It is no secrete that the Cubs Organization wants to be better as a whole. Tom Ricketts has said that he is going to start to put more money into the farm system and international player development. As recently as this week, Tom Ricketts has started to put his money where is mouth is by signing some highly touted international prospects. Many of these prospects are only 16-years old, so we will not see them for quite some time. However, the Cubs did sign Starling Castro when he was 16 and you cannot argue with the results.
Earlier this week the Cubs signed an international prospect from the Dominican Republic. They signed 16-year-old shortstop Enrique Acosta who they landed for a bonus of $1.1 million. Acosta is a highly regarded hitting prospect that projects as either a third baseman or an outfielder down the road. Today, the Cubs went into Venezuela and landed a much sought after catcher in 16-year-old Mark Malave and a 16-year-old third baseman in Ricardo Marcano. All three players were projected as top international prospects and the Cubs have to be glad that they land all three. This year, the Cubs spending on international players have doubled what they have done in the past.
Championships teams are built from the bottom up. With that being said, the Cubs plan on starting to home grown their own players. Look at an organization like the Tampa Bay Rays, they do not have a lot of money, but they draft well and develop players well and they have started to see results on the field. I believe the Cubs are trying to duplicate the Rays success.
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