5 former top prospects for the Cubs who have fallen from grace

2. Cory Abbott

Drafted by the Cubs in the second round of the 2017 draft, right-handed pitcher Cory Abbott was once projected to be a multi-inning reliever or back-of-the-rotation starter. Things didn't quite work out that way, as Abbott hasn't had a good season since 2019 when he won minor league pitcher of the year for the Cubs with a 3.01 ERA in 26 starts. After the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the 2020 season, Abbott came back in 2021 and looked like a shell of his former self. Thinking he was ready to contribute at the big league level, the Cubs added Abbott to the 40-man roster after 2020 and he was promoted to the majors for the first time in June of 2021.

He struggled mightily not only in his seven big league appearances (6.75 ERA) but also in his triple-A Iowa games. In 19 starts for the Iowa Cubs in 2021, Abbott sported an ugly 5.91 ERA over 96 innings, leading to him being designated for assignment before the 2022 season. Abbott is one of the latest examples of the Cubs being unable to develop pitchers while he was constantly projected to be a big-league starter. Luckily his former teammates Keegan Thompson and Justin Steele bucked the trend with their productive emergence last year. Abbott now pitches in the Washington Nationals organization.