By Todd Johnson
For some strange reason, I made 889 baseball cards this year. I’m not sure what I was thinking, That’s enough for every prospect in the system to get three Cards made of them. But that’s not how it always works. I made more of some players than others and definitely more of some levels than others.
Normally, this would be the part where I would tell you about the theme and then show you a Google Slides presentation of the top 11 cards of the year. Instead, I piggybacked the cards from my top-secret Twitter burner account and are able to bring them to you without sucking up any storage space on WordPress.
#11
Picture by Larry Kave
A lot of times light will make a card. It could be bright sunlight, it could be shadows, or it could even be sunset. In this case it is sunset. Larry captures Bailey and his wind up in a camo jersey that kind of blends with his beard and the card frame in one of my favorite shots of the year.
#10
By MiLB
I am not sure where this picture was taken, but the billboards blurriness in the background makes the whole shot. I also love that Thompson is in the road gray uniform of which we don’t see too many pictures.
#9
By Rikk Carlson
Sunday games are always best for pictures because of the large amount of sun. In this shot, Rikk perfectly captures pitcher Brendon Little in the daylight. That’s not what makes the picture, though. The earth toned crowd behind Little blends perfectly with the 2001 frame.
#8
By Dylan Heuer
Dylan has tweeted that he does not like the red alternate jerseys worn by the Iowa Cubs. In this pic, however, that red jersey just contrasts perfectly With the black flame frame of the 1971 card. Also, I just love the action in the card.
#7
By Briana Paciorka
This is a perfect picture of light and color matching perfectly with the frame in a day game from early in the year. It wasn’t long after this that Vosler found his way to AAA Iowa.
#6
By Jared Ravich
This was the card of the month for September and I just love how the light bounces off the different shades of green in the tie-dyed jersey. Taken right at sunset, it’s a magical shot!
#5
By Eugene Emeralds
Even though Luis Diaz didn’t last at Eugene all summer, the memory of this picture did. The sunlight coming in and illuminating half the hitter and the colors in the Monarcas jersey just seem to pop and it was one of my favorite cards of June.
#4
By Jared Ravich
Fernando Kelli has a lot of speed. This picture by Jared really captures Fernando‘s personality as he eyes third base early in the season. It really speaks to who Kelli is and what he can do in a baseball game to change the outcome.
#3
By John Conover
Taken in Grand Rapids, Michigan, John actually had a much wider view of the shot but when I zoomed in for the card, the angle just seemed to line up between Jared Young, the catcher, and the umpire. It really caught my eye and still does.
#2
By Tennessee Smokies
Just look at that smile! That sells the whole card.
#1
By Rikk Carlson
I just love everything about this card. From the 2008 Topps’ frame to the melting of red, white, and blue throughout the card, it has a really classic look. However, some might get lost in Miguel’s sunglasses as he looks like a viper about to strike. At the time this picture was taken, that’s exactly what Amaya was doing.
To see all 889 cards, head on over to the Facebook Photo Albums. I have also begun to make some cards this offseason. If you know of any recent shots of prospects floating around a hometown paper or website, let me know.
When it comes to the outfield this year, MLB Pipeline went with Mark Zagunis, Roberto Caro, and Zach Davis. All three hit well enough to deserve their spots this year with Caro and Davis doing it across two levels. What is missing, though, is power. None of three hit many extra base hits but they did get on base at a pretty good clip. Davis had a wRC+ of 111, Caro was at 186 (wow!) in 38 games at South Bend and 113 in 41 games at Myrtle Beach. Zagunis was also at 111 with just 24 XBHs on the year.
The Cubs 2 team was filled with a lot of talent from the draft including outfielders Cole Roederer and Brennen Davis, two of the Cubs’ second round picks. Roederer played 36 games with a 129 wRC+ while Davis played in 18 with a 138 wRC+. Those are two pretty impressive performances.
That seems to be the million dollar question. The Cubs seem to have about 100 prospects for 50 spots at Myrtle Beach and South Bend. A lot of this year’s Mesa squad will head to Eugene next time at 19 and 20 years of age. Some could play as high as Myrtle Beach next year depending on their bat to ball skills and pitching repertoire. Perlaza, Rafael Mejia, and Guerra along with outfielder Edmond Americaan are definitely in play for South Bend along with a Roederer and Brennen Davis. 
It proved to be an exciting August as the Ems clinched a playoff berth by finishing second to the winner of both halves, Hillsboro. Hillsboro pretty much had their way with Eugene winning 8 of their 12 games during the regular season. But in the playoffs you start over at 0 to 0. 
There are also going to be a lot of guys from the DSL who will be competing in spring training to get to Eugene in June. Shortstop Fabian Pertuz and pitcher Luis Rodriguez from the Dominican are just two of a group of about 10 to 12 players trying to get to Eugene next summer.
South Bend also produced one of the top closers in the system in Brian Glowicki who turned into a bulldog on the mound in the last month of the year. He did not allow an earned run in August. Add in the success of Brendan King, Enrique de los Rios, and Garrett Kelly and it was a pretty good year for pitching for the Cubs.
Nelson Velazquez, Fernando Kelli, and Jonathan Sierra should be in South Bend manning the outfield on day one but will 2018 draft picks Cole Roederer, Brennen Davis, and Edmond Americaan give them a run for their money?