Two More Farm System Rankings Are Very High on the Chicago Cubs

Last week, we talked about the farm system rankings from MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs, each of which had the Chicago Cubs farm system near the top of the league (4th and 2nd, respectively).

Two more to discuss today, and – woo hoo! – they also see the Cubs near the top of baseball.

Up first, over at ESPN, Kiley McDaniel ranks the Cubs’ system the second best in baseball, behind only the Baltimore Orioles (who are, in McDaniel’s estimation, so far out ahead as to be in a totally different stratosphere, it looks like). What I like even better than McDaniel ranking the Cubs as having the second best system is the fact that, coming into the year, that was far from a lock:

Somewhat like with the White Sox, I wasn’t sure if the Cubs reload/rebuild was going well entering this season. They spent money in free agency and made moves at the trade deadline, but it wasn’t clear if the high upside sort of players they had acquired in the teardown were progressing.

Now the big league team is competing a bit ahead of schedule. Pete Crow-Armstrong, a somewhat divisive player who was the return for Javier Baez, continues to tick up. Ben Brown, one of last year’s trade deadline adds, is on the verge of being a big league factor, and last year’s surprise first round pick, Cade Horton, might be on track to be the best pitching prospect in baseball by this time next year. We’re getting close to the point where it could be tricky to fit everyone on the 40-man roster without blocking a prospect in Triple-A, while still staying competitive at the big league level. That’s a nice problem to have.

In other words, despite not drafting high and despite BUYING at the Trade Deadline (rather than adding more prospects via selling), the Cubs’ farm system leapt in value this year. That is a very good sign about the scouting and development infrastructure the Cubs have been putting into place the last four years, and it COULD give you some confidence that, even as the Cubs graduate their top prospects, they can keep replenishing the system effectively.

(An important hedge, of course: many of the Cubs’ very best prospects are the vestiges of the sell-offs before this year.)

Meanwhile, Baseball America, which has been the most lukewarm on the Cubs’ farm system over the last few years, now has the system up at number 6:

Big progress from top prospects Pete Crow-Armstrong and Cade Horton give the Cubs a pair of top 20 overall prospects. First-round college shortstop Matt Shaw joins an organization that has seen recent draft picks such as lefthanders Jackson Ferris and Jordan Wicks and third baseman James Triantos experience breakthrough seasons. Slugging outfielder Owen Caissie, hard-hitting catcher Moises Ballesteros and precocious shortstop Jefferson Rojas provide further upside potential.

For Baseball America, the Cubs are behind the Orioles, Brewers, Dodgers, Pirates, and Red Sox. Not unreasonable….