Chicago Cubs Rookie Eyed To Crack MLB Top 100 Players List Soon
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The Chicago Cubs are no strangers to the ESPN Top 100 players in Major League Baseball list, with four entrants in the most recent version.
There were no surprises on that list for the Cubs with each player making their mark before the season started.
Now, ESPN went through to look at who is next up for each team and chose an incoming rookie for Chicago.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, about to turn 22, had just 19 plate appearances last season in the bigs.
There is not much to go off of from that limited sample size, but he is a highly valued prospect ranked at 16th overall and first on the Cubs in MLB's 2024 rankings.
It doesn't look as though he'll start 2024 in the big leagues, though, as he was a surprising addition to the team's first round of cuts a few days ago.
There were expectations that he would be a part of the team's plans in the outfield this season, but it looks like that job will go to former New York Yankees outfielder Mike Tauchman instead.
Looking at the writing on the wall, it does not appear as though any of the other young players for Chicago are expected to jump ahead of Crow-Armstrong.
Though, there is another rookie on the roster that could have a good chance.
Shota Imanga has not had the cleanest start to his first Spring Training in the MLB, but as an experienced and clearly talented pitcher, it would not be surprising to see him be the next Cub to crack the Top 100 list.
The left-hander is 30 years old and will play his first season in the MLB after spending eight seasons in Japan.
He has been a sub-3.00 ERA pitcher since 2021 and will have the chance to breakout in the United States within the Cubs' rotation this upcoming season.
