Chicago Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins on Crow-Armstrong, Brennen Davis and more

Chicago Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins leaned against the home dugout railing at Principal Park on Wednesday afternoon as the Iowa Cubs prepared to resume a game suspended the previous evening. Hawkins wants to visit all of the organization’s minor-league affiliates this season, and this week's stop was Des Moines.

“The idea of seeing (players) just a month in March and then only seeing them that month and not the other 11 months out of the year doesn’t make a lot of sense to us in terms of connection and making sure we’re all calibrated on our goals,” Hawkins said in an interview with The Des Moines Register.

Hawkins, in his second season with the Cubs, is getting an up-close look at the team’s top Triple-A franchise this week. He spoke about some of the organization’s top prospects, gave updates on some key injuries, and talked about which Iowa Cubs have impressed him so far.

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Ben Brown has a bright future for the Cubs

Brown is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher the Cubs acquired in the David Robertson trade. The 23-year-old began the season in Double-A and dominated opposing hitters there before earning his first promotion to Triple-A. Brown, the sixth-ranked prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline, has been impressive in his short stint with Iowa, compiling a 3.75 ERA with 36 strikeouts over 24 innings in five starts.

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Hawkins: “Pretty exciting arm. When you go up and talk to him and you look straight up, you realize the guys got a prototypical big-league body. I think he’s got a really great big-league mind, too, from the standpoint of really thinking about his craft. The things that he can do now to get ahead of the challenges that he’s going to have when he inevitably gets to the big leagues is, one of my favorite quotes is, ‘The best time to fix a roof is when the sun is out’ and I think he’s kind of doing that now. It’s like, what are the things I can do from a routine standpoint, from a prehab standpoint, from a mental skills standpoint, so when I get punched in the face in the big leagues, he’ll be able to respond to that well? That, in and of itself, is impressive. The stuff is obviously apparent to anybody that’s watching the game. I think his continued work on his command, on his ability to get left-handers out, I think is going to be what really defines his role going forward. But we have full intent for him to be a starting pitcher for us for a long time.”

Brennen Davis' struggles after injury aren't a major concern right now

Davis was once the most coveted prospects in the Cubs organization. But Davis struggled early last season and missed a big bulk of time with a back injury that required surgery. The 2018 second-round pick by the Cubs did not perform well when he returned but showed some bright spots in the Arizona Fall League before being shut down again. Davis is now healthy but slumping again. Through 41 games with Iowa this season, Davis was hitting .183/.310/.275.

More: What’s next for Chicago Cubs prospect Brennen Davis after an injury-riddled 2022 season?

Hawkins: “The fun part about Minor League Baseball, unlike big-league baseball (where) if you’ve got three bad months, that’s on your big-league card for the entire year, your baseball card for that entire year. Minor League Baseball, we don’t really care about what happens. We care about what’s going to happen. You make a fundamental change, you make an approach adjustment that puts you on the right path. The fact that your cumulative numbers for a year don’t look pretty is irrelevant to us, and I think Brennen’s got an opportunity to do that as he continues to make adjustments and continues to get back into playing every day. He’s a guy that struck out a lot before his injury last year. He has really cut down on those strikeouts, but at the same time, really hasn’t done the damage on the ball he has in the past. So I think he’s finding that balance for him right now and making an adjustment to be able to do that. If he does, there’s a lot of talent there and he’ll help a major-league team out for a long time.”

Alexander Canario is expected back in Iowa sometime this summer

Canario, along with Caleb Kilian, was a part of the Kris Bryant trade that sent the All-Star to the San Francisco Giants. Canario has turned into a future star himself, a power-hitting outfielder who smashed 37 homers and drove in 97 runs during the 2022 minor-league season. But Canario’s road to Wrigley Field suffered a significant blow when he went down with a broken left ankle and dislocated left shoulder while playing in the Dominican Winter League.

Hawkins: “I think he’s a little bit ahead of schedule. When it first happened, we thought maybe it was a whole-season type of injury. It’s two injuries really, his shoulder and his ankle. And then we felt like, all right, maybe we’ll have a chance to get him back in August. I think we’re pushing to try to make that even earlier. We’re going to do whatever’s best for (Canario). But he’s working really hard and doing some baseball activities now in Arizona. And I think a great goal would be to try to get him out here this summer.

Could Cubs prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong make it to Des Moines this summer?

The 21-year-old Crow-Armstrong is the prized prospect of the Cubs system. The Cubs picked him up in the Javier Baez deal with the Mets, and Crow-Armstrong has done nothing but impress. He won a minor-league Gold Glove and hit .312/.376/.520 with 10 doubles and 16 homers last season. He’s had some strong spurts this season as well, with six doubles and four homers in 31 games with Double-A Tennessee.

Hawkins: “I think if the right developmental environment is here at this point, we would absolutely get him here at some point. I think that’s the question: What’s the right developmental environment for him? We’re not going to promote him (just) to promote him. But there’s nothing inherently holding him back from being promoted outside of, I think he is where he needs to be right now to focus in terms of just the things he needs to do at the plate to get the consistent at-bats to be the run producer we need him to be. He’s working on that and really feels good about the system and process he’s got in place down there, and we’re focused on that for now.”

First-round pick Jordan Wicks may not be far from making the jump to Triple-A

Wicks, a first-round pick by the Cubs in 2021, is the No. 2 pitching prospect in the system. He’s lived up to the hype this season, going 4-0 with a 2.40 ERA and 48 strikeouts over 41.1 innings of work in Double-A.

Hawkins: “When guys perform like that consistently, it’s hard to ignore, and Jordan is definitely one of those guys that’s taken the ball every five, six, seven days and putting his team in a position to win … (He’s) limiting walks, limiting hard contact and doing a little bit better job of run prevention than he had early in his career. ... Seeing those strides is pretty impressive. I don’t think it would be out of the question to see him up here sometime still.”

The surprise story of the season for the Iowa Cubs? Jake Slaughter

Slaughter has turned into one of the most consistent hitters for Iowa. During his first 40 games, Slaughter hit .261/.333/.536 with 12 doubles and 10 home runs. Slaughter, an 18th-round pick by the Cubs in 2018, has turned heads already in his first Triple-A season.

Hawkins: “I think the name that isn’t talked about in the prospects circle and just continues to produce is Slaughter. ... But he’s hit and I told him yesterday, it's not gone unnoticed. He’s certainly somebody that if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s going to get a chance.”

Brailyn Marquez is running out of time

The hard-throwing left-hander was once one of the top prospects in the Cubs system. But Marquez hasn’t pitched in a game since 2020 when he made his big-league debut. The Cubs did not offer Marquez a major-league contract in the offseason but later signed him to a minor-league deal. Marquez has yet to pitch this season.

Hawkins: “A little disappointing. He came into spring training and really wasn’t in a place from a health and buildup standpoint to be able to compete. Clearly the talent is there but he just hasn’t been able to get on the mound and show it. The ball’s kind of in his court at this point to figure out a way to get to the point where he can tap into his talent. It’s been a little while. You never want to say time’s running out with somebody, but I think this is the time to fish or cut bait, and we’re helping him fish every day. We just haven’t been able to see him on the mound and that’s a challenge.”

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018 and 2020 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468. Follow him on Twitter @TommyBirch.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Cubs general manager Carter Hawkins talks about team's top prospects