The Chicago Cubs have a plethora of prospects that are so valuable and could possibly come up this season to help the ball club accomplish their goal of making the playoffs this season.
Top prospect in the Cubs organization Matt Shaw has the inside track on winning the Cubs starting third base job out of spring training if all goes well for him offensively.
As well as having top pitching prospect Cade Horton knocking on the door eyeing the open spot the Cubs have in their rotation to make his own.
Having seven prospects make MLBs top 100 prospects from last season, the Cubs had just five making it this season with two falling just short of the list.
Chicago Cubs top 100 prospects for 2025
Last season the Cubs had seven of their prospects make the top 100 and in Baseball Americas new list of their top prospects in Major League Baseball the Cubs had five of their prospects make the list with two falling just short.
Returning to the list for this season the Cubs have prospects: Matt Shaw (35), Cade Horton at (54), Moises Ballesteros (62), Owen Caissie (64), and Kevin Alcantara (71). Falling just short on the list were infielder James Triantos who was on last years list, with shortstop Jefferson Rojas receiving at least one vote. Baseball America did give Ballesteros high praise with saying off him:
“Ballesteros’ bat makes him an extremely interesting catching prospect, but he does need to prove he can stick behind the plate. He’s stayed on top of his conditioning enough to make that a plausible possibility, even if some scouts remain skeptical.”
A promising offensive catcher Moises Ballesteros does have some room to grow in the defensive department. The biggest areas that need improving for Ballesteros defensive is ability to handle a pitching staff and throwing runners out. The Cubs did sign veteran catcher Carlos Perez to a minor league deal to possibly mentor Ballesteros.
As I already said Shaw is in a battle to compete for the starting third base job out of spring training. If Shaw can show he’s a capable defender over at the hot corner with at least showing some offensive promise, then job will be his.
Horton, Caissie, and Alcantara
Horton struggled last season for the Cubs down in the minors with having a 2-1 record with a 4.72 ERA in 34.1 innings. Suffering a subscapular strain that derailed his season, Horton is eyeing a comeback this season with the goal of making it into the Cubs starting rotation.
Caissie has the potential to be solid big league outfielder with possibly being a star one day. Caissie has be the subject of trade rumors and could possibly be on the move before next season starts. Not having a real path to an everyday spot and blocked at all three spots with Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Seiya Suzuki all being ahead of Caissie on the depth chart, the likely hood of him being traded is high.
Alcantara is in the same boat as Caissie with his ceiling being just as high, but also is blocked from having a spot on the major league roster. Having a solid season between Double and Triple-A last season Alcantara hit .278/.353/.428 for an OPS of .781 in 111 games.
The two that fell short
James Triantos who was on last years list sadly fell just short this season. A solid player who has a ton of versatility, which is valuable for the Cubs could possibly be the second player behind Shaw to debut this season. A pure bat to ball hitter Triantos has the ability to be a solid contact hitter with a little bit of pop to boot, Triantos could possibly be another Ben Zobrist for the Cubs.
Jefferson Rojas is the only one on this list who won’t be making his debut this year with MLB estimating that to happen in 2026. The 19-year-old shortstop has decent grades with his best being his arm grading at a 60/80.
Spending his time a High-A last season where he hit .245/.310/.336 with an OPS of .646 in 96 games. Rojas will has to take the next step offensively in order to take the next step in his development.
All could be contributors for the Cubs at some point
South Bend Cubs infielder Jefferson Rojas watches his foul ball in the third inning of a minor league baseball game against the Lake County Captains at Four Winds Field on Friday, June 21, 2024, in South Bend. © MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK
Matt Shaw, Cade Horton, Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, Kevin Alcantara, James Triantos, and Jefferson Rojas can all be key contributors for the Cubs at some point.
All have high ceilings with the ability to be stars for the Cubs and be the next core of young players the Cubs can build around and hopefully bring home multiple World Series with.
Chicago Cubs catching prospect wins major accolade from MLB analyst
Read MoreFor More Great Chicago Sports Content
Follow us on Twitter at @chicitysports23 for more great content. We appreciate you taking time to read our articles. To interact more with our community and keep up to date on the latest in Chicago sports news, JOIN OUR FREE FACEBOOK GROUP by CLICKING HERE
