Jim Callis, MLB Pipeline’s senior writer, joined Marquee Sports Network in studio Wednesday for an overview of the first month-plus of the Minor League Baseball Season.

From Myrtle Beach to Iowa, the Cubs farm system has improved substantially over the past two seasons. Expect to see a wave of talent grace Wrigley Field in the coming years.

The story of the season so far may be the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and their Top 5 run differential in all of MiLB with just under 30 games played.

A big part of their surge has been the performance of Pete Crow-Armstrong, acquired from the New York Mets in the Javier Báez trade in July 2021. Crow-Armstrong’s on-base percentage sits above .450 after 100-plus plate appearances and he holds a 15-game hitting streak as of May 11.

A couple hundred miles west sits another offensive breakout in Alexander Canario, an outfielder acquired from the San Francisco Giants as one part of the Kris Bryant trade last July. Canario was promoted to Double-A this week and came in as the Cubs’ No. 10 prospect on my preseason 2022 update published in April. His calling card is prodigious power, as he’s mashed 16 home runs in under 300 plate appearances since joining the Cubs organization. His first taste of Double-A will provide a good look at how his bat holds up against much better pitching.

The Cubs prospect perhaps closest to impacting the major league organization is Caleb Kilian, the other half of the Bryant trade. Kilian holds a 1.46 ERA through 6 starts for Iowa, striking out over a quarter of the batters he faces. He mixes a sinker, a blend of a four-seam fastball and cutter, a curveball and a slider into his repertoire, all of which sit comfortably above 93 mph.

As if the Cubs didn’t have enough prospects, on July 17th, the Cubs will pick 7th in the 2022 First-Year Player Draft in Los Angeles.

In MLB Pipeline’s most recent mock draft, they project the Cubs to take Texas Tech second baseman, Jace Jung. Jung holds a slugging percentage over .600 and has walked nearly twice as much as he’s struck out so far in 2022, feasting on strong competition in the Big 12.

Big thanks to Callis for joining us and providing insight on his standouts within the Cubs organization. Keep it locked on Marquee Sports Network for more coverage of the minor leagues.