Baseball America announces their Cubs Top 30 Prospects

It seems to be that time of year when everyone is announcing their top prospects in baseball. Earlier this winter, Baseball America announced their top 10 Cubs prospects for 2021. Yesterday, they filled out the list with their top 30. (Baseball America sub. req.)

The list and the accompanying scouting reports are behind a paywall, but if you just want to know who BA considers to be the Cubs best 30 prospects, I’ll list them here. Baseball America makes their lists from consulting their vast network of contacts from throughout the industry and normally, combine that with what their staff has seen themselves. This year, of course, they’ve had to rely more on what others are telling them than what they’ve seen themselves, although there has been winter ball and some other events open to the public recently.

BA’s Top 30 Cubs prospects are:

1. Brailyn Marquez LHP
2. Brennen Davis OF
3. Miguel Amaya C
4. Ed Howard SS
5. Adbert Alzolay RHP
6. Kohl Franklin RHP
7. Ryan Jensen RHP
8. Christopher Morel 3B
9. Chase Strumpf 2B
10. Reggie Preciado SS
11. Riley Thompson RHP
12. Cory Abbott RHP
13. Burl Carraway LHP
14. Cole Roederer OF
15. Ismael Mena OF
16. Yeison Santana SS
17. Luis Verdugo SS/3B
18. Chris Clarke RHP
19. Michael McAvene RHP
20. Kevin Made SS
21. Owen Caissie OF
22. Justin Steele LHP
23. Alfonso Rivas 1B
24. Jordan Nwogu OF
25. Yohendrick Pinango OF
26. Tyson Miller RHP
27. Keegan Thompson RHP
28. Ronnier Quintero C
29. Jack Patterson LHP
30. Manuel Rodriguez RHP

They didn’t rank new signing Cristian Hernandez (or any players signed in the most recent international free agent signing period) although in a chat earlier this winter, they said that the 17-year-old Hernandez would likely rank in the 6 to 10 range.

Preciado, Mena, Santana and Caissie were all acquired in the Yu Darvish deal and all four make the Cubs top 30 prospects. Howard, Carraway and Nwogu were the Cubs’ first, second and third round picks in 2020 and have yet to make their professional debuts, of course.

Made and Quintero were top international signings in 2019. They also have yet to make their professional debuts. Pinango was a 2018 international signing who hit an impressive .358/.427/.442 with 27 steals in 62 games as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2019. He should play in the US for the first time in 2021.

The Cubs got Rivas from the Athletics for Tony Kemp before last season. He’s played in the A’s system but has yet to make his Cubs debut, except in Spring Training.

The rest of the players on the list should all be familiar to anyone who read the Minor League Wrap regularly in 2019.