Stock Up, Stock Down for Chicago Cubs Top-10 Prospects for Week 7

The Chicago Cubs turned in a 3-3 performance this past week, winning a series against the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend. However, they still have the worst record in baseball (15-27), earning them the No. 30 spot in this week's MLB power rankings.

As we make our way through what will likely be another long year on the North Side, more and more attention will be paid to a farm system that was ranked No. 4 in all of baseball by Baseball America entering the season.

What follows is a look at the team's current top-10 prospects and how they performed at the minor league level over the past week. This series will be updated weekly, with a stock "up," "even" or "down" indication given to each prospect based upon what direction his performance is trending.

Note: Prospects rankings according to Baseball America Prospect Handbook.

*No. 3 prospect SP C.J. Edwards (shoulder) spent last week on the disabled list. He will not be included here until he is active. He is 1-0 with a 2.61 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 20.2 innings on the season at Double-A Tennessee.

No. 11 Prospect: SP Kyle Hendricks, Triple-A Iowa

Morry Gash/Associated Press

2014 Stats

8 GS, 4-3, 3.06 ERA, 11 BB, 54 K, 50.0 IP

Overview

Kyle Hendricks entered last season as a relatively unheralded prospect, having come over from the Texas Rangers in the Ryan Dempster trade, but he broke out last season when he went 13-4 with a 2.00 ERA and 1.058 WHIP.

The 24-year-old turned in his best start of the season by far his last time out, allowing just three hits and striking out 11 in eight shutout innings against Texas Rangers affiliate Round Rock.

"Honestly, it was just that my fastball command was on. That was key," Hendricks told Josh Jackson of MiLB.com. "Everything felt really good mechanically, and the guys got a couple early runs, so I could start attacking hitters."

Last Week's Stats

1 GS, W, 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K

Stock

Up

No. 10 Prospect: RP Arodys Vizcaino, Double-A Tennessee

Morry Gash/Associated Press

2014 Stats

A+: 9 G, 0-0, 1 SV, 1.00 ERA, 4 BB, 10 K, 9.0 IP
AA: 4 G, 0-0, 0 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0 BB, 7 K, 4.0 IP

Note: Vizcaino was promoted to Double-A Tennessee on May 6.

Overview

After an impressive showing through nine appearances for High-A Daytona, the Cubs promoted Arodys Vizcaino to Double-A on May 6, as the hard-throwing right-hander is one step closer to fully completing his return from Tommy John surgery after missing the past two years.

He's allowed a grand total of seven hits and four walks in 13 innings of work on the year, walking four and striking out 17, and as long as he avoids any setbacks he looks to be on track for a midseason debut in Chicago.

Don't be surprised if he's closing by season's end, as he has electric stuff and the Cubs' ninth-inning situation has been anything but set in stone so far.

Last Week's Stats

2 G, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

Stock

Up

No. 9 Prospect: 1B Dan Vogelbach, High-A Daytona

2014 Stats

38 G, .241/.316/.326, 6 2B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 16 R

Overview

Dan Vogelbach had a pair of multi-hit games this past week, including hitting a pair of doubles on Saturday, but his slow start to the 2014 season continues.

The 21-year-old posted an .824 OPS with 19 home runs and 76 RBI between Single-A and High-A last season, and he has some of the best raw power in all of minor league baseball. However, it's clear that he still has some developing to do.

There's a good chance the 2011 second-round pick winds up being trade bait at some point, as he's blocked by Anthony Rizzo at first base, but he remains a valuable commodity for the organization regardless of what his future holds.

Last Week's Stats

6-for-24, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R

Stock

Even

No. 8 Prospect: 3B Jeimer Candelario, High-A Daytona

2014 Stats

36 G, .183/.295/.333, 6 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 16 RBI, 15 R

Overview

Jeimer Candelario will play the entire 2014 season as a 20-year-old, yet he has already reached the High-A level and is in his fourth professional season.

"A switch-hitter, Candelario has a polished swing and approach from both sides of the plate, though he shows more power as a lefty," Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com wrote in his preseason prospect rankings. "He has good feel for the barrel, and once he adds strength, he could develop into a .280 hitter with 20 homers annually."

He's off to a slow start at High-A Daytona, but that's to be expected from one of the younger players at that level. His 19/27 BB/K is solid despite his batting average being under .200, and his plate discipline should allow him to make the necessary adjustments.

Last Week's Stats

4-for-18, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 4 R

Stock

Even

No. 7 Prospect: 2B Arismendy Alcantara, Triple-A Iowa

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

2014 Stats

39 G, .272/.306/.490, 13 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 22 R, 9 SB

Overview

Arismendy Alcantara emerged as a top prospect last year when he posted an .804 OPS with 36 doubles, 15 home runs and 31 steals in a full season at the Double-A level. Now, he's looking to prove he's ready to make the jump to the big leagues.

He delivered the game-winning blow on Sunday, launching a three-run home run off of Neftali Feliz in the eighth inning to put the Iowa Cubs up 9-8, which wound up being the final score.

Triple-A manager Marty Pevey talked to Kelsie Heneghan of MiLB.com after the game about the impressive tools Alcantara possess and when he might reach Chicago:

"

This kid, even though he's small, he has a lot of power. He is a great player. He's got great tools. He's got speed, he has power, he can hit for average. (But) he's going to need 300 or 400 more at-bats (to) learn how to stay back on the breaking ball.

"

If that does in fact wind up being his timetable, it could put him in position for a September call-up.

Last Week's Stats

5-for-13, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB

Stock

Up

No. 6 Prospect: SP Pierce Johnson, Double-A Tennessee

2014 Stats

5 G, 4 GS, 1-1, 5.16 ERA, 22 BB, 20 K, 22.2 IP

Overview

Sidelined by a hamstring injury at the start of the season, Piece Johnson has struggled with some command issues here in the early going, including walking six in 2.2 innings of work in a relief appearance his last time out.

He walked just 43 hitters in 118.1 innings of work last season but has already issued 22 free passes through his first 22.2 innings this season. A relatively polished arm coming out of college, the team has promoted him aggressively to this point, and these control problems are the first real issue he's run into.

Last Week's Stats

1 G, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 1 K

Stock

Down

No. 5 Prospect: RF Jorge Soler, Double-A Tennessee

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

2014 Stats

7 G, .333/.407/.625, 7 2B, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 4 R

Overview

Sidelined for more than a month by a hamstring injury that he suffered on Opening Day, Jorge Soler has been brought along slowly in his return to the Double-A Tennessee lineup and still has just 24 at-bats on the season.

B/R prospect guru Mike Rosenbaum wrote a piece on Soler a few weeks back and described his offensive potential as follows:

"

At 6’4”, 215 pounds, Soler is a physically strong right-handed hitter with a mature frame that requires little projection. The ball absolutely jumps off his bat thanks to blinding bat speed and an explosive swing, and he’s able to get the barrel on more pitches than he probably should with excellent plate coverage. Meanwhile, his extension and lift after contact generates exceptional backspin carry and suggests the potential for multiple 20-plus home runs in his prime.

"

He still has some maturing to do from both a baseball and attitude standpoint, but the potential is there for him to be an impact piece of the Cubs future.

Last Week's Stats

1-for-7, 1 2B

Stock

Even

No. 4 Prospect: CF Albert Almora, High-A Daytona

Sarah Glenn/Getty Images

2014 Stats

35 G, .275/.300/.387, 10 2B, 2 HR, 19 RBI, 20 R, 3 SB

Overview

Albert Almora entered last week mired in a 7-for-27 slump, but a big game on Tuesday—in which he laced three doubles and drove in four runs—seems to have helped him flip a switch, as he is now riding a streak of five straight multi-hit games.

The 20-year-old was promoted aggressively to High-A Daytona this year after playing just 61 games for Single-A Kane County last year due to injury. Granted, he did hit .329/.376/.466 with 24 extra-base hits in 249 at-bats last season, but it was still a big jump for him, nonetheless.

He's a step behind the likes of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Jorge Soler as far as his development is concerned, but given his polished game and impressive makeup, he may be close behind them in reaching the majors.

Last Week's Stats

11-for-27, 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R

Stock

Up

No. 2 Prospect: 3B Kris Bryant, Double-A Tennessee

USA TODAY Sports

2014 Stats

42 G, .321/.416/.591, 10 2B, 11 HR, 34 RBI, 38 R, 5 SB

Overview

Through his first 287 professional at-bats—dating back to last season following his selection with the No. 2 pick in the draft—Kris Bryant has hit .328/.405/.634 with 24 doubles, 20 home runs and 66 RBI.

After advancing three levels to High-A Daytona last season, he made the jump to Double-A to open the 2014 campaign, and he currently leads the Southern League in home runs (11), RBI (34) and runs (38) as a 22-year-old.

The Cubs are being as patient as they can with him at this point, but it's going to be hard to keep his bat down for too long if he keeps hitting like he has. With Javier Baez struggling, Bryant is the team's top prospect at this point, and he has all the makings of a franchise cornerstone.

Last Week's Stats

7-for-26, 1 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 5 R

Stock

Even

No. 1 Prospect: SS Javier Baez, Triple-A Iowa

USA TODAY Sports

2014 Stats

31 G, .162/.244/.291, 1 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 13 R, 3 SB

Overview

After a dreadful 1-for-23 stretch that included 11 strikeouts, Javier Baez has started to show some signs of life offensively, going 4-for-11 with a home run in his last three games.

It's hard to get too excited about a three-game hitting streak when you're talking about one of the top prospects in baseball, but it's a step in the right direction, nonetheless.

Christopher Crawford of ESPN recently put together (subscription required) a list of the top-10 fantasy baseball prospects, and he talked to one MLB scout about the slow start Baez is off to:

"

Some guys just take time to make adjustments. You join a new league and it takes some time to get used to your surroundings. Anyone writing a prospect of (Baez's) quality off based on what he's done over a quarter of a year is pretty foolish. Is he ready to take a big league job and play every day? Nope, but I think we'll see him get there, he's just too talented with the bat to not be.

"

Let's hope the last few days are an indication that things are finally starting to click for the 21-year-old at the Triple-A level.

Last Week's Stats

5-for-24, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Stock

Even