The Cubs won the 2016 World Series with a young core of position players who developed mostly in their organization, but two seasons have passed and the failure to promote any legit pitching prospects is taking its toll on the club. However, the narrative that the Cubs minor league system sucks and has no hope for the next few years is false.
Developing pitching has been a huge fault for the Cubs during the Theo Epstein regime, yet the team does have a few arms who are on the cusp of becoming top prospects. Left-hander Brailyn Marquez might just be the next big star in the Cubs minor league system.
If you look at any prospect rankings list right now you'll see two names for the Cubs consistently pop up. Infielder Nico Hoerner, who impressed scouts in the Arizona Fall League, and catcher Miguel Amaya, who had a great first half in 2018, and then struggled the rest of the way in his first full year of pro ball.
And right behind them you'll see Marquez, who isn't a top-100 prospect...yet.
Back in December, Baseball America listed Marquez as the third best prospect for the Cubs, three slots ahead of right-hander Adbert Alzolay, who was once the organizations top-ranked prospect. That was following a 2018 campaign that saw Marquez make 12 starts at Single-A, where he had a 3.13 ERA in 54.2 innings.
The lefty is even getting some national attention.
Most recently, John Sickels, who write about prospects for The Athletic, brought up Marquez, and he also gave his stamp of approval.
Marquez is only 20-years-old, but at 6-foot-4, with a great fastball and the ability to throw strikes, Cubs fans should really get to know him because his stock is rising.
Make sure to check out this article by Michael Ernst from Cubs Den. An excellent, in-depth look at Marquez and what's ahead for the best pitching prospect the Cubs currently have.
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