As you wise people had known, the Cubs weren't likely to lose much talent in Rule 5. But I'm intrigued to think what the development system and another season might do with some of the pitchers. Seems like we've got a lot of interesting pitchers who really haven't had much healthy time with Cubs. I'm thinking often a learner tries stuff for a while, figures out what works, what doesn't, and what needs more attention, and then the second year things might lock in much better?
1. Thompson: First year back in a while, missed time in devo camp, and was wildly inconsistent. But has a good arm with a good curveball, on sharp days he sometimes K'd guys in bunches. Finished very well. Given a second year in high-minors, how good might he be? Good enough to be a big-league starter? Or stuff that would play very well in relief?
2. Franklin: struggled, but very limited usage, and down the stretch began to flash some good games. Will his control remain too erratic? Or with a fresh season, might he emerge as a serious rotation prospect with reasonable command?
3. Devers: Will velocity take another step, or no? His change is much praised, but might his breaking ball sharpen up and get good, too? Or in AA will his stuff be exposed as mediocre and inadequate? A year from now he might be really a high-value guy; or he might be a forgotten guy, and I'll look back and shake my head that at one time I wondered if he might be a serious guy.
4. Wicks: only one year of action. How much better or more consistent might he be in his second year, and in a year fully in high-minors? Will his change actually be anything special, or not really? His new slider?
5. Daniel P: Only got him late 21, and used very cautiously this year. Can he come back next year, sustain stuff for ≥80 pitches, sustain control, and have the stuff he throws still dominate in high-minors? A year from now will he still be a rotation prospect?
6. Little: Injured/devo 21. This was first season, under very limited/guarded usage. Given another year of development with expanded pitch count, will he still look as dominant? As wild/inconsistent? By next winter will he still be a starter possibility, or relief-only?
7. The biochemist: With one pro season behind him, will his second year, in high minors, expose him? Or will he actually look like a big-league lefty-relief option?
8. Horn; pitched part of this season, but still not that much, and only 51 IP. What wild is, will wild remain? Or will his control sharpen up enough to look like a big-league lefty?
9. Sanders, just converted to relief. In relief, can he have the stuff, command, and consistency to make his nice stuff work?
10. Ben Brown, we've only had him for a month or two. Will he improve and look even more promising? Will his delivery be improved and his repertoire diversified to his advantage? Or will asking him to diversify just make him wilder?
11. Killian: Is he just too wild and his stuff too straight? Or in his second year with the Cubs, will pitch-lab adjustments start to kick in and pay off, and he'll somehow be able to recover command of his fastball?
12. Jensen: After all of his arm shortenings and dev-camp stuff, might he throw strikes more consistently? Could consistency and reasonable command ever come together, and suddenly you've got a good major-leaguer?
Just so many guys who we've had for so little time and for such limited development, I'm just super intrigued to see where another offseason and real season of development will place them all. A lot of guys who, *IF* they could take a step forward and improve in terms of consistency and command, could be really good values.