The Chicago Cubs have nine prospects ranked in the first Baseball Prospectus top 101 prospects list of 2024. The nine Cubs prospects on the list mark the most out of any team, ahead of the Baltimore Orioles and St. Louis Cardinals who both have six players ranked in BP’s top 101.
This is yet another example of just how deep the Cubs’ farm system currently is because despite having the most prospects in this list out of all 30 MLB teams, you can make an argument for two more players in Chicago’s minor league system to crack the rankings.
Cubs Prospects in 2024 Baseball Prospectus Top 101
OF – Pete Crow-Armstrong: No. 20
IF – Matt Shaw: No. 21
RHP – Cade Horton: No. 27
OF – Owen Caissie: No. 65
IF – Michael Busch: No. 71
OF – Kevin Alcántara: No. 80
C – Moises Ballesteros: No. 84
IF – James Triantos: No. 91
LHP – Jordan Wicks: No. 94
The biggest surprise for me is seeing 2023 first rounder Matt Shaw ranked at 20th overall, right behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, who has been the team’s top prospect for the past year. Shaw made his pro debut at Advanced A-Ball with the South Bend Cubs and after a month of pounding the baseball he was promoted to Double-A.
Shaw, who was selected with the 13th pick out of Maryland, ended his first minor league season out of college with a slash line of .357/.400/.618, slugging eight home runs with a 25/9 strikeout to walk ratio in 170 plate appearances.
Meanwhile, 2022 first round pick Cade Horton has certainly established himself as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball. The hard-throwing pitcher did not make his pro debut until 2023 and he quickly shot up through the Cubs minor league system.
Horton made 21 starts in 2023, ending the year with a 2.65 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, while striking out 117 strikeouts in 88.1 innings. His final six starts were at Double-A, where he recorded a 1.33 ERA and struck out 31 batters in 27 innings.
As for the two other prospects who you could argue also belong on BP’s top 101, they are right-handed pitcher Ben Brown and right-handed hitting shortstop Jefferson Rojas.
Brown looked dominant to begin the 2023 season at Double-A, which earned him a promotion to Triple-A Iowa in May. The right-hander did have trouble with walks, averaging six per nine innings in his 22 appearances with the Iowa Cubs. However, he also showed why the Cubs targeted him at the 2022 trade deadline, as Brown averaged 12 strikeouts per nine innings.
The 24-year-old starting pitcher did have an arm injury in the summer that cut his season short and may have also contributed to some of his struggles.
Brown is currently ranked No. 86 in MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospects list.
As an 18-year-old, Rojas made his way to Myrtle Beach in 2023 and put together a strong pro debut. He slashed .268/.345/.404, resulting in a 115 wRC+, with a 19.9 K% and 7.5 BB%. Rojas hit seven home runs and recorded 31 RBI, while scoring 48 runs and added 13 steals in 70 games.
In many scouts’ minds, Rojas has also surpassed Cristian Hernandez in the Cubs farm system.
It wouldn’t be too surprising to see Rojas pop up on a top prospect list later on in 2024.
Busch is like 39 years old. How is he still on prospects lists?
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It wouldn’t be too surprising to see Rojas pop up on a top prospect list later on in 2024.