During the past two years, a majority of Cubs fans, myself included, have been extremely critical of the front office for what looked like bad decision-making and slow movement in the player development department. Well, now the Cubs begin September right in the middle of the NL playoff picture and the organization has also built one of the best farm systems in MLB.

In its updated top-100 prospects list, MLB Pipeline now has six Cubs players among the best up-and-comers in baseball.

Pete Crow-Armstrong: Ranked 12th

The Cubs acquired Pete Crow-Armstrong from the New York Mets in exchange for shortstop Javier Báez and right-handed starting pitcher Trevor Williams back in 2021. At the time, PCA hadn’t reached star-prospect status yet, after being a first-round pick out of high school in 2020 and suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in May 2021.

When Crow-Armstrong made his debut in the Cubs minor league system in 2022, the left-handed hitting center fielder had 24 professional at-bats under his belt. He quickly made his presence known in Myrtle Beach, and earned himself a promotion after posting a 1.000 OPS in 38 games. PCA finished his first full year in the minor leagues with an .896 OPS in 101 games down in both levels of A-Ball.

Crow-Armstrong entered the 2023 season as a consensus top-30 prospect and he continued to climb prospects lists as he was wreaking havoc against Double-A pitching with the Tennessee Smokies. Following four months at Double-A, PCA is now on the doorstop of the majors after being promoted to Triple-A at the start of August.

Overall in 2023, PCA has a slash line of .281/.369/.508, with 18 home runs in 98 games, while displaying blazing speed around the bases and living up to his 80-grade defense in center field.

Cade Horton: Ranked 30th

Cade Horton did not pitch in the Cubs system after he was taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 draft out of Oklahoma. Some fans were skeptical of the pick then and were anxious to see the right-hander get on the mound in 2023. The starter made his pro debut in April at Myrtle Beach and after not seeing much of a challenge in Low A-Ball, the Cubs bumped Horton up to South Bend.

The right-handed starting pitcher made 11 starts in Advanced A-Ball before once again proving he was ready for a new challenge. Horton made his fifth start at Double-A earlier this week, when he added to his staggering strikeout total this season.

Across three levels in the minor leagues, Horton has recorded 114 strikeouts in 84.1 IP, averaging a little more than 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 22-year-old began 2023 as a bit of a mystery. Now, Horton is ending the season as one of the best pitching prospects in baseball who may also head into 2024 competing for a starting rotation job in the big leagues.

Owen Caissie: Ranked 67th

It took some time, but left-handed hitting outfielder Owen Caissie has finally gotten the respect that he very much earned by demolishing baseballs at Double-A this season. Caissie was one of the four young prospects the Cubs received along with veteran pitcher Zach Davies from the San Diego Padres in the Yu Darvish trade during the 2020-21 offseason.

In 2023, Caissie has consistently been one of the best hitters in the Cubs minor league system and one of the best prospects at Double-A. In 107 games with the Tennessee Smokies, Caissie has posted a .922 OPS, with 21 home runs. He’s done that in his age-20 season, playing most of the season against competition 3+ years older than he is.

Kevin Alcántara: Ranked 74th

Kevin Alcántara entered the season with a lot of hype after turning heads during his time at Myrtle Beach in 2022. The tall outfielder made a few top-100 lists in the offseason, but then he fell off them while he struggled with the South Bend Cubs in May. However, the 21-year-old has rebounded nicely and even after missing time with a leg injury, Alcántara is proving why he is one of the best prospects in the minor leagues.

Alcántara has a 115 wRC+ in 87 games this year, blasting 11 home runs with a slash line of .274/.324/.449. He’ll be up at Double-A next season.

Ben Brown: Ranked 89th

If it wasn’t for a side muscle injury back in August, there’s a good chance that right-handed starting pitcher Ben Brown would have already made his MLB debut with the Cubs. The 23-year-old righty was acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies for veteran reliever David Robertson last summer and that trade is looking like a steal for the Cubs.

Brown began the 2023 season at Double-A and after dominating that level by allowing just one earned run in 20 innings, the Cubs promoted him up to Triple-A. The hard-throwing pitcher made 15 starts with the Iowa Cubs prior to his injury-list stint.

Although Brown isn’t a finished product just yet, he’s shown time and time again why he’s considered a top-100 prospect.

Brown has a 3.81 ERA with 120 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched between Tennessee and Iowa this season. The Cubs are prepping for Brown to make a return to the mound within the next week.

Matt Shaw: Ranked 100th

Matt Shaw is the latest addition to MLB Pipeline’s top-100 list, getting the last spot in the updated rankings.

The 2023 first-round pick has been promoted to Double-A this week after crushing pitching with the South Bend Cubs. The 21-year-old infielder is 39-for-102 at the plate between his time in the Arizona Complex League, A-Ball and Double-A. The right-handed hitter has a slash line of .382/.427/.647, with 5 home runs in 25 games.

Who knows, if the Cubs continue to be aggressive with Shaw and believe in his ability to adjust in the majors, he could be starting at third base for them as soon as 2024. He was drafted as a shortstop, but the Cubs are getting Shaw some time at third base, where he started for the Tennessee Smokies Thursday night.