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Thanks, Blue.  Will be fun for the Cubs to be able to participate again.  Would be fun if they were able to hit on somebody good. 

I suppose the other Q is whether they spend it largely all on one guy, or split it up. 

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2018?list=chc

mlb Pipeline ranking, basically Jim Callis's list.  I've always liked his lists, because he usually includes some scouting info.  And especially because I think he still as connections to the Cubs, so sometimes can reflect Cubs thinking about guys.  Or at least Cubs salesmanship. 

The following, if accurate, could explain the poor performance of some prospects in low minors that suddenly greatly improve as they move up.

Little's best pitch is his 12-to-6 curveball, a low-80s hammer when he stays on top of it. His fastball is close behind, ranging from 91-96 mph with impressive movement and downhill plane. He rarely used his changeup as an amateur, so Chicago had him focus on it during his introduction to pro ball, which partially explains his 9.21 ERA in his debut.

It would be nice to know how often, and when, management fiddles around with things like pitch selection, batting stance, etc.

Plus Ademan (2, lower ceiling than previous cubs MI prospects).

Speaks to the badness of the current Cubs farm position group when Callis has only the following players in the top 30:
Caratini (lacks power and doesn't catch very well), Wilson (nice dancer but can't hit), Velasquez (I'm very interested for sure, but I think hitting for contact will be a huge challenge), Zagunis, Bote (utility prospect who'll be below-average wherever he fields), Zac Short (utility guy who hit only .250 in A-ball), and Galindo. 

I'm a huge optimist, but that's possibly the worst position group on paper I can ever remember during years of following Cubs prospects closely.  (Granted, perhaps I was a huge optimist but also more naively hopeful in some younger days.....) 

Cubs sign 28-year-old former #2-pick Danny Hultzen as a rehab guy.  I often love the rehab stories.  Would be fun to have a happy thriller comeback

He's pitched 10 innings in the last 4 years so hopefully his arm is fresh. If he pitches more than 1 innings in any non AZL stint this year he'll have more success than most multiple shoulder surgery guys.

The college draftees:  Of course Little and Lange. 

1.  But I'm really curious to see how Abbott, Thompson, and Uelman look. 
 *Uelman, writeups mention heavy fastball, with 60 grade and some Cub people grading it 70.  Allusions to Derrek Lowe.  Said he threw unexpectedly harder with Cubs after signing.  Supposed to have good control.  Lots of pros improve their repertoire, especially good-command guys.  A 60/70 fastball and good control is a great start, and allows for lots of possibilities for a happy ending. 
*Thompson has rep for excellent control of four pitches.  His scouting is limited by fastball velocity.  Guys often supposedly pitch better second year back; imagine how interesting he might be if he ticked up a couple mph?  If his fastball stuff improved to average, with plus control, to go with a good curve and slider, could turn out really good, especially in low minors.   
*Abbott was a strike-thrower, had a great junior year after supposedly coming up with a really good slider.  Not very fast.  But, if you're spotting a sinking fastball, and mixing in a deadly slider with deception, why couldn't a good control guy do very well? 
*Would be so cool if all three of those guys were really good full-season pitchers, perhaps Abbott or Thompson maybe starting right out at Myrtle and moving fairly quickly.  Not implausible that all three could be very successful, with two of them reaching AA and the other A+.

2.  Little and Lange scout with potentially high-end curves.  A good control pitcher with a killer curve can win a ton of games, so I'm hopeful.  Flip is that the curve is about the hardest pitch in the world to control, so if you've going with a couple of curveballers, you're at risk for some really inconsistent guys, and perhaps a lot of HR's on curveballs that hang. 
*Reports on Little's control seemed pretty negative, and at Eugene he had neither command nor the plus fastball mentioned in all scouting reports.  So I think he's a very high-risk guy.  Still, gotta trust the Cub scouting, and if he comes out with some good K/BB games and some good velocity reports, it could be very exciting. 
*Lange has a questionable fastball, questionable health, and questionable control.  But would be so great if he showed up strong and healthy, if his fastball velocity looked better this year than last, and if he was pretty consistent with his curve and control.
*Will be really, really interesting to see how those five variably high college picks play out.  If Little and Lange were to both look like legit 1st-round talents, that would be huge.

3.  Hatch and Rucker, curious how they will do in season-2?
*I'd assumed Hatch as a control guy from college reports, but his control was pretty inconsistent last year.  If his control can sharpen up some, good sinker and good command mixed with a killer slider could be a tough guy to hit.  Would be super great if he could be a better pitcher even as he promotes up to AA.
*Rucker had good results, but hesitant scouting love.  A limited-stuff guy who rode a groove, but won't be able to reproduce it against higher-level bats?  If he can continue the high-K, high-efficiency success versus AA hitters, I wonder if scouting reports re-evaluate and realize there are sustainable reasons he might stay effective, even in the majors?