The Chicago Cubs are next on our Players Likely to Debut series. In case you missed it, we have already rolled out over half the league.
AL East: Red Sox — Yankees — Orioles — Blue Jays — Rays
NL East: Marlins — Braves — Phillies — Mets—Nationals
AL Central: Tigers — Royals — White Sox—Twins—Cleveland
NL Central: Cardinals—Reds—Pirates
Below, you will find a list of three prospects from the respective organization. Each prospect will have a number score next to their name — this number will represent the estimated amount of time we anticipate that player seeing at the big-league level. Players that have already made their big-league debut will not be included on this list.
BREAKDOWN OF TIME ON ROSTER SCORES:
1 — September call-ups / guys that are likely to see less than 20-25 games on the roster
2 — 1/4 of the season (roughly 40 games on roster)
3 — 1/2 of the season (roughly 80 games on roster)
4 — 3/4 of the season (roughly 120 games on roster)
5 — Full season on the MLB roster
Chicago Cubs
Position — Name (Time on Roster Score)
C — Miguel Amaya (2)
Signed for $1M out of Panama in 2015, Amaya, is a solid defender with decent raw power. With Victor Caratini moving to the Padres in the Yu Darvish deal, Amaya is already sitting as the team's third catcher behind Willson Contreras and Austin Romine and should get a chance to make his first mark in the Major Leagues this year. If the Cubs decide to go into full sell mode and opt to move Contreras, Amaya certainly would immediately gain significant play time but as of now, it seems more likely that 2021 will likely only be a chance to get his feet wet with the big league squad.
RHP — Cory Abbott (2)
Overall, Abbott is the type of low ceiling, high floor arm that could find himself with a spot towards the back end of a big league rotation in a moment's notice if a need for depth becomes apparent. For the time being former Pirate Trevor Williams and fellow Cubs prospect Adbert Alzolay will likely serve as the 4th and 5th starters for the Cubs. But Alzolay has shown struggles in his previous big league chances and Williams has been mostly unsuccessful during his career so Abbott could get a chance to prove himself at some point this season.
SS — Christopher Morel (1)
Similar to Amaya, Morel is a player in the Cubs system who could quickly find himself with a much larger role if the organization decides to become sellers. Former MVP Kris Bryant continues to be rumored in trade talks and while Morel initially spent some time at SS, he now projects mostly at 3B or OF as he has added strength and size. Morel is an athletic player who could present some defensive versatility and relatively decent power numbers as a depth piece should he get promoted.
NOTABLE
A handful of arms to follow that are a part of the Cubs 40-man are Justin Steele, Keegan Thompson and Gray Fenter. Of this group, Steele is the one with the most upside but he’ll need to have a lot of things go well for him after suffering from injuries and inconsistent success throughout his career thus far.