Former #1 Cubs Prospect Drops Out of Top-100

This isn't to say Brennen Davis is done, should be counted out, or completely forgotten about, but he is another example that maybe out of any major sport, trying to evaluate and project baseball prospects is hard. While Davis wasn't the top-rated prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline, (#2) the right-handed hitter was ranked as the number one prospect in the Chicago Cubs system heading into the 2022 season by Baseball America.

Regardless of whether he was viewed as number one or number two, Davis was a consensus top-100 prospect last year and despite injuries in 2022, he was still considered a top prospect this past offseason. However, after six or so weeks into the 2023 season, Davis is no longer on MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects list after their rankings were updated today.

Davis, 23, entered this season ranked as the 84th best prospect according to MLB Pipeline. Now, he's on the outside of the top-100. Davis is one of five player that have moved out of the top-100, including three pitchers and a catcher.

Moving out
Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers (from 53)
Gordon Graceffo, RHP, Cardinals (from 68)
Drew Romo, C, Rockies (from 73)
Wilmer Flores, RHP, Tigers (from 83)
Brennen Davis, OF, Cubs (from 84)

So far at Triple-A, Davis is slashing .196/.320/.299, with three home runs, 15 RBI, 13 runs scored and six stolen bases. The power numbers are way down, as Davis has only added two doubles to the three homers this season. The only positives are his plate discipline numbers, as Davis has a 16.4 strikeout rate with a 9.4 walk percentage. In previous seasons, Davis was striking out higher than the average rate, hovering in the 25 percent range.

In 2022, Davis struggled through April and then missed a big chunk of the season after having surgery on his back to alleviate pain that was caused by a nest of blood vessels that pushed against a nerve. Davis returned to game action on Aug. 15, 2022. Overall, he played in 43 games at Triple-A last season and had a slash line of .191/.322/.319, with four home runs.

However, you do have to consider that despite his age, Davis does only have 250 minor league games under his belt. The injuries have stunted his development and especially early on, a lot were out of his control, like when he kept getting drilled on the wrist in 2021. On the other hand, you can't ignore that the shine on Davis is wearing off and you can't really consider him as a no-doubt, major leaguer.

We'll see how the rest of 2023 plays out for Davis. A year ago, Cubs fans were thinking Davis was going to be making his MLB debut in the summer. At this point, Davis isn't close to that this summer either.

As for other Cubs prospects in the updated MLB Pipeline's top-100 prospects rankings, outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong went from 28th to 15th. Right-handed starting pitcher Cade Horton wasn't in the top-100, then made it to number 100 after some early season graduations and he's now ranked 68th. Outfielder Kevin Alcántara went from 87th to 75th.