3 Chicago Cubs prospects who have improved their stock and 2 who hurt it

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.