CHICAGO CUBS TOP 10 PROSPECTS
1. BRAILYN MARQUEZ, LHP
AGE: 22. B-T: L-L. HT: 6-4. WT: 185. SIGNED: Dominican Republic, 2015. SIGNED BY: Mario Encarnacion/Jose Serra/Alex Suarez/Louie Eljaua.
TRACK RECORD: The Cubs signed Marquez out of the Dominican Republic for $600,000 in 2015, the largest signing bonus given to any lefthanded pitcher in that year’s international class. He sat in the low 90s with a projectable body when he signed and has since filled out to become one of baseball’s hardest-throwing lefthanders. Marquez began touching 98 mph as a starter in the short-season Northwest League in 2018, then in 2019 began sitting in the upper 90s and touched 102 mph as he conquered both Class A levels. The Cubs sent him to their alternate training site in 2020, where he held his own facing more experienced hitters. He received his first callup on the final day of the regular season, but it did not go well.
Marquez generates some of the easiest velocity of any pitching prospect. His fastball sits 97-98 mph and frequently touches triple digits with startlingly little effort. He holds his velocity through his starts and has steadily become more durable every season. Marquez can dominate with his fastball alone and often does, but he is still working to improve his fastball command. He has long limbs and a thick midsection, so the Cubs have had to work with him to remain athletic in his delivery and get his upper and lower body synced up. Marquez throws his fastball for strikes when he’s on time in his delivery, but when he isn’t,
