MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ANALYST
Brailyn Marquez, LHP: Marquez, 21, is the Cubs’ top prospect and made his MLB debut in 2020, making one rough start in September (five earned runs in two-thirds of an inning). Despite that rocky debut, he has elite stuff from the left-hand side, highlighted by a plus upper-90s heater that tops out at 102 mph.
His secondary stuff lags behind the fastball with a low-80s slider that shows swing-and-miss potential but lacks consistency, and an average changeup that he uses effectively versus right-handers. Marquez needs to throw more strikes and refine his off-speed stuff to remain a starter. But with the organization on the verge of a rebuild the Cubs will keep him in that role as long as possible and he should see plenty of action in 2021.