MLB Pipeline gave the Chicago Cubs a really nice new ranking
The Chicago Cubs are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. They are finishing nowhere near the top of their division and are clearly in the middle of what promises to be a big-time rebuild.
However, they have one step towards finishing that rebuild already started. In order to do it the right way, you need lots of young talent and the Cubs have been accumulating it. They traded Anthony Rizzo, Javier Baez, Craig Kimbrel, and Kris Bryant last year to get a lot back.
As a result of some of these deals, the farm system went from good to great. In fact, it is now a top-10 farm system according to MLB Pipeline as they come in at number ten on the dot. A lot of the prospects have lived up to the hype in the minors which has elevated the ranking.
The Cubs are one of three other National League Central teams sitting in the top ten. The Cincinnati Reds are at number four and the Pittsburgh Pirates are at number seven. Outside of the top ten, the St. Louis Cardinals are at 13 and the Milwaukee Brewers are the 19th ranked.
The Chicago Cubs actually have a good farm system loaded with good players.
Who is it that the Cubs have in the system keeping them so highly ranked? Everything starts and ends with Pete Crow-Armstrong who is thier top prospect. The Cubs acquired him in the trade that sent Baez to the New York Mets.
Brennen Davis has had some injury troubles this year but he is thier number two prospect as some time as their number one guy. He is still someone that they believe will be a star player for them at some point in the future.
Kevin Alcantara rounds out the three Cubs prospects who rank in the all-MLB top-100. He is an outfielder that could be a very good player in the not-so-distant future. All three of these guys are hoping to lead the next great Cubs team.
The Cubs probably would have been given an even better ranking if they traded Willson Contreras and Ian Happ at the deadline. They chose not to so we will see what comes of their Cubs tenures but they still could become options to be traded next year depending on how things go.
Before this new ranking by MLB Pipeline, they were ranked at 18 so it is a really nice jump for them. The last time the Cubs were ranked this high, they ended up forming a championship squad with some of the players. They are hoping to do that again.