Chicago Cubs: Stock Up, Stock Down on Top 10 Prospects After 1 Month

The Chicago Cubs are mired at 17-17 entering play Thursday and are looking up at the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds, not to mention the rival St. Louis Cardinals, in the National League Central.

Does that mean it's time to push the panic button and promote a bunch of prospects?

Um, no.

It is an opportune time to scan the Cubbies' farm system, however, and take a "stock up, stock down" assessment of their top 10 minor league chips after roughly a month of play.

Up or down verdicts are based primarily on performances, but expectations, health and developmental status play a role as well. Oh, and we're not considering anyone currently on the big league roster.

No. 10: Eddy Martinez, LF/RF

Eddy Martinez slashed .254/.331/.380 in his first season with Single-A South Bend last season and flashed some pop with 10 home runs and 24 doubles in 126 games.

That action came two years after Martinez defected from Cuba, and the 22-year-old betrayed some understandable rust, striking out 113 times.

He's cut back on the strikeouts this year at High-A and unleashed his trademark howitzer arm. His .250/.310/.346 slash line, however, indicate there's far more work to be done.

Stock: Down

No. 9: D.J. Wilson, LF/CF

A fourth-round pick in 2015, D.J. Wilson hit .257 and swiped 21 bases in 64 games last season at Low-A Eugene.

According to MLB.com's scouting report, "one club official compared his upside to that of Andrew McCutchen."

That's a lofty comp, and Wilson isn't living up to it so far at Single-A South Bend, where he's slashing .212/.291/.384 with 42 strikeouts in 31 games. 

He's still just 20 years old, but this footage of him trying and failing to throw a beach ball back into the stands sums up his 2017 output thus far.

Stock: Down

No. 8: Jose Albertos, RHP

An 18-year-old signed out of the Mexican League in July 2015, Jose Albertos made just one four-inning rookie league appearance in 2016 before the Cubs shut him down with forearm soreness.

Chicago is clearly taking the cautious route with his development, but FanGraphs' Eric Longenhagen offered a semi-promising scouting report after watching Albertos throw May 3 on a back field. 

The young righty sat in the low-90s with his fastball, Longenhagen noted, and touched 95 mph with late sinking action. Longenhagen also described a changeup with "promising tumble" and a curveball Albertos was able to throw for strikes.

"There's no room left for velo on Albertos' body, but the repertoire is already very promising," Logenhagen concluded about the 6'1", 185-pounder.

We're obviously dealing with limited data here, but it appears Albertos is healthy and unfurling plus stuff, which is about all you can ask for out of a teenager still cutting his pro baseball teeth.

Stock: Up

No. 7: Trevor Clifton, RHP

Plucked out of high school as a 12th-round pick in 2013, Trevor Clifton made a jump in 2016, posting a 3.18 ERA with 129 strikeouts in 119 innings for High-A Myrtle Beach and winning Carolina League pitcher of the year honors.

So far this year with Double-A Tennessee, Clifton is 3-1 with a 2.25 ERA, albeit with a more-modest 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

Clifton features a mid-90s fastball and plus curveball and is developing a changeup that could give him the repertoire to stick as a starter at the big league level.

Stock: Up

No. 6: Mark Zagunis, LF/RF

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Taken in the third round of the 2014 draft (the same one that netted the Cubs Kyle Schwarber with the fourth overall pick), Mark Zagunis owns an impressive .402 on-base percentage through 316 MiLB games.

He hit .288 with 10 home runs last season between Double-A and Triple-A, but he's managed just a .212 average so far this year in the hitter-happy Pacific Coast League.

On the other hand, he has hit five homers in 27 games with a typically robust .380 OBP.

It's tough to imagine a spot opening up in Chicago for the 24-year-old, but he could be an intriguing trade chip come late July, particularly if he can raise his average.

Stock: Down

No. 5: Oscar De La Cruz, RHP

Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012, Oscar De La Cruz flashed head-turning strikeout stuff last season, fanning 11.8 batters per nine innings in nine starts between the rookie league, Low-A and Single-A.

The big 22-year-old can touch the high 90s with his fastball and complements it with a power curve.

This year, he owns a 3.68 ERA at High-A Myrtle Beach and turned in his best start of the season May 6, fanning six with no walks and allowing one earned run through six frames. 

He's a work in progress, but the progress is evident.

Stock: Up

No. 4: Jeimer Candelario, 3B/1B

Jeimer Candelario sipped his big league cup of coffee last season, as he logged 14 plate appearances with the Cubs and registered his first MLB knock.

The 23-year-old got another taste recently, when Chicago added him as the supplemental 26th man for its doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies Tuesday.

He's put in most of his work with Triple-A Iowa and has torched the PCL to the tune of a .340 average and 1.093 OPS.

It'd take an injury for Candelario to get an extended stay at Wrigley, but he's another enticing trade chip in executive Theo Epstein's back pocket.

Stock: Up

No. 3: Dylan Cease, RHP

After fanning 91 in 68.2 innings between the rookie league and Low-A in 2016, Dylan Cease has kept right on missing bats.

Through six starts at Single-A South Bend, Cease has 43 strikeouts in 28.2 frames to go along with a 1.88 ERA.

He's also averaged five walks per nine, so command remains a concern for the 21-year-old. With a fastball that can tease triple digits and a potentially devastating curveball, however, Cease has the profile and results of a front-line MLB starter.

Stock: Up

No. 2: Ian Happ, 2B/OF

Joshua Blanchard/Getty Images

One of the stars of spring training for Chicago, Ian Happ recently missed a week-plus with a thumb injury at Triple-A.

He returned May 6 and picked up an RBI single, easing concerns. Overall, he's hitting .263 with a .926 OPS and nine home runs in 24 games for Iowa.

He's also logged innings at all three outfield positions and second base, showcasing the versatility Cubs manager Joe Maddon loves.

See if this sounds familiar: Happ is being held back only by Chicago's loaded depth chart, and could be dangled in a trade.

Stock: Up

No. 1: Eloy Jimenez, LF/RF

Rob Tringali/Getty Images

Eloy Jimenez was a Cactus League buzz machine before a shoulder injury put him on ice.

He's been toiling in extended spring training and resumed play in the outfield in late April, per MLB.com's Phil Rogers (h/t CBSSports.com).

That's a good sign, and it's likely Jimenez will be assigned to an affiliate organization soon. The gifted 20-year-old owns a .297/.338/.469 line through three minor league seasons, ascending as high as Single-A South Bend, and has the tools to be a star.

"Sky's the limit," Cubs vice president of player development Jason McLeod said of Jimenez in February, per Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago. "I think he's someone who can sit in the middle of a lineup and wreak a lot of havoc on some pitching across the major leagues."

Stock: Up (cautiously)

All statistics current as of Wednesday and courtesy of Baseball Reference.