Jim Callis of Baseball America recently released his Chicago Cubs Top 10 Prospects list for the 2010 season. The biggest change on the Cubs’ list is the rise of 19 year old shortstop Starlin Castro. Castro has risen through the Cubs’ system this past year and is currently the talk of the Arizona Fall League. Castro has drawn comparisons to Edgar Renteria and a young Alfonso Soriano. Baseball America lists Castro as the best defensive infielder in the system. The Cubs currently envisions Castro as their shortstop of the future, possibly by 2011. Other players of note include No. 2 prospect, Brett Jackson (of), the Cubs top pick in the 2009 draft and No. 3 prospect, Josh Vitters (3b), the third overall pick in the 2007 draft. Vitters has held the title of the Cubs No. 1 prospect the past two seasons, but has slipped to third due to a few nagging injuries this past season.
After reading this list, I scrolled down the page and took a look at Baseball America’s top prospects of the decade list for the Cubs. Such names as Corey Patterson, Mark Prior, and Felix Pie once graced the title of being the Cubs top prospect. From that list the only players still with the organization are reliever Angel Guzman and current No. 3 prospect Josh Vitters. What does this say about the Cubs’ ability to develop players in their system? It’s no secret to Cubs’ fans that the the organization is notorious for not being able to produce homegrown talent. New owner, Tom Ricketts, recently expressed his desire to win on a consistent basis. His outlook on becoming a winner on a yearly basis is for the organization to consistently develop their minor league talent and have them ready to contribute to the big league club.
The Florida Marlins are a great example of an organization that puts out competitive, pesky teams with homegrown talent and minimal resources. The Cubs obviously have a huge leg up on the Marlins in terms of resources due to being in a large market. I can only imagine how ecstatic teams like the Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays would be if they had the Cubs’ payroll.
Baseball America’s Top Ten List of Cubs Prospects
- Starlin Castro, ss
- Brett Jackson, of
- Josh Vitters, 3b
- Andrew Cashner, rhp
- Jay Jackson, rhp
- Hak-Ju Lee, ss
- Logan Watkins, 2b
- Chris Carpenter, rhp
- Ryan Flaherty, ss/2b/3b
- D.J. LeMahieu, ss/2b
