Cubs Minor League Baseball Blog

Kevin Goldstein’s list of the Cubs top eleven prospects hit the website yesterday.  There’s no five star, but they do have three four star prospects which is nice.  Topping the list is Brett Jackson who’s probably close to making his debut after half of a season at Double A.  Goldstein thinks if Jackson has a strong spring, he could start the season with Iowa to open the gate.  From there, he’s just an injury or a strong start away from playing for the Cubs.

Pitcher Trey McNutt comes in at number two.  He’s probably a year away but he jumped two levels and should start at Double-A, which is where he ended 2010.  This kid can throw hard but Goldstein talked about how his secondary pitches are a work in progress.

Chris Archer is number three.  Like Jackson, Archer is knocking on the door after a strong season High A.    Goldstein even thinks he could skip Double-A and could be a September call up.

After that, things thin out.  Josh Vitters (who seems like he’s been around forever) and Hak-Ju Lee round out the top five.  His final comments touch on how the Cubs have a lot of nice pieces, but no big stars.