MIAMI — The Chicago Cubs are a franchise caught in the middle as kids head back to school, the Bears grab the spotlight and the 2024 season crawls to its much-anticipated conclusion. They’re not far enough out of the National League wild-card race to officially cash it in but not close enough to pretend that anything short of a miracle is necessary to make the postseason. They have star quality players such as Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger but no one that makes you want to stop what you’re doing to watch them.
They talked in spring training about their farm system’s rise to No. 2 in the MLB Pipeline rankings, but the only prospect to see regular playing time this season is Pete Crow-Armstrong, a strong defender whose hitting remains a work in progress. He did hit an inside-the-park home run in the third inning Friday in the opener opener of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park.
With Crow-Armstrong, Bellinger and Ian Happ in the outfield, the Cubs don’t have any available spots for their top two outfield prospects — Kevin Alcantara and Owen Caissie — to get a real opportunity in September to prove they’re capable of earning a spot in 2025. “We’re going to have to get to September first, and then we’ll see what the roster (looks like),” manager Craig Counsell said Friday. “The way we’re constructed now and what’s going on now, there isn’t a big spot for someone to fill a role, really.
It’s been a really consistent.