Stock Up, Stock Down for Chicago Cubs' Top 5 Prospects for Week 1

Despite the wealth of young talent that has graduated the minor league ranks and become an integral part of the MLB core, the Chicago Cubs still a deep and talented farm system.

Outfielders Eloy Jimenez and Ian Happ, right-hander Dylan Cease and corner infielder Jeimer Candelario are the team's top prospects and the four guys that are considered to be top-100 caliber talents.

There's plenty of intriguing talent beyond that group, though, as the team has loaded up on pitching prospects in recent drafts and could start to reap the rewards of that strategy in the years to come.

At any rate, ahead is a look at how the team's top five prospects—according to MLB.com—are performing and whether their stock is trending up or down as a result.

Note: The following is an update on the team's top five prospects who are currently active at some level of the minors. This time around, that meant No. 1 prospect Eloy Jimenez was excluded, as he's currently on the disabled list with a bone bruise in his right shoulder.

No. 6 Prospect. OF Mark Zagunis, Triple-A Iowa

Last Week: 6 G, 3-for-20, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 5 R, 6/8 BB/K

Overview

Mark Zagunis boosted his prospect stock considerably last season with a .288/.384/.469 line that included 25 doubles and 10 home runs in 422 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A.

The 24-year-old doesn't have one standout tool, but he does everything well and he's quickly turned himself into a solid defensive outfielder after being drafted as a catcher.

While his immediate future with the Cubs appears to be as a fourth outfielder, he could wind up as a trade chip and in an everyday role where he's capable of being a steady .280 hitter with 12-15 home runs.

Zagunis had his best game of the season on Wednesday (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB) so perhaps he's ready to snap out of his early funk.

Stock: Down

No. 5 Prospect. RHP Oscar De La Cruz, High-A Myrtle Beach

Last Week: 1 GS, W, 5.0 IP, 5 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Overview

The Cubs saw enough in six starts from Oscar De La Cruz last season at the Single-A level to send him to High-A Myrtle Beach to open 2017.

The 6'4" right-hander posted a 3.25 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with 35 strikeouts in 27.2 innings during those six starts, so the aggressive promotion was certainly warranted.

MLB.com wrote: "He can't match the pure stuff of Dylan Cease, Chicago's top pitching prospect, but he has a higher floor as a starter and could become at least a No. 3."

De La Cruz has an advanced three-pitch mix that includes a mid-90s fastball, plus curveball and solid changeup, so the stuff is there for him to excel.

Five strong innings in his High-A debut may only be the start of a breakout season.

Stock: Even

No. 4 Prospect: 3B Jeimer Candelario, Triple-A Iowa

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Last Week: 7 G, 10-for-27, 5 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 6 R, 2/8 BB/K

Overview

Jeimer Candelario really has nothing left to prove in the minors.

He hit .283/.376/.464 with 39 doubles, 13 home runs and 77 RBI in 553 plate appearances between Double-A and Triple-A last season.

There simply isn't a clear path to playing time in the majors.

The 23-year-old has been as hot as any hitter in the minors to start the season, 

"He's in the zone. He's really focusing on at-bats, getting a good pitch," Triple-A hitting coach Desi Wilson told Josh Jackson of MiLB.com. "When hitters get in the zone like he is, they see the ball and it looks like a grapefruit coming out of a pitcher's hand."

He was 4-for-4 with three doubles, one triple and five RBI on Wednesday.

Stock: Up

No. 3 Prospect. RHP Dylan Cease, Single-A South Bend

Last Week: 1 GS, L, 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K

Overview

Dylan Cease made his full-season debut with Single-A South Bend on Saturday.

The 21-year-old will be brought along slowly as he continues to build arm strength another year removed from Tommy John surgery.

His stuff is impossible to ignore, though.

With a fastball that touches triple digits and a hammer curve as two plus pitches already, how Cease develops of his changeup will go a long way in determining just how good he can be.

Expect to see plenty of crooked numbers in the strikeout column this season after he punched out eight in his 2017 debut.

Stock: Even

No. 2 Prospect. 2B/OF Ian Happ, Triple-A Iowa

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Last Week: 7 G, 8-for-29, 1 2B, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, 3/5 BB/K

Overview

Ian Happ put on a show this spring and that's carried over to the start of his MiLB season with Triple-A Iowa.

The No. 9 pick in the 2015 draft looked right at home alongside the big leaguers in Cactus League action, hitting .383/.441/.750 with seven doubles, five home runs and 21 RBI in 68 plate appearances.

Versatility will be the key for Happ, as he doesn't have a clear path to playing time at second base or in the outfield.

"I'm excited for the opportunity to help this ballclub in any way I can," Happ told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times. "I'm enjoying being versatile and being able to play multiple positions and just trying to take every opportunity I can to help the team."

As long as he keeps hitting, the Cubs will find a way to utilize him.

He homered in three straight games over the weekend and added his fourth long ball of the season on Wednesday.

Stock: Up

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and MiLB.com, and accurate through Wednesday, April 12.