and increase their potential trade value at the deadline this season while others have tanked their stock through poor play.
Risers
Cristian Hernandez
Shortstop (High-A South Bend)
.288/.411/.387 2 HR, 8 2B, 1 3B, 19 RBI, 31 R, 21/24 SB, 32/45 BB/K
At the midway point last season there was already prospect fatigue on Hernandez. The former highly-touted IFA signing was even passed by his younger brother in our organizational prospect rankings prior to the 2024 season and when we said the Cubs had the best pair of brothers since Justin and BJ Upton, we definitely implied that Crisitan was BJ and Alexis was Justin.
That being said, Hernandez has broken out this season and while he’s still hitting for less than ideal power he’s hitting the ball significantly more often and when he gets on base he’s wreaking havoc with steals.
It’s worth keeping in mind that Hernandez is still just 20 years-old so there’s every reason in the world to believe that he’s still just scratching the surface of his potential, and if the Cubs can sell a team on that potential at the deadline he could easily yield a solid bullpen piece or middle-of-the-order bat by himself.
James Triantos
Second Baseman (Double-A Tennessee)
.282/.313/.425 4 HR, 10 2B, 2 3B, 21 RBI, 25 R, 14/17 SB, 9/22 BB/K
Triantos is in a very similar position to Hernandez where he’s seen as a Nico Hoerner type middle-infielder that is very much hit over power and just an all around average player.
Prior to the 2024 season he began to receive some love from MLB Pipeline as he was not only ranked in their Top 100 Prospects, he was also named one of the top second base prospects in the game and he’s lived up to both this season. While the on-base percentage is surprisingly low, he’s made up for it by accessing a level of in-game power that he hadn’t previously shown, especially when he hit two homers in a game back in April.
Triantos is the kind of raw prospect that some teams love. He’s close enough to the Majors to conceivably make his debut when rosters expand later this year, and he plays solid enough up-the-middle defense that he could be an everyday starter as early as 2025.
Brennen Davis
Outfielder (Triple-A Iowa)
.242/.408/.560 9 HR, 2 2B, 25 RBI, 22 R, 1/1 SB, 17/25 BB/K
We’ve discussed Brennen Davis as a potential change-of-scenery candidate, but if I’m being honest, I don’t want that at all. Davis has been as snakebitten and unlucky with injuries as any prospect the Cubs have had since… Mark Prior?
I don’t want to see him go somewhere else and be successful. I want that success to occur while he patrols the outfield with the ivy on the walls. However, if we remove the wants from the conversation, Brennen Davis has gone from a bust prior to the season to a legitimately valuable trade chip at this point.
He isn’t showing the speed on the bases that once made him a five-tool prospect, but he’s cut down on the strikeouts and increased his walk output while absolutely obliterating the ball at the Triple-A level this year.
Fallers
B.J. Murray
Third Baseman (Triple-A Iowa)
.197/.324/.335 6 HR, 6 2B, 22 RBI, 28 R, 4/4 SB, 33/56 BB/K
At one point this offseason (when things were especially slow) we opined that Murray had the potential to be the prospect in this loaded system that could potentially be the best of the entire bunch.
We have egg on our face right now.
While players like Matt Shaw could easily find themselves in a similar position as he’s struggled mightily since a hot start in April, the reason Murray is here is that the Cubs were likely never going to trade Shaw. The same can’t be said for Murray.
If Murray had a good start to the season he could have easily been a great secondary piece in a large trade when you consider his proximity to the Majors, his prior power production and his uncanny ability to lead winning baseball teams. However, with his high strikeout rate and low slugging percentage so far in 2024 he’s not going to yield the Cubs much of a return unless he turns it around very soon.
Cade Horton
Right Handed Pitcher (Triple-A Iowa)
18 IP, 7.50 ERA, 22/11 K/BB
Cade Horton was considered by some to be the Cubs top prospect going into the 2024 season and in his first four starts of the season at Double-A Tennessee he made sure that everyone in the game knew why as he pitched to a 1.10 ERA across 16.1 innings.
However, since he got the call to Triple-A Iowa, he’s been less than stellar. He's allowed multiple runs in each of the five games he’s pitched and has never pitched more than five innings.
Beyond that, he’s struggled with walks which has never been a part of his game and potentially most concerning of all, he’s now dealing with some injury troubles.
The best ability is availability and right beneath that is dependability and so far in 2024 Horton has not shown either.
Prior to the season, if Horton were involved in a trade, it would mean the Cubs were getting one of the best players in baseball in return. However, unless he comes back and shows the Horton we saw in 2023 and at Double-A Tennessee this season, that will certainly not be the case.
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