MLB Top Prospects 2012: Cubs, White Sox In Bottom Ten Of Keith Law's Organizational Rankings

Baseball America has just released their highly anticipated ranking of the Top 100 MLB Prospects.The Washington Nationals phenom OF Bryce Harper comes in with the No. 1 overall ranking, closely followed by the Tampa Bay Rays' top pitching young gun, SP Matt Moore.

The Cubs do not make an appearance until No. 32 with their young, seemingly MLB-ready OF Brett Jackson:

Jackson spent the 2011 season split between Double-A and Triple-A, hitting a combined .274/.379/.490 through 512 PAs. He is currently blocked by LF Alfonso Soraino, CF Marlon Byrd and RF David DeJesus, but he is still expected find his way into some playing time in 2012.

The other three Cubs prospects in the Top 100 include No. 47 1B Anthony Rizzo, the 22-year-old slugger acquired in the RHP Andrew Cashner trade, No. 61 SS Javier Baez, the Cubs' top pick in the 2011 Rule 4 Draft, and No. 64 OF Matt Szczur, a former football star at Villanova University.

For more on the Cubs prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more Cubs news and notes.

Keith Law of ESPN has released his latest top prospect rankings, number the top ten Chicago Cubs, starting with one of their newest Cubs:

Chicago Cubs
1. Anthony Rizzo, 1B (36)
2. Brett Jackson, OF (89)
3. Javier Baez, SS (95)
4. Trey McNutt, RHP
5. Zach Cates, RHP
6. Welington Castillo, C
7. Dillon Maples, RHP
8. Josh Vitters, 3B
9. Reggie Golden, OF
10. Matt Szczur, CF

As we can see, the newly-acquired Anthony Rizzo is ranked 36th among the top MLB prospects -- not great for being the team's best prospect. The Cubs traded for Rizzo on January 26th, sending Andrew Cashner and Kyung-Min Na to the San Diego Padres.

The Cubs also have a new face at No. 3, Javier Baez whom the club drafted in the 1st round of the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft. The 19-year-old shortstop has only played in 5 games during his young pro career, yet his raw potential has him ranked not only as the Cubs' No. 3 prospect, but as the 95th overall prospect.

For more on the Cubs prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more Cubs news and notes.

Keith Law of ESPN recently released his 2012 MLB organizational rankings, and the Chicago Cubs ranked No. 20 among 30 total teams. Now Law's Top 100 Prospects list is out, and Anthony Rizzo, Brett Jackson and Javier Baez have all made the cut. No Cubs player ranks in the top 35, as Rizzo is No. 36, Jackson clocks in at No. 89 and Baez fits in at No. 95.

Rizzo has had a wild ride in the last year. First the Boston Red Sox traded him away to the San Diego Padres, and then after Theo Epstein made the transition to the Cubs he made a deal to bring the 22-year old first baseman over to the north side of Chicago. Law calls Rizzo "a plus-fielding, plus-makeup, power-hitting first baseman" that has the power potential as "an above-average or better first baseman on offense." He moved up two spots from where Law had him ranked in 2011.

Jackson is currently considered the Cubs' centerfielder of the future, and the 22-year old prospect hit 10 homers with .297/.388/.551 slash in limited action at AAA Iowa last season. Law moved him up from his "Ten Who Missed" list last season to No. 89, saying he "has solid tools across the board" but is still held back by a high strikeout rate needs to figure out how to make more consistent contact if he wants to be more than "a solid-average regular."

Finally, 20-year old shortstop Javier Baez made the list at No. 95 because he projects as an above-average defender with a power bat. Law specifically noted that "if he can cut the swing down when he's not in a fastball count, he has All-Star potential at any infield position." Good news for Cubs fans looking at the long-term picture.

For more on the Cubs prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more Cubs news and notes.

After ESPN's Keith Law ranked the Chicago White Sox is the worst farm system in baseball on Wednesday and claimed they were "not particularly close to No. 29, either," it should come as no surprise that only one prospect from the system hit Law's Top 100 list released on Thursday. Twenty-three year old relief pitcher Addison Reed barely made the cut at No. 97 overall, while prospects like pitchers Nestor Molina, Simon Castro, Jhan Marinez and Pedro Hernandez and infielder Osvaldo Martinez didn't get a mention.

Law does not think Reed will ever hit the starting rotation due to his "lack of a usable changeup) and "some delivery flaws," but does believe he can make an immediate impact in the bullpen because "he can dominate right-handed bats with the stuff he has right now." White Sox GM Kenny Williams likely thinks along the same lines, considering he traded away incumbent closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays during the off-season. Last season Law had Reed as an unranked prospect, but his dominant 2011 performance in the minors forced recognition this year.

Since moving to the pen Reed has thrown a fastball that ranges from 95-99 mph and uses a sharp slider as a wipeout pitch. He is expected to compete for the closer job in spring training this year.

For more on the White Sox prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more White Sox news and notes.

ESPN's Keith Law reveals a variety of personal rankings of baseball's prospects annually, including a full set of ranking of the sport's 30 organizations in terms of farm system talent. In his 2012 version, released on Wednesday, he ranks the Chicago White Sox as the worst farm system in baseball.

For many White Sox fans, this likely doesn't come as a surprise. The South Siders have routinely been considered one of the weakest organizations in baseball in terms of farm system talent, primarily because of ownership's refusal to spend significant money on young talent. Law explains it thusly:

And they're not particularly close to No. 29, either. When you don't spend money in the draft, you're not going to fare well in anyone's organizational rankings. The new collective bargaining agreement, which clamps down on teams' ability to acquire premium talent in the draft through higher bonuses, was the result of a long-standing effort by White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, who wanted to force other teams to play by his rules.

The White Sox have acquired numerous prospects through trades this offseason, but they still have a stunning lack of talent given the market they play in. Among the players acquired since last season are pitchers Nestor Molina, Simon Castro, Jhan Marinez and Pedro Hernandez, as well as infielder Osvaldo Martinez. Molina and Castro are among the team's top prospects now, but there's a stunning lack of depth. Relief pitcher Addison Reed is essentially the organization's consensus top prospect.

For more on the White Sox prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more White Sox news and notes.

Every year, ESPN's Keith Law reveals a variety of personal rankings of baseball's prospects, including a ranking of all 30 organizations in terms of farm system talent. His 2012 version of those organizational rankings came out on Wednesday, and the Chicago Cubs placed No. 20 among the sport's 30 teams.

For each team, Law leaves a comment on the farm system, and he was concise about the Cubs:

An unfairly maligned system, in my opinion -- not a great system, but not a disastrous one. And I say that as someone who's relatively bearish on some of the Cubs' more famous prospects.

Among the prospects that Law has famously been low on is top outfielder prospect Matt Szczur, ranked as the third-best prospect in the Cubs' system by Baseball America. Chicago's other top prospects include first baseman Anthony Rizzo, outfielder Brett Jackson, infielder Javier Baez and pitchers Trey McNutt and Dillon Maples.

Clearly, it's obvious that the Cubs' new baseball operations team has a lot of work to do. Even after acquiring some new prospects like Rizzo, second baseman Ronald Torreyes, outfielder Dave Sappelt, and pitchers Zach Cates and Casey Weathers, Chicago still isn't in the top half of all farm systems according to Law.

For more on the White Sox prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more White Sox news and notes.

It took down to the absolute very last spot, but the Chicago White Sox landed a player on the MLB.com Top 100 prospect list. Relief pitcher Addison Reed is ranked No. 100 on the list compiled by the site's resident prospect guru, Jonathan Mayo.

Reed, 23, has skyrocketed in a potentially huge role with the White Sox in 2012 just two years after being drafted. After being taken with a third-round pick in the 2010 draft, Reed went all the way from Single-A to the majors during his full-season debut in 2011. In 78 minor league innings last season, he posted a ridiculous 1.26 ERA with 111 strikeouts and just 14 walks.

Matt Thornton is currently slotted to begin the season as Chicago's closer, but Reed could potentially be vaulted into the role as soon as midseason. Reed is expected to begin the season in the majors, and he should have an immediate impact.

For more on the White Sox prospects and world of minor league baseball, drop by Minor League Ball with John Sickels. Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more White Sox news and notes.