FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen dropped his latest top 100 prospect list. The list itself had 3 Cubs on it. Then again, only one Cub made the actual top 100. The other two, Brailyn Marquez and Reggie Preciado, made the list that went all the way to 133.
The biggest positive of the list was the ranking of Brennen Davis at 41. That’s the highest a Cubs prospect has been ranked on any list in a while. A year ago, Davis was at 50. The second half of the first sentence in the Davis profile says it all, “Davis has quickly translated his athleticism into production and his ceiling is considerable.”
Longenhagen is one of the few writers who buys into Davis as much as Cub bloggers do.
As for Marquez, he popped up at 113: Longenhagen explained why: “Marquez brings triple-digit velocity from the left side, but a low arm angle, unathletic delivery, and inconsistent command produce considerable relief risk.”
2021 is a big year for Marques as the 22-year-old is slated to be at AA Tennessee, a stone’s throw from Chicago. If he can command his pitches better, the option to remain a starter enhances his profile.
The new guy, Reggie Preciado, has for a while known to be a favorite of Longenhagen and FanGraphs. Despite not playing in a game that has mattered, Preciado was at instructs last fall for the Padres. Longenhagen is still aware that Preciado is still very raw and has not faced a lot of breaking balls.
“Because of the missing minor league season, most teams in Arizona brought an older contingent of player to instructs than they usually would, and still Preciado (who is still just 17) was striking the ball with precision and power from both sides of the plate when he made contact. He had real issues recognizing breaking balls during the Fall and his ability to adjust to those will be key moving forward, but I’m willing to bet it was a symptom of him being 17 and facing unusually advanced pitching after not having seen any live pitching at all for much of the year. I still think he ends up at third, but there’s rare hit/power combination potential here and it just takes confidence in one’s eyes to see it might already have arrived.”
Based on that description, I am starting to think Preciado might begin the year in extended spring training and then work his way to Myrtle Beach in the second half.
FanGraphs’ top 100 closes out the top 100 prospect list season. It looks like Brennen Davis is going to have the most prospect points once all the team lists by MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, ESPN, and the Athletic are published.
Cubs Central 
[…] there would be a Cubs team prospect list coming from ESPN but I didn’t know there would also be a Top 100 from FanGraphs, which was a pleasant surprise. I also was looking forward to possible coaching announcements and […]
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