The Cubs have had three All-Stars this year.
Jeff Samardzija counts, but since he was traded to Oakland, is not on the NL roster.
Starlin Castro was put on the NL roster, and Anthony Rizzo was voted in by the supplemental ballot.
In theory, these are the teams best players. In fact, the Cubs traded away 1/3 of the best players this season in another hopeful trade for the future.
Baseball America has four Cubs in its Midseason Top 50 Prospects list.
At number 2, Kris Bryant. We are all aware that Bryant has hit at every level in the minors. He is currently at AAA Iowa, with management telling fans that there is no chance that he will be promoted this year.
At number 5, newly acquired Addison Russell. This shortstop has missed most the season with injuries, but BA and other scouting organizations believe Russell was on the fast track within the A's organization to make the majors in 2015. The Cubs have put him in Class AA which tracks more towards a debut in 2016.
At number 7, Javy Baez, who was the unanimous top Cub prospect until Bryant was drafted. Baez is at AAA Iowa, and he has had an uneven season so far but shows the flashes of the power bat.
At number 33, infielder Arismendy Alcantara. Ironically, the lowest level top prospect made it to the majors first. Alcantara has raised eyebrows by his hitting and speed. In only 5 games, he is hitting .391, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 runs scored and a 0.7 WAR. Many believe Darwin Barney should be Wally Pipped to allow Alcantara to play the rest of the season at second base.
The team may want fans to believe that the other Cub prospects will have the same type of smashing debuts as Alcantara, but that performance is rare.
The Cubs sit at the bottom of the NL Central with a record of 40-54. The team is on pace for a 93 loss season. The Alcantara call up gives a temporary jolt in the "we got great prospects coming up" story line, but it won't hold fan attention for very long.
