The Chicago Cubs last won a championship in 1908. One hundred six years, 16,000 games later, and Cubs fans are still waiting for another one. Since 1908, the NHL, NBA, and NFL have all been created; the U.S. has gained four states; 17 trillion dollars was added to the national debt; and there have been over five hundred episodes of The Simpsons. Cubs fans have many reasons to be optimistic, thanks to the hiring of Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer in the fall of 2011.

The general consensus around Major League Baseball for the past few years has been to acquire top pitching prospects. The quality of pitching in the MLB is seemingly at an all-time high, while hitting in the league is seemingly at an all-time low. The rebuilding strategy of Epstein and Hoyer has differed from almost every other organization. Position prospects are more valuable now more than ever due to the lack of hitting, and that is where the Cubs have decided to stockpile their young talent.

When Epstein and Hoyer arrived, there was not much talent in the Cubs’ minor league system. The only real bright spot was then 21 year-old Starlin Castro. Since then, Castro has proven that he is capable of being a key factor to the Cubs future, making three all-star games, while being heavily criticized during some of his few struggling periods. The duo’s first major acquisition for the Cubs was in 2012 of now all-star first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who has grown to be one of the best young first baseman in the National League. They went on to acquire power-hitting prospects Javier Baez and Jorge Soler, as well as other talented hitters in Albert Almora, Arismendy Alcantara, Addison Russell, and 2014 third overall pick Kyle Schwarber. Perhaps the most impressive prospect in the Cubs’ system is 2013 second overall pick Kris Bryant. In this past season, Bryant hit .325 and led the minors with 43 home runs and was named Baseball America’s minor league player of the year.

While many Cubs fans have understandably pleaded for this young talent to be brought up to the majors, Epstein has remained adamant that they will be patient and wait for them to hopefully be fully developed after a large amount of at-bats in the minors.

The Cubs hope to have the majority of these prospects in the majors by next season. A few of them, like Javier Baez, Jorge Soler, and Arismendy Alcantara, actually played for the Cubs in the latter half of the season. Soler was undoubtedly the most impressive of the three. In 22 games, he hit .292 with five home runs. What impressed Hoyer and Epstein the most was Soler’s mature and patient approach at the plate. Alcantara’s performance was also impressive, hitting .205 with a surprising amount of power. His best attribute is his versatility in the field, which will prove to be valuable with the excess of position players the Cubs have. Javier Baez struggled in his first major league stint, batting only .169 in 52 games. He did show a huge amount of power, but his habit of swinging at nearly everything thrown has set him back, but the organization remains optimistic. Even more of these prospects are expected to reach the majors by next season, which gives fans a reason to feel good about next season. Theo Epstein has even said that the team’s goal is to win the National League Central next year. And, if everything goes according to plan, the Cubs believe that they will have one of the most exciting lineups in the MLB for years to come. So, while Cubs fans may have had to suffer for a few more years, the product should arrive soon, and it should be well worth the wait.