4 emerging superstars the Cubs may have to be afraid of in the NL Central

MLB Pipeline really seems to like the NL Central. Not only did they pick two teams in the Cubs division to improve by ten or more wins this season (Reds and Cardinals), but they also found four players that could see a massive leap in their statistical output from their rookie to sophomore seasons, and every NL Central team had a player appear on the list… except for the Chicago Cubs.

The Cincinnati Reds

The Reds were already on the list of teams expected to improve by ten or more wins due to the additions of INF Jeimer Candelerio, RHP Frankie Montas, RHP Nick Martinez, RHP Emilio Pagan, and LHP Brent Suter as well as the continued development of INFs Matt McClain, Christian Encarnacion-Strand and Noelvi Marte.

However, the player that MLB.com sees as the player set to make the biggest jump should come as no surprise. Elly De La Cruz put up legitimately incredible numbers all season at the minor league level and in the majors. He had insane exit velocities off of his bat and Manny Randhawa had this to say:

He had an average arm strength of 95.9 mph in his rookie campaign, and his Sprint Speed was 30.5 feet per second, tied with Bobby Witt Jr. for the best in the Majors.

If he improves with his discipline at the plate, De La Cruz could easily become one of the top players in the division.

The St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals were on the list of teams expected to improve by ten or more wins if for no other reason than the fact that they were abysmal last season and they could improve by ten games simply by putting together a mediocre year. 

They added RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Kyle Gibson, and RHP Lance Lynn. They then traded for RHP Andrew Kittredge and LHP Nick Robertson and they’ve got INF Masyn Winn and RHP Tink Hence on the rise, but the player expected to have a huge sophomore season is OF Jordan Walker. 

The St. Louis Cardinals also made the list which shouldn’t come as a shock. The idea that the Cardinals would have multiple losing seasons in a row is unlikely and after a 71-91 record last year if they made it back to .500 they’d make a ten-game improvement over 2023. 

Randhawa had this to say of Walker:

Walker, the Cardinals’ No. 1 prospect heading into last season, was sensational to begin his MLB career in ’23, tying Eddie Murphy’s 1912 record of 12 consecutive games with a hit to start a career by a player 20 years old or younger. But Walker hit just .192 over the next eight games and was optioned to Triple-A Memphis.

Oftentimes with young players there are glaring holes in their game, but when the only thing standing between a player and excellence is consistency, they tend to reach that excellence more often than not which is the last thing Cubs fans should want to see.

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers aren’t expected to improve on their win total from last season. They may lose Corbin Burnes, they already lost Brandon Woodruff and potentially most importantly they lost their Manager, Craig Counsell, to the division rival Chicago Cubs. 

That being said, the Brewers are the defending champions in this division and they have a sophomore player that MLB.com believes could have an even more impressive sophomore season than he did in 2023. 

Wiemer had an up-and-down 2023 but managed to put together a 0.9 WAR according to Baseball Reference due to his power/speed combination and his defense in center field. He had double-digit homers and steals last year but only put up a 76 OPS+. 

Randhawa had this to say:

Despite his issues at the plate, Wiemer was very good defensively, finishing with 7 Outs Above Average in the outfield to put him on par with the likes of Michael Harris II and Alek Thomas in that department. If he can straighten things out at the plate, Wiemer could become a valuable all-around threat for Milwaukee.

The Brewers have star power on the rise with top prospect Jackson Chourio expected to be on the major league squad at some point in 2024 and Wiemer will give that team a lot to look forward to in the future.

Chicago Cubs

As mentioned at the beginning of this story, the Cubs did not find their names on either list of teams to improve by ten or more wins in 2024 nor sophomore players that should see a major leap in their performance.

That being said, Pete Crow-Armstrong is looking like he could be the team’s Opening Day center fielder and he is ranked as our top prospect in the organization going into 2024.

MLB.com has given love to some of the Cubs prospects as they have ranked someone from the organization in their top ten lists for right-handed pitchers, left-handed pitchers, catchers, first basemen, and second basemen. 

Beyond that the Cubs traded for a player that they hope will be their first baseman of the future (even if it cost them the best pitching prospect they’ve had since Mark Prior), and they still have 2023 first-round pick Matt Shaw, expected to continue his ascension through the minors and potentially take at-bats at third base this season at Wrigley Field.

So, while the Cubs don’t have any sophomores on this particular list, the future still appears very bright on the Northside.

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