BCB After Dark: Peering into the future

Thank you for stopping in at BCB After Dark: the swingin’ spot for night owls, early-risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. Come in from the cold. Bring your own beverage. No dress code—just keep your camera turned off. Take a seat near the fireplace.

BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.

Last night I asked you what you’d think about an Anthony Rizzo reunion in 2022. By a vote of 57 percent to 32 percent, you’d be excited about Rizzo returning to Wrigley this year. The rest of you voted “meh.”

Tuesday night/Wednesday morning is the night that we skip the movie discussion, but you can go back and read yesterday’s discussion of the 2021 version of Nightmare Alley and how it differs from the 1947 version. But we always have time for a jazz track, so those of you who skip that can do so now. You won’t hurt my feelings.

In tonight’s show, we have Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in a June 1963 concert from Birdland in New York. This is the title track from Ugetsu, the album made from the recording of that concert.

So with Art Blakey on drums, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Wayne Shorter on tenor sax, Cedar Walton on piano and Reggie Workman on bass, here’s “Ugetsu.”

Last week I spent a great deal of time writing up my picks for the top 20 prospects in the Cubs system. I think there’s a lot of talent in the system at the moment, even if most of it is pretty far away and a lot of it is pretty risky.

I’m not going ask you what you think of my list. I don’t think my feelings could handle that. Instead, I’m going to ask you who you think will be the Cubs’ number one prospect next year at this time.

You’d think it would be easy to just say “Why wouldn’t it just be Brennen Davis again?” For one, Davis could have too many plate appearances in the majors by this time next year to qualify. That’s the biggest reason he wouldn’t be and it would be a good reason. Another good reason is that one of the other prospects could explode and pass Davis in the rankings. There are also bad reasons why Davis wouldn’t be number one anymore, but we’re not going to mention them.

So tell us: Who will be the Cubs’ number one prospect heading into the 2023 season? Go back and read what I wrote, if you have to, and make a prediction. Or you can read someone else’s thoughts on the Cubs prospects. Which player do you think will explode this season? The good news is that none of these players are currently on the 40-man roster and locked out.

The candidates are listed in alphabetical order.

Thank you so much for stopping by. Get home safely. Stay warm. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for another edition of BCB After Dark.