System overview
Sit down, Cubs fans, and take a deep breath.

The Cubs have the best farm system in baseball.

Thanks to the efforts of the scouting and player development departments, led by assistant GM Jim Hendry, the Cubs have a broad array of talent at the ready. They have hard-throwing pitchers who throw strikes. They have polished finesse guys. They have promising tools players. They have non-toolsy "skill" players to provide depth. They have some guys with both tools and skills. They have a solid mix of college and high school-derived talent, are doing well in Latin America, and have expanded their scouting in Asia.

Of course, since human beings are involved, not everything is perfect. Corey Patterson hasn't lived up to expectations yet. Injuries felled several prospects last year. But unless the Cubs hire Tinky Winky, Big Bird or Ken Lay as their next GM, it is hard to see how they can fail to contend for the next several years at least.

2001 Minor League W-L Percentage: .512, (ranked 11th)

2001 amateur draft
With the second pick overall, the Cubs had a chance to make a big impact. They did just that, selecting USC right-hander Mark Prior, praised as the best pitching prospect in college history by many scientists, philosophers and theologians. He should see the majors sometime this year, and it isn't impossible that his 95-mph fastball and strong curve could be gracing the Cubs rotation before the All-Star break.

But they didn't rest on their laurels with Prior. The rest of the class is promising as well, a nice mixture of talent from a variety of sources. Second-rounder Andy Sisco is a high school lefty from Washington state, who stands 6-10 and has dominator potential. Third-rounder Ryan Theriot, a shortstop from LSU, is fine with the glove but didn't hit as well as expected in his debut. He still has time to adjust to wood. Fourth-rounder Ricky Nolasco is a high school pitcher from California with a projectable arm.

Fifth-rounder Brendan Harris, an infielder out of William and Mary, has a very promising bat and can play several positions. Sixth-rounder Adam Wynegar, a southpaw from James Madison, throws strikes. Other picks to watch include Sergio Mitre (RHP, San Diego CC, 7th round), Corey Slavik (3B, Wake Forest, 10th round), Brad Bouras (1B, Columbus State University, 21st round), and Jeff Carlsen (RHP, University of Washington, 22nd round).

Overall, this is a very strong draft, and not just because of Prior.

Top prospects
Players in the "Will Help Soon" section could see major-league action in 2002. Players in the "Will Help Someday" section shouldn't reach the majors until '03 or later, though of course that can change. Players are listed alphabetically. No 2001 draftees are listed.

WILL HELP SOON
Scott Chiasson, RHP: Could earn a bullpen role. Can hit 95 mph, has a good slider/splitter combination and decent control. Saved 34 at two levels last year.

Hee Seop Choi, 1B: Wrist injury was main culprit behind weak .229 average. 13 homers and 34 walks in 266 at-bats are reasons to remain optimistic about him long-term.

Ben Christensen, RHP: Limited to just three starts by shoulder injury and bad karma. Healthy now, throws hard and throws strikes and could move quickly once he shakes the rust off.

Juan Cruz, RHP: OK, so he's 23 instead of 21. He's still a great prospect, and still likely to earn a rotation spot. With Cruz, Prior, and Kerry Wood, the Cubs have three of the best fastballs in the game.

Bobby Hill, 2B: Classic leadoff guy with speed and patience. May need some Triple-A time to shake the final rust off a groin injury that limited him to 60 games last year, but he should be ready soon.

Carlos Zambrano, RHP: Fanned 155 and allowed just 124 hits in 151 innings for Triple-A Iowa, going 10-5 with 3.88 ERA. Still needs command refinements and a sharper slider, but he can hit 98 mph.

WILL HELP SOMEDAY
J.J. Johnson, OF: Toolsy, hit .317 with seven homers and 18 steals in the short-season Northwest League. Excellent potential if he controls the strike zone at higher levels.

Dave Kelton, 3B-OF: Hit .313 with 12 homers and improved strike zone judgment in Double-A before having season cut short by hand injury. Healthy now, offers excellent bat speed and raw power, but will need some Triple-A time.

Luis Montanez, SS: 2000 first-rounder, hit just .255 in Class A but did swipe 20 bases. Excellent tools with power potential, but will need better strike zone judgment. Fanned 121 times with just 34 walks.

Jae-Kuk Ryu, RHP: Korean right-hander with 95-mph fastball, latest find from Cubs efforts in Asia. We don't know how good he really is yet, but scouts love him.

KEY SLEEPER
Nic Jackson, OF: Major sleeper here. Gets little attention, but hit .295 with 19 homers and 24 steals in Class A, then did well in the Arizona Fall League. Just 22 as well. Fine athlete with a quick bat.

Other names to know
Syketo Anderson, OF; Blair Barbier, 1B; Ronnie Cedeno, SS; Jose Cueto, RHP; Ryan Gripp, 3B; Angel Guzman, RHP; Ryan Jorgensen, C; Adam Krawiec, LHP; Mike Meyers, RHP; Roberto Miniel, RHP; Felix Sanchez, LHP; Tony Schraeger, 2B; Steve Smyth, LHP; Mike Wuertz, RHP.

John Sickels is the author of the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Feller. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html.