CHICAGO -- During the final homestand of the season, the Cubs hosted a group of prospects at Wrigley Field before the arrival of the offseason. It was a chance for them to soak in the atmosphere of what could one day be their home ballpark.
"We definitely go out on the field and imagine being out there," Cubs pitching prospect Jordan Wicks said that week. "Who knows how far away it is?"
The return of Cubs Convention in January also marks the return of the team's signature event, which reminds fans that Spring Training, and another season, is no longer that far away. As part of this year's CubsCon, the North Siders will also showcase some of their future talent.
As of now, thirteen members of MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Cubs prospects are penciled in to attend the event, held Jan. 13-15 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago. That includes the highly-touted outfield trio of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Brennen Davis and Kevin Alcantara.
Crow-Armstrong (No. 30), Davis (No. 48) and Alcantara (No. 86) are each on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 prospects list for all of baseball, and they check in at Nos. 1-3, respectively, on Chicago's list. Davis is coming off an injury-marred 2022, but he could break into the big leagues as soon as this coming season.
Another anticipated attendee is first-base prospect Matt Mervis (No. 21), who pieced together one of Minor League Baseball's best offensive seasons this year. Mervis climed to Triple-A from High-A in 2022, hitting .309 with 36 homers, 40 doubles, 119 RBIs and a .984 OPS, picking up the Cubs' Buck O'Neil Minor League Player of the Year Award for his production.
The No. 5-ranked Wicks -- a first-round pick by the Cubs in the 2021 MLB Draft -- is also in the plans to attend. Other prospects tentatively listed to be at CubsCon include Ben Brown (No. 7), Owen Caissie (No. 10), DJ Herz (No. 13), Miguel Amaya (No. 16), Daniel Palencia (No. 19), Ed Howard (No. 20), Chase Strumpf (No. 25), Ryan Jensen (No. 28) and Jordan Nwogu.
The Cubs plan on revealing the convention's schedule of events on Thursday, but the event will feature alumni, current players, coaches, prospects and other personnel engaging in panel discussions, autograph sessions and more over the course of the weekend.
The prospects on hand will be taking part in the opening ceremony at Cubs Convention, signing autographs throughout the event and participating in a "Road to Wrigley" session on Jan. 14.
For more information on Cubs Convention, click here.