In 2017, the Cubs squeezed the last drops out of what had been the best group of position prospects baseball had seen in years. Ian Happ hit 24 homers as a rookie as he joined fellow fully homegrown products Albert Almora, Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber in Chicago's lineup. The Cubs also used elite outfield prospect Eloy Jimenez to bolster their rotation, making him the centerpiece of a trade for Jose Quintana.
In the three years since MLB Pipeline rated its farm system as the game's best, Chicago has made three consecutive National League Championship Series and ended a 108-year World Series title drought.