Cubs Prospect Miguel Amaya With His Highest Ranking Yet

Miguel Amaya is the Cubs top-rated prospect just ahead of the team's 2018 first-round pick Nico Hoerner. Both have seen their name listed in a few top-100 prospect rankings, but Amaya has received his highest ranking yet. FanGraphs just published its top-100 prospect list and the young catcher in the Cubs system was ranked 73rd overall. The Athletic recently ranked Amaya as the 89th best prospect in baseball. Via FanGraphs.

73. Miguel Amaya, C, CHC

Signed: July 2nd Period, 2015 from Panama (CHC)

Age	19.9	Height	6′ 1″	Weight	185	Bat / Thr	R / R	FV	50

Tool Grades (Present/Future)

Hit	Raw Power	Game Power	Run	Fielding	Throw
25/55	50/55	30/45	40/30	45/60	55/60

A mature defender with 55 raw power, Amaya had the statistical breakout last year that we promised he would, and is tracking like an above-average regular.

Even as he struggled early as a pro to perform on paper, Amaya drew trade interest from clubs hoping to leverage the Cubs’ championship aspirations to convince the club to part with him. The Cubs refused and have been rewarded, as the offensive potential promised by Amaya’s graceful swing and burgeoning physicality began to actualize in 2018. Amaya’s hands have life, and work in a tight little loop as he accelerates them to swing. He can pull and lift balls in various parts of the zone with regularity, and the impact of his contact is only limited by his average bat speed.

The 19-year-old played his first full season of pro-ball in 2018. He finished the year with a .256/.349/.403, slash line in 116 games at South Bend. Amaya hit 12 home runs, walked 50 times, while striking out 91 times in more than 400 at-bats. He started 2018, with a huge first half. Amaya slashed .288/.365/.500, in the first 59 games.

The physical grind of catching is likely to dilute his in-game offensive production a little bit, but unless the beating he takes back there starts to take away from his defensive abilities (which sometimes happens to young catchers), Amaya is a pretty good bet to have some kind of big league career, and, if the bat maxes out, he’ll be an above-average regular. He turns 20 in March and will likely head to Hi-A next year. How his advanced defensive ability and less-advanced bat develop could affect how quickly the Cubs push him: slowly if they want to wait for the latter or, depending on how much he hits early as a big leaguer, quickly if they don’t.

Josh Nelson compiled a list of six prospect rankings: Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic and FanGrpahs. The average ranking from those six publications for Amaya is the 90th best prospect. Hoerner has an average ranking of 92nd. Check out the full list below.