Since their trade deadline sales of the remaining core of the 2016 World Series team in 2021, the Cubs have done an admirable job of building a solid farm system. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Owen Caissie, and Kevin Alcantara represent some of the trade returns that have and/or will pay dividends, with Cade Horton and Matt Shaw joining the fray via the Draft. Once the three top-100 prospects in the Cubs’ system graduate (as they’re all expected to do this season), the quality of the farm system as a whole will decrease, but there are still names to keep an eye on heading into 2026.
Check out the other top prospects lists on Pitcher List’s Dynasty Page.
Top Cubs Prospects
The Top Tier
1) Jaxon Wiggins – 21 Y/O SP
MiLB Stats (A+, AA, AAA): 78.0 IP / 2.19 ERA / 31.0% K / 11.5% BB
High upside pitching hasn’t been the Cubs’ calling card over the past decade when it comes to player development, but that’s starting to change now. Wiggins was somewhat overlooked after being drafted in the second round in 2023, but he’s exploded onto the scene as a consensus top-100 prospect. Fangraphs gave Wiggins’ upper-90s fastball a 70-grade, and rated his slider and changeup highly, too. The swing and miss is there (30.5% CSW), even if he was hit a little harder once he got to Triple-A (5.46 FIP). With more exposure to that competition level and a full offseason of development, Wiggins should start to see better results in Iowa before heading to Chicago.
Wiggins has the upside of a top-of-the-rotation arm. As long as he can throw enough strikes (4.15 BB/9), his elite fastball and solid secondaries will continue to baffle hitters in the Major Leagues. With the Cubs (currently) riding with Colin Rea and Javier Assad at the back end of their rotation, they could be looking for an upgrade sooner rather than later. Wiggins has an outside chance of making the big league club out of Spring Training, but will undoubtedly start games at Wrigley Field in 2026.
2) Owen Caissie – 23 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: .286 AVG/.386 OBP/.551 SLG/22 HR/5 SB/27.9% K/13.2% BB
MLB Stats: .192 AVG/.222 OBP/.346 SLG/1 HR/0 SB/40.7% K/3.7% BB
Owen Caissie’s Major League numbers do not look like those possessed by a top-100 prospect, but that can be attributed to factors outside of his control. Caissie was not given a consistent run in the lineup. There was one stint where Caissie saw more than one at bat in three or more games, and it came with the Cubs deep in the playoff race. He hit .333 in that span, and then didn’t see another full game for over a week. Caissie’s performance in Triple-A suggests he was deserving of much more playing time than he received. Caissie has elite power, created by his 74.8 mph swing speed and strong 6’3″ frame. His average exit velocity (92.1 mph) was among the top marks in AAA, as was his barrel rate (17%) and hard hit rate (53.4%).
Like many other sluggers with Caissie’s power tool, his weakness is the strikeout. While his whiff rate (28.1%) and SwStr% (11.8%) were average in AAA, they took a massive step back in the Majors (24.3% SwStr in MLB). Caissie’s chase rate also jumped significantly, reaching 38% with the big league club. The power in his bat offsets some of the concerns, but Caissie will likely strike out more than 30% of the time unless there’s serious growth. The Cubs’ outfield positions are spoken for, but Craig Counsell stated that Caissie will be an “important player” for the Cubs in 2026. How he is utilized will affect his immediate upside, but Caissie has long-term value as a potential 30+ home run threat.
3) Ethan Conrad – 22 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: N/A – 2025 Draftee
Despite Wake Forest’s pedigree as a baseball powerhouse, in comparison to some of the names drafted around him, Conrad went into the 2025 Draft as a relative unknown. He spent two years with Marist College, dominating in 2024 (183 wRC+), before an injury ended his 2025 early (167 wRC+ in 21 games). Before the injury, Conrad’s .744 SLG and .526 wOBA were among the elite marks in the ACC, and looked eerily similar to a certain Nick Kurtz’s numbers from his 2024 campaign (.763 SLG, .531 wOBA). The Cubs saw enough in Conrad’s time with the Demon Deacons to take him at pick #17, and will likely start him in High-A in 2026.
Conrad is exactly the type of player the Cubs have drafted early in recent years. He’s a high-floor, high-ceiling college bat with good production at a power program and in the Cape Cod League (.920 OPS in 30 games). Conrad’s swing passes the eye test as a smooth lefty with plus bat speed, and he has the frame to hit for power at the professional level. Conrad’s future as a corner outfielder means he’ll have some blockage in the organization, but the Cubs have at least a year to figure out how to manage it before Conrad’s ready for the big leagues.
4) Moisés Ballesteros – 22 Y/O ??
MiLB Stats: .316 AVG/.385 OBP/.473 SLG/13 HR/5 SB/13.2% K/9.6% BB
MLB Stats: .298 AVG/.394 OBP/.474 SLG/2 HR/0 SB/18.2% K/13.6% BB
I’m lower on Ballesteros than many of the Cubs fans I’ve interacted with in the past year, mostly due to the positional limitations he has due to his frame. At 5’8″, 195, Ballesteros isn’t built like your typical MLB-hitter. That said, he’s hit both for contact and for power at every level of the minor leagues and showed flashes of being able to do it in the Majors as well. In a 14-game stint to end the regular season, Ballesteros posted a 177 wRC+, which was third-best on the team behind Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki. He showed glimpses of his power potential (106.2 EV90), but didn’t produce hard contact consistently (35.7% Hard Hit). Ballesteros significantly overperformed compared to his expected stats, which may be a more accurate reflection of his future abilities (.346 xwOBA, .422 wOBA).
Ballesteros is in line to start 2026 on the Cubs’ big league roster and handle the DH spot on days where Suzuki is in the outfield, with Caissie on the bench in this scenario. If Ballesteros can acquire and maintain catcher eligibility, then his value as a dynasty asset significantly increases. However, the chances of that, with Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly still on the roster, are slim to none. If he can maintain his late-season production, Ballesteros represents great value at his current draft spot (#560 in NFBC ADP). If there is any regression, though, he may not reach the offensive heights of other DHs in the league.
5) Jefferson Rojas – 20 Y/O INF
MiLB Stats: .236/.343/.387/11 HR/19 SB/17.2% K/12.3% BB
The first thing you notice when watching Rojas is his swing. It’s one of—if not the—prettiest in the system. Despite a subdued pre-pitch movement pattern, the bat explodes off of Rojas’ shoulder and gets through the zone remarkably quickly. At 5’11”, 150 pounds, Rojas doesn’t have a slugger’s build, but the speed on his swing and the loft he creates allow him to get to average pull-side power. His .151 ISO was the second best among qualified middle infielders in the Cubs’ system last year, behind a player who is no longer with the organization (Ronny Cruz). With some additional strength, he could add even more power too, as only 8.7% of his fly balls (40.2% fly ball rate, 50% pull) left the yard.
Typically, a swing like Rojas’ ends up with the player having some swing-and-miss concerns. Those haven’t materialized with Rojas to date. He posted a solid 8.4% SwStr rate in 2025 and had a contact rate north of 80%. The first comparison that came to mind for Rojas was Zach Neto, given the height and right-handed power/speed combination, but Rojas outperformed the All-Star in terms of bat-to-ball. Neto vastly outperformed Rojas in power production, but Rojas still has a year (and time to add more weight to his frame) to get to similar levels. Rojas has the skills to be a 20/20 threat at either shortstop or second, but will likely end up at second with Dansby Swanson under contract until 2030.
6) Kevin Alcantara – 23 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: .266/.349/.470/17 HR/10 SB/29.8% K/11.2% BB
MLB Stats: .364/.417/.364/0 HR/1 SB/33.3% K/8.3% BB
Offseason core surgery makes Alcantara’s status on the Opening Day roster uncertain, but he will be part of the outfield core at Wrigley Field at some point in 2026. His 2025 production was not indicative of the ceiling scouts and analysts think his tools can produce, but it was far from a “bad” campaign. Alcantara added 26 doubles to his 17 homers, posting a respectable 110 wRC+ and .364 wOBA. His batted ball metrics (90.4 AVG EV in AAA, 92.8 in MLB, 40+ Hard Hit rate in both) and bat speed (73.2 mph) indicate he could get to another level, as long as he keeps the strikeouts in check.
To this point, he’s been unable to do that. His 30.5% whiff rate in AAA wasn’t awful, but that number skyrocketed against big league pitching (42.9%). Alcantara has the power to hit the ball out of the park when he gets it in the air (23% HR/FB in AAA), but he’s retired via ground ball (45.8%) and strikeout far too often, limiting those occurrences (29.5% fly ball rate). There’s still time for Alcantara to rework his approach and swing to produce more fly balls and better showcase his power, and he has the frame to add even more pop to his game. With Pete Crow-Armstrong manning center, Alcantara will factor into the bench situation for 2026 with the potential to take over a corner spot in the next few years.
7) Josiah Hartshorn – 18 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: N/A – 2025 Draft
The Cubs went $1.6 million over slot to select Hartshorn in the sixth round as a prep bat out of California for $2 million, buying him out of his commitment to Texas A&M. That financial commitment was the organization’s largest to a prep bat since they signed James Triantos in the 2021 second round. The Cubs wanted Hartshorn to sign badly, and by locking him up, they’ve secured a potential 30+ home run slugger. The keyword there is potential. Hartshorn dealt with a series of injuries during his high school career, which forced him to adjust his swing from both sides of the plate. It certainly passes the eye test as of now and should be optimized by working with professional coaching.
Speaking of eye tests, Hartshorn’s 6’2″, 220-pound frame passes with flying colors. He possesses a strong upper half and utilizes his lower body well, which works together to create a ferocious swing with seemingly plus bat speed from both sides of the plate. He’s yet to play a professional game, so there are question marks regarding how well his uppercut swing will translate. However, his ability to switch-hit raises his ceiling, and his age allows him ample time to develop his game on either side of the plate. The Cubs’ $2 million gamble has a long way to go before he’s MLB-ready, but Hartshorn has incredible upside for a player drafted outside of the first 100 picks.
Prospects Dynasty Managers Should Know
8) Jonathon Long – 23 Y/O 1B
MiLB Stats (AAA): .305 AVG/.404 OBP/ .479 SLG/ 20 HR/2 SB/19.1% K/13.0% BB
The Cubs’ minor league hitter of the year lit up Triple-A, finishing fourth among qualified first basemen with a 131 wRC+. Long doesn’t have a standout tool, but he does everything well. He has good bat-to-ball skills (87.4% Z-Con) and doesn’t expand the strike zone (24.8% O-Swing). The quality of the contact is solid too (90.9 AVG EV, 46.4% Hard Hit). Long could benefit from a change in approach aimed at creating more pulled fly balls, but he has the skillset to hit 15-20 homers in the Majors. The only reason he’s not higher on this list is due to Michael Busch’s presence at first and further blockages of the 3B, OF, and DH spots.
9) Cole Mathis – 22 Y/O 1B
MiLB Stats (A): .215 AVG/.336 OBP/.402 SLG/3 HR/0 SB/22.7% K/13.3% BB
Mathis’ numbers from Myrtle Beach don’t stand out, but his performances on the Cape and in the Arizona Fall League do. As a 19-year-old in 2023, Mathis posted a 1.048 OPS with 11 home runs in 38 games with Cotuit. Recovery from Tommy John surgery limited him to 29 regular-season games in 2025, but he appeared in an additional 16 with Mesa in the fall, posting a .839 OPS with 2 homers. In the AFL, he posted a bat speed of around 73 mph with a 90 mph average exit velocity while keeping his whiffs (23.9%) and chases (25.2%) in check. If those numbers stay consistent, Mathis could grow into a 25+ home run threat with a balanced overall profile. His defensive home limits his ceiling, as it seems like he’ll be used as a first baseman. That said, Mathis has the potential to jump into the top five on this list by next offseason.
10) Brandon Birdsell – 25 Y/O SP
MiLB Stats: 33.2 IP / 2.94 ERA / 23.1% K / 9.1% BB
The Cubs keeping Birdsell through the Rule 5 draft should be seen as a massive win for the organization. The former Texas Tech standout was named the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year in 2024 after 26 starts with a 3.73 xFIP and good strikeout/walk rates. Birdsell’s delivery is unorthodox, with very little extension and a short, over-the-top release point. That delivery allows his mid-90s fastball to sneak up on hitters, and he creates good separation between his slider and curveball. Birdsell missed most of 2025 with an elbow issue, which will be something to monitor as he returns to action, but he could be a factor in the back half of the Cubs’ rotation in 2026.
11) Kane Kepley – 21 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: .299 AVG/.481 OBP/.433 SLG/2 HR/16 SB/11.5%/19.1% BB
To say that Kane Kepley handled the transition to professional baseball well would be an understatement. He led the Cubs’ minor league system with a 180 wRC+ (min. 100 PA’s) in 28 games after his second round selection out of North Carolina. Contact (5.0% SwStr, 85.9% contact rate) and speed (97 steals in three NCAA seasons) are his two main tools, but he’s flashed some power too. Kepley’s approach and ability to drive the baseball in the air (27.2% line drive, 38.3% fly ball) and to all fields give him a solid base to build on in his first full professional season.
12) Juan Tomas – 18 Y/O SS
MiLB Stats: .186 AVG/.352 OBP/.301 SLG/1 HR/9 SB/29% K/20.7% BB
MLB.com’s write-up on Tomas states that one scout called Tomas a “potential Elly De La Cruz.” That’s high praise for a player with just 36 professional games in the DSL under his belt. Film on Tomas is hard to come by, but his swing stands out once you discover it. Mechanically, it’s remarkably polished with good speed to it. At 6’2″, he’ll be able to add mass to get to more power, but at almost 180 pounds, he should showcase decent power already. His approach at the plate didn’t generate good production in 2025, but he pulled almost 50% of his batted balls with a modest 35% fly ball rate. If he’s able to keep those numbers steady and improve on his bat-to-ball ability, he could fly onto the dynasty radar in 2026.
13) Jostin Florentino – 21 Y/O SP
MiLB Stats (A) : 81.1 IP / 2.43 ERA / 29.7% K / 7.4% BB
Since being signed in January 2023, Florentino has flown under the radar in the Cubs’ system. As recently as mid-2025, the righty was outside the club’s top-30 prospects per MLB, and was not included in Fangraphs’ top 37. Yet, Florentino was named the organization’s top minor league pitcher after leading the farm in K-BB% (22.4%) and finishing top five in WHIP (1.07) and xFIP (3.16). He’s shown the ability to utilize his arsenal (FF, SL, CH, CB) to get outs, getting good horizontal movement on all four offerings. Per Baseball America, Florentino added five mph to his heater, getting it up to 90 mph, but he’ll need to continue to add to those gains to raise his ceiling. Florentino’s early results since signing are encouraging, but the 21-year-old needs to make significant strides before he’s considered a serious fantasy asset. For now, he’s a good buy-low, possible breakout candidate if he can get his fastball into the 93-94 range.
14) Pedro Ramirez – 21 Y/O INF
MiLB Stats: .280 AVG/.346 OBP/.386 SLG/8 HR/28 SB/15.1% K/8.2% BB
Ramirez has the current profile of a very good “real-life” player as opposed to showcasing high fantasy value. He won a MiLB Gold Glove while posting a 122 wRC+ in Double-A. That was enough for the Cubs to protect him in the Rule 5 draft, a sign of the team’s faith in him to break out. Ramirez’s value is in his bat-to-ball ability (87.3% contact, 5.6% SwStr%), his glove, and his sneaky speed. His volatility around the industry (#30 per Fangraphs, #8 per MLB.com) is down to how you project his power tool progressing. If he can get to the 15+ homer range, his value will skyrocket. That said, his Double-A performance indicates that won’t happen (25% fly ball rate, 7.5% HR/FB). Given his status as a third baseman, he likely won’t have the pop to make an impact at that position, given the competition in dynasty formats.
15) Kade Snell – 23 Y/O OF
MiLB Stats: .167 AVG/.268 OBP/.219 SLG/0 HR/11 SB/17% K/12.5% BB
Hey, look, it’s another experienced college hitter with good production in the SEC and on Cape Cod (.890 OPS in ’23 with Falmouth). Snell captained Alabama in 2025, leading the Tide to a 41-18 record while posting a 131 wRC+ in the process. Snell’s first foray into professional ball wasn’t great (45 wRC+), but he maintained good strikeout/walk rates with plus bat-to-ball skills (85% contact). He hit 10 homers in his final collegiate season with no steals, but added 11 stolen bases since signing. Snell projects to be a corner outfielder with 15+ homer pop.
The Next Five
Although these prospects do not crack the Top 15, dynasty managers should keep their eye on these five players.
16) Kaleb Wing: A fourth-round pick in 2025 out of high school who signed for almost $900,000 over slot value. He possesses a mid-90s fastball with strong grades on his changeup and curveball per MLB.com. His transition to professional baseball needs to be monitored, but he could jump into the top-10 range with a strong start.
17) James Triantos: Triantos’ stock has nosedived since he posted a 76 wRC+ in 102 AAA games in 2025. He’s got 30+ steal speed if he can get on base enough, but doubts are creeping in about his ability to do that.
18) Juan Cabada: His production was stronger than Tomas’ in the DSL (134 wRC+, 20 SB in 42 games), but he lacks the frame and switch-hitting ability that the former possesses. Cabada projects to be a second baseman with average offensive tools.
19) Cristian Hernandez: 52 steals stand out immediately as speed continues to be Hernandez’s most prominent trait. Significant drop between 2024 production (130 wRC+) and 2025 (99 wRC+). He still has plus bat speed, however, and his frame can add more strength in the future.
2) Dominick Reid: Reid is a physically imposing right-hander drafted in the third round in 2025. His changeup is his best pitch with good separation from his mid-90s heater. He struggled with command in 2024 (11.3% BB) with Oklahoma State, but rebounded in 2025 with Abilene Christian (7.5%). Reid could grow into a #4 or #5 in the future.
