Even though it isn’t emphasized as much in baseball, the draft is important in building winning teams. Since it takes so long for draftees to reach the majors in most cases, it’s hard to evaluate them immediately after the fact.
Now, let’s take a step back and look at the Cubs‘ last 10 first-round draft picks. They will each receive a letter grade based on whether or not they panned out, where they are in their career and what track they’re on (if they still have time to develop).
Over the past several seasons, Cubs fans couldn’t help but focus on their farm system, if nothing else to get their minds off of the lackluster product at the major league level. Now that the Cubs are competitive, their minor league system has slipped back into the background.
However, continuing to churn out young talent in the farm system is extremely important, and the Cubs still have a number of talented young players getting ready to move to Chicago.
Here is a list of the team’s top 10 prospects and whether or not their stocks are up or down based on their performance in the minor leagues this season. For the sake of clarity, no players who have played at the major league level will be included and MLB.com’s prospect rankings are used for the top 10 list.
All statistics used are provided by Baseball-Reference.
The Chicago Cubs have hit a rough patch over the past week or so, but they’re still right around the .500 mark. That’s better than they’ve been in the past seven years or so, and it’s thanks to several improvements the team has already made in 2015.
While they still have plenty to work on if they want to be playing long into October this year, here are five things the Cubs have already managed to improve in 2015.
One month through the season, expectations are as high as ever on the North Side of Chicago. The Cubs are looking like a competitive team, and that’s a breath of fresh air for baseball in the Windy City.
While it’s still early, here are five takeaways from the beginning of the 2015 season for the Cubs.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.
For the first time in a very long time, the Cubs were active in free agency and the trade market (from the buying end) this offseason. That meant a lot of roster turnover and a lot of questions going into this season.
Some of those questions have begun to be answered, while others remain unanswered. Whatever the case may be, here are grades through the first two-and-a-half weeks of the season for the team’s seven key new additions for 2015.
All stats used are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
The MLB season is only a couple weeks in, but it’s never too early to look at teams’ trade assets. Every team has some; the Cubs have several.
Unlike in past seasons, the Cubs may be buyers rather than sellers at this year’s deadline. That could mean they’re trading minor league or major league assets. It could also mean they’re standing pat.
Whether they decide to trade any of these players or not, these are the Cubs’ top five trade chips two weeks into the season.
Expectations are extremely high for the Cubs this season and the regular season is finally underway. 2015 got off to a rocky start with the Cubs getting shut out at home to start the year, but there’s plenty of season left to be played.
It’s dangerous to read too much into a team’s first three games, but based on some trends that are already emerging, here are the five biggest things fans can take away from the team’s performance over the first few days of the season.
All stats used in this story are taken from Baseball-Reference.
While the weather certainly doesn’t feel like it, the Cubs are set to open their season against the Cardinals on Sunday night in the first MLB game of the year. With the new season getting underway, a new era of Cubs baseball will be ushered in.
As the Cubs push for their first playoff berth since 2008, there are going to be many things at play. Here are the five biggest storylines to follow as the North Side of Chicago gears up for a longer baseball season than usual in 2015.
There is an overwhelming hope that the 2015 Chicago Cubs will be a competitive group. That hope comes from the fact the team made several savvy offseason moves and its prospects are finally ready to make an impact at the big league level.
In just over two weeks, the season will open at Wrigley Field and the Cubs will take on the rival St Louis Cardinals. You better believe the atmosphere is going to be the most electric it’s been in Wrigleyville in several years.
Before the first pitch of that game, and the MLB season, here are five things to watch for.
Follow Jacob Kornhauser on Twitter @KornSports if you want to talk Cubs baseball or baseball in general.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.
The Chicago Cubs don’t have a ton of position competitions during this year’s spring training, but a few key battles are currently going on.
Most aren’t at key spots, but the outcomes of the battles could end up being very important nonetheless.
At these four spots, the competition is starting to heat up. Here’s a look at which players have the upper hands in those battles based on their overall skill sets and what they’ve shown so far this spring.
All stats for this story taken from Baseball-Reference.com.