Three Chicago Cubs Prospects Make Massive Top-30 Moves

Two pitchers and a catcher made big moves up the recent Baseball America re-rank of the Chicago Cubs' Top 30 prospects.

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Three Chicago Cubs prospects have made big moves up Baseball America’s Top 30 organizational prospects, released as a re-rank in early June.

The re-rank was based on a variety of criteria, as Cubs prospects moved up and moved down the board. These are prospects who were ranked in the preseason Top 30 and moved up in the re-rank.

Here are the three Cubs prospects that made the biggest jumps in the Top 30 and what factored into their new rankings.

C Pablo Aliendo (+12)

Aliendo made the biggest jump from spring to summer, as he moved from No. 25 to No. 13. It’s been a long road for the Venezuela native, who has been in the Cubs’ organization since 2018. He’s playing his first full season of Double-A ball in Tennessee, where in his first 37 games he slashed .263/.338/.526/.864 with eight home runs and 27 RBI. He’s already exceeded his home run total from last season at High Class-A South Bend and is closing on a career high in RBI. He’s only been charged with two errors behind the plate.

LHP Jackson Ferris (+10)

Ferris didn’t just jump 10 spots. He jumped from No. 15 to No. 5, which should put him on the radar of Cubs minor-league watchers, even though the 19-year-old is only at Class-A Myrtle Beach. But after the Cubs took him in the second round of last year’s draft, and after holding him out of pro ball, he’s starting to show the arm talent that made him so coveted coming out of IMG Academy. In his first six starts he didn’t figure in a decision. But, he had a 2.87 ERA in 15.2 innings. He’s given up just seven hits and five runs. He’s struck out 21 and walked 10.

RHP Kohl Franklin (+9)

Franklin is now a Top 20 prospect after moving up from No. 29. A sixth-round pick in 2018, he’s starting gain traction at Tennessee after a promotion from South Bend. He’s 2-5 with a 3.75 ERA in his first 11 starts at both stops, but he’s given up 37 hits in 48 innings. He’s struck out 50, walked 23 and opponents are batting just .213 against him. 

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