Chicago Cubs’ Farm System Gets High Grade Entering Spring

The Chicago Cubs have some of the top talent in the minor leagues entering spring training and the regular season.

The Chicago Cubs have one of the best farm systems in baseball entering the 2024 season, according to new rankings from Baseball America and ESPN.

The Cubs were ranked No. 2 by ESPN and No. 4 by Baseball America, as both evaluators had several Cubs prospects among their Top 100 players.

The Cubs have been building to this moment in the eyes of Baseball America. Last year the Cubs had the No. 17 farm system in the game, with rankings of No. 15 in 2022, No. 22 in 2021, No. 21 in 2020 and No 29 in 2019.

ESPN chronicled a similar climb, as their evaluators had the Cubs at No. 24 in 2020 and at No. 2 after its re-rank after last year’s MLB Draft and trade deadline.

Driving the rankings are the host of players the Cubs have ranked in each evaluator’s Top 100 prospects.

Each ranked five players among the Top 100 — outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (BA No. 18, ESPN No. 18), right-handed pitcher Cade Horton (BA No. 24, ESPN No. 30), shorstop Matt Shaw (BA No. 31, ESPN No. 37), third baseman Michael Busch (BA No. 43) and outfielder Owen Caissie (BA No. 47, ESPN No. 43).

The one difference was ESPN, which had Cubs left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks at No. 41. Wicks made his MLB debut last season but hasn’t accumulated enough experience to graduate from prospect rankings. Crow-Armstrong also made his MLB debut last September.

The Cubs are coming off a season in which they failed to make the playoffs and hired Craig Counsell away to manage the team. The Cubs also signed pitcher Shota Imanaga in free agency.

Baseball America Farm System Rankings (as of February 2024)

1. Baltimore Orioles

2. Milwaukee Brewers

3. Texas Rangers

4. Chicago Cubs

5. Detroit Tigers

6. San Diego Padres

7. Tampa Bay Rays

8. New York Mets

9. New York Yankees

10. Los Angeles Dodgers

11. Cincinnati Reds

12. Pittsburgh Pirates

13. Boston Red Sox

14. Minnesota Twins

15. Washington Nationals

16. Seattle Mariners

17. Arizona Diamondbacks

18. Chicago White Sox

19. Cleveland Guardians

20. St. Louis Cardinals

21. Philadelphia Phillies

22. San Francisco Giants

23. Colorado Rockies

24. Toronto Blue Jays

25. Oakland Athletics

26. Atlanta Braves

27. Miami Marlins

28. Los Angeles Angels

29. Houston Astros

30. Kansas City Royals

ESPN Farm System Rankings (as of February 2024)

(Note: systems are ranked by empirical surplus dollar values for each future value tier of prospect, based on a formula developed by FanGraphs)

1. Baltimore Orioles ($371 million)

2. Chicago Cubs ($328 million)

3. Detroit Tigers ($318 million)

4. San Diego Padres ($284 million)

5. Milwaukee Brewers ($276 million)

6. New York Yankees ($252 million)

7. Tampa Bay Rays ($249 million)

8. Los Angeles Dodgers ($247 million)

9. Minnesota Twins ($241 million)

10. Cincinnati Reds ($237 million)

11. New York Mets ($235 million)

12. Texas Rangers ($228 million)

13. Boston Red Sox ($223 million)

14. Pittsburgh Pirates ($222 million)

15. San Francisco Giants ($207 million)

16. Washington Nationals ($203 million)

17. Seattle Mariners ($200 million)

18. St. Louis Cardinals ($193 million)

19. Cleveland Guardians ($187 million)

20. Chicago White Sox ($172 million)

21. Arizona Diamondbacks ($168 million)

22. Colorado Rockies ($161 million)

23. Philadelphia Phillies ($158 million)

24. Toronto Blue Jays ($126 million)

25. Oakland Athletics ($112 million)

26. Kansas City Royals ($89 million)

27. Houston Astros ($88 million)

28. Atlanta Braves ($87 million)

29. Miami Marlins ($82 million)

30. Los Angeles Angels ($66 million)