As Chicago Cubs retool system, wave of top prospects head to Iowa Cubs to start the season

Brennen Davis stands in the batter’s box at Principal Park, three days before the Iowa Cubs open the season. The rangy slugger takes a swing at a throw from a pitching machine.

Davis, along with a big bulk of the team's opening day roster, has been in Des Moines for a bit for workouts at the Triple-A stadium. As soon as Davis connects on the throw, the ball soars into the air.

“That’s got a chance,” Iowa manager Marty Pevey says from behind the cage.

The baseball flies over the right field wall and smacks into the metal bleachers beyond the fence. During a typical gameday, the seats are scattered with fans. But during this private workout, the park is so empty that the sound of the ball colliding with the bleachers echoes. It's these types of moments that there is excitement building within the Cubs organization for the future.

"We're underrated as a system," Jared Banner, Chicago's vice president of player development.

More: 10 Chicago Cubs prospects who could play for the Iowa Cubs in 2022

Top Cubs prospect Brennen Davis excited about 'core that's moving up'

The Cubs are about to find out just how good this young group of players really are. The first wave of prospects in what the Cubs have described as a retooling of their organization — and not a rebuild — will make their way to Principal Park during the Iowa Cubs Triple-A season. Some, like Davis, the No. 1 prospect in the system according to MLB Pipeline, have already arrived.

Others are on the way, and may be in Triple-A shortly with the Iowa Cubs, who open the season Tuesday at Buffalo, New York.

"It's really exciting," said Davis, a top-20 prospect in baseball. "I think there's a good core that's moving up. I think they're going to eventually help the Cubs win and it's going to be good to have pieces like that be able to fill roles that we need."

Previously: Inside the rapid rise of Cubs prospect Brennen Davis

That are plenty of needs at the big league level after the Cubs traded Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo during a fire sale last season. Even after the deals, Cubs president Jed Hoyer was insistent that his club wasn't going to go through a massive rebuild and that another trip to the postseason could be around the corner.

Part of the reason for the optimism isn't just because of what the Cubs have added in Chicago. It's also because of what they have coming up in the minors, especially in Iowa.

Davis, a second-round pick in 2018, is ranked the 15th-best prospect in all of baseball by MLB Pipeline and will begin the season in Triple-A. So will right hander Caleb Kilian, who's ranked No. 4 on the Cubs' top prospect list, and reliever Ben Leeper, who checks in at No. 28.

Some other big names may not be far behind either. Hard-throwing lefty Brailyn Marquez, who missed the 2021 season and was a late arrival to spring training, could eventually make his way to Iowa. So could outfielder Nelson Velazquez, who was named the MVP of the Arizona Fall League.

It all depends on how this season goes for them.

"The fans in Iowa should be really excited," Banner said. "It's a strong group of players coming in and there will continue to be players coming through over the next year or so again that we're really impressed by and think can have an impact on this organization for years to come."

Cubs 'underrated as a system'

The hope is they can do what many other young prospects like Bryant, Baez and Kyle Schwarber did as they rapidly rose through the system, got to the big leagues and helped the Cubs win a World Series. Many of the Cubs' young prospects now were acquired in the Rizzo, Baez and Bryant trades, including Kilian who came to the organization from the San Francisco Giants.

Previously: Cubs top prospect Brennen Davis has his sights set on first big-league callup

But many of the others are still at the lower levels and still haven't gotten an opportunity to really show what they can do. Alexander Canario, also picked up in the Bryant trade, hasn't even reached Double-A. Neither has outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was a part of the Baez deal, or pitcher Alexander Vizcaino and outfielder Kevin Alcantara, who were both in the Rizzo swap.

But Banner believes when they do get the chance to play at those levels, they'll shoot up prospect rankings much like Davis did after a strong showing in Double-A and Triple-A in 2021.

"A lot of our prospects are still young and haven't gone out to the full season level and started to perform yet," Banner said. "So, I think as that continues to happen, they'll continue to get more notoriety and more publicity."

Those players represent a whole other wave that will take more time to get to Iowa. Some may never get here with trades and contributions at the lower levels dictating who will rise and who will stay a part of the Cubs' future. But for now, there's plenty to be excited about.

"We're underrated as a system," Banner said. "There's a lot of talent running here and I've been really impressed by many of these guys-their physicality, their talent, their tools. It's a system that's definitely on the rise. We can't wait for these guys to go out and prove themselves."

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: As Chicago Cubs retool, wave of top prospects head to Triple-A Iowa