Drafted in the 47th round (1,290th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 1994.
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Organization Prospect Rankings
Background: A draft-and-follow from 1994, Farnsworth has moved quickly through the system but he was hit hard in his Triple-A debut. Strengths: Farnsworth has the strongest arm in the Cubs system and throws a dominating, heavy fastball that is consistently in the 93-95 mph range. He also throws a hard slider, a split-finger and a straight change. Weak and skinny when he signed, Farnsworth has developed a strong, durable body and he maintains his stuff well in the later innings. Weaknesses: At Iowa, Farnsworth may have tried too hard instead of letting his natural ability take over. He still needs to work on command of his offspeed pitches. The Future: Farnsworth is the leader of a collection of young starters that the organization sees joining Kerry Wood as the core of the future big league staff. Chicago's rotation is probably set for the start of 1999, but much like Wood last year, the Cubs will be keeping a close eye on Farnsworth's early-season performances.
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