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June prospect voting results

Brock Beauchamp
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CubinNY MVP

CubinNY

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
  1. Moises Ballesteros
  2. Kevin Alcantara
  3. Owen Caissie
  4. Jaxon Wiggins
  5. Jonathon Long
  6. Jefferson Rojas
  7. Brandon Birdsell
  8. Cristian Hernandez
  9. James Triantos
  10. Christian Franklin
  11. Ryan Gallagher
  12. Cole Mathis
  13. Fernando Cruz
  14. Pedro Ramirez
  15. Wilfri De La Cruz
  16. Will Sanders
  17. Ronny Cruz
  18. Nazier Mule
  19. Ben Cowles
  20. Ty Southisene

Solid top 5. I'm a believer in Christian Hernandz. After seven, it's a toss-up with a lot of these guys. With graduation, it looks rough with a lot of hope for development. 

allen6510w College Ball

allen6510w

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
  1. Moises Ballesteros
  2. Jaxon Wiggins
  3. Jefferson Rojas
  4. Jonathon Long
  5. Owen Caissie
  6. Kevin Alcantara
  7. Will Sanders
  8. James Triantos
  9. Angel Cepeda
  10. Cristian Hernandez
  11. Brandon Birdsell
  12. Ryan Gallagher
  13. Cole Mathis
  14. Nazier Mule
  15. Juan Tomas
  16. Wilfri De La Cruz
  17. Ty Southisene
  18. Ivan Brethowr
  19. Ronny Cruz
  20. Eli Lovich

21. Carter Trice (please add to your list of options)

22. Connor Noland

23. Derniche Valdez

24. Riley Martin

25. Pedro Ramirez

26. Fernando Cruz

27. Christian Franklin

28. Juan Cabada

29. Justin Florentino

Donzo College Ball

Donzo

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
  1. Owen Caissie
    #1 for now. Not seeing the growth I hoped for.
  2. Jaxon Wiggins
    The power pitching profile is very exciting. His improving walk rate is encouraging.
  3. Moises Ballesteros
  4. Kevin Alcantara
  5. Jefferson Rojas
  6. James Triantos
  7. Cristian Hernandez
  8. Jonathon Long
  9. Brandon Birdsell
  10. Cole Mathis
  11. Ryan Gallagher
    Real nice to see him immerage as a prospect.
  12. Ronny Cruz
  13. Pedro Ramirez
  14. Nazier Mule
  15. Fernando Cruz
  16. Jack Neely
  17. Will Sanders
  18. Drew Gray
  19. Eli Lovich
  20. Juan Tomas
Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted
  1. Moises Ballesteros
    With the graduations of Horton and Shaw, this is my favorite prospect in the system. He's got a great bat, and I think he'll catch in some fashion
  2. Owen Caissie
    In-zone whiff has dropped each month, power is blowing up at the same time. Overall numbers look worse than the progress,
  3. Jaxon Wiggins
    Rocket. Ship. Dude has done everything you could ask and on pure ceiling maybe he belongs in the #1 slot. I won't go that far yet...but...September?
  4. Kevin Alcantara
    Really struggled against non-fastballs this year and I think that's a bit of a red flag. Maybe I'm being unfair, but it really stands out as an issue and I'd like to see that fixed.
  5. Jefferson Rojas
    Awesome, awesome, awesome year. Maybe belongs higher.
  6. Jonathon Long
    Hard to ignore the batted ball data and the progress. If he could play anything but 1b/DH he'd be a top-5 prospect in the system
  7. Cristian Hernandez
    Nice progress with the bat this year. Would like a few more home runs, but...alas.
  8. James Triantos
    Been injured and just hasn't been great. Batted ball data paints an un-fun picture, but that's sometimes what you get with an aggressive hitter who makes a lot of contact
  9. Brandon Birdsell
    The injuries are a bummer. Thought he could debut in Chicago this year. Graduations keep him just inside the top-10 right now
  10. Christian Franklin
    Weird year of peaks and vallys. MLB upside, but maybe 4th OF
  11. Will Sanders
    All the way up to Triple-A. Statcast isn't sexy, and Sanders probably is a #4 at best, but that's value and he's close to the MLB. Could realistically swap him and Birdsell with his injuries.
  12. Cole Mathis
    Just hasn't been very good when he's been on the field. Hoping it's rust and some nagging as he comes back from TJS.
  13. Pedro Ramirez
    Still don't love the power but he hits a bunch. Poor man's James Triantos in some ways?
  14. Ryan Gallagher
    Still in SB so I can't really elevate him too much but the K% is absurd and the velocity increase gives a reason to believe this isn't the yearly breakout of a pitchability guy in the lower levels.
  15. Eli Lovich
    Starting to believe the hype a bit. There's a ceiling here that I can't quite pinpoint but he's looking better, quicker than I thought
  16. Pablo Aliendo
    The yearly data isn't as sexy as recent numbers. 158 wRC+ since May 18th at Catcher though stands out. Could make Iowa this year at 24. Potential MLB catcher
  17. Juan Tomas
    Just got to the DSL. Interested in the upside
  18. Nazier Mule
    Had a rough run right before injury. He's back. Stuff still looks solid.
  19. Ivan Brethowr
    Weak-ish last month. The walks remain good, K's are creeping up a bit. Want more power. Still intrigued about the overall. With graduations he belongs in the top-20
  20. Grant Kipp
    Older prospect pitching well in Knoxville gives me pause. But the numbers look great. I've got him as most likely a mid-inning RHOGY (right hitter only guy) with his fastball slider, but there's upside as a potential SP so he gets the nod over Neely or injured Gray

I know everyone's going to be down on the system overall, but I'm less as pessimistic. Think there's still MLB talent in the 15-25 range (I could have added Carico, Cruz, Gray Cabada...). It's probably not as absurdly deep as it was a few years ago where a Grant Kipp might have been legitimately the 27th best prospect in the system, but such is life. Expect a few top-10 types go to at the deadline (depending on the return will depend on how high those prospects rank) but the Cubs will probably add some guys back from the draft. 

  • Like 1
Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted
  1. Moises Ballesteros
    With the graduations of Horton and Shaw, this is my favorite prospect in the system. He's got a great bat, and I think he'll catch in some fashion
  2. Owen Caissie
    In-zone whiff has dropped each month, power is blowing up at the same time. Overall numbers look worse than the progress,
  3. Jaxon Wiggins
    Rocket. Ship. Dude has done everything you could ask and on pure ceiling maybe he belongs in the #1 slot. I won't go that far yet...but...September?
  4. Kevin Alcantara
    Really struggled against non-fastballs this year and I think that's a bit of a red flag. Maybe I'm being unfair, but it really stands out as an issue and I'd like to see that fixed.
  5. Jefferson Rojas
    Awesome, awesome, awesome year. Maybe belongs higher.
  6. Jonathon Long
    Hard to ignore the batted ball data and the progress. If he could play anything but 1b/DH he'd be a top-5 prospect in the system
  7. Cristian Hernandez
    Nice progress with the bat this year. Would like a few more home runs, but...alas.
  8. James Triantos
    Been injured and just hasn't been great. Batted ball data paints an un-fun picture, but that's sometimes what you get with an aggressive hitter who makes a lot of contact
  9. Brandon Birdsell
    The injuries are a bummer. Thought he could debut in Chicago this year. Graduations keep him just inside the top-10 right now
  10. Christian Franklin
    Weird year of peaks and vallys. MLB upside, but maybe 4th OF
  11. Will Sanders
    All the way up to Triple-A. Statcast isn't sexy, and Sanders probably is a #4 at best, but that's value and he's close to the MLB. Could realistically swap him and Birdsell with his injuries.
  12. Cole Mathis
    Just hasn't been very good when he's been on the field. Hoping it's rust and some nagging as he comes back from TJS.
  13. Pedro Ramirez
    Still don't love the power but he hits a bunch. Poor man's James Triantos in some ways?
  14. Ryan Gallagher
    Still in SB so I can't really elevate him too much but the K% is absurd and the velocity increase gives a reason to believe this isn't the yearly breakout of a pitchability guy in the lower levels.
  15. Eli Lovich
    Starting to believe the hype a bit. There's a ceiling here that I can't quite pinpoint but he's looking better, quicker than I thought
  16. Pablo Aliendo
    The yearly data isn't as sexy as recent numbers. 158 wRC+ since May 18th at Catcher though stands out. Could make Iowa this year at 24. Potential MLB catcher
  17. Juan Tomas
    Just got to the DSL. Interested in the upside
  18. Nazier Mule
    Had a rough run right before injury. He's back. Stuff still looks solid.
  19. Ivan Brethowr
    Weak-ish last month. The walks remain good, K's are creeping up a bit. Want more power. Still intrigued about the overall. With graduations he belongs in the top-20
  20. Grant Kipp
    Older prospect pitching well in Knoxville gives me pause. But the numbers look great. I've got him as most likely a mid-inning RHOGY (right hitter only guy) with his fastball slider, but there's upside as a potential SP so he gets the nod over Neely or injured Gray

I know everyone's going to be down on the system overall, but I'm less as pessimistic. Think there's still MLB talent in the 15-25 range (I could have added Carico, Cruz, Gray Cabada...). It's probably not as absurdly deep as it was a few years ago where a Grant Kipp might have been legitimately the 27th best prospect in the system, but such is life. Expect a few top-10 types go to at the deadline (depending on the return will depend on how high those prospects rank) but the Cubs will probably add some guys back from the draft. 

  • Like 1
Donzo College Ball

Donzo

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted

Lots of love for Ballesteros. I think I'm the only one not to rate him #1.

I didn't love his MLB debut. I think the body and defensive issues (didn't catch and was passed over when a catcher was needed) were reinforced with his time in the majors.

Bertz Knoxville Smokies

Bertz

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
46 minutes ago, Donzo said:

Lots of love for Ballesteros. I think I'm the only one not to rate him #1.

I didn't love his MLB debut. I think the body and defensive issues (didn't catch and was passed over when a catcher was needed) were reinforced with his time in the majors.

I think it's worth keeping in mind he's the fourth youngest regular at AAA this year, and also the fourth youngest player to get a single MLB AB this year.  If he were an american college kid he would be in next month's draft.

Given how heavily much the Cubs weight the between the ears aspects of catching, it's not surprising he got passed over.  The only two catchers this century to get significant MLB playing time at age 21 or younger are Brian McCann and Francisco Alvarez.  And the 2023 Mets sucked.

I will say it's not crazy to have other guys 1st.  Mo's pretty clearly got the least power of the big four bats at Iowa.  And while his age implies oodles of untapped upside, at 5'8" that remaining upside might in reality be pretty limited.  I think if you promised me he wouldn't be able to catch in the big leagues I'd rank him somewhere in the 4-6 range.  

Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Donzo said:

Lots of love for Ballesteros. I think I'm the only one not to rate him #1.

I didn't love his MLB debut. I think the body and defensive issues (didn't catch and was passed over when a catcher was needed) were reinforced with his time in the majors.

He had like 20 PA's, if you didn't love his MLB debut, then you probably don't think much of Roman Anthony, who is considered one of the 3 best (if not the best) prospects in baseball. He has been real bad in 30 PA's. We can't judge prospects in samples like that.

I understand the defensive questions; I think that's a legitimate criticism. If you think he's DH, then it's a lot harder to get to being a great player. Even if he had 35 home run power, it's hard to make it as a DH. 

But the MLB debut? That's a nothing burger. 

That said, I do have good news for you; article coming out tomorrow. There's more growth in Owen Caissie's game than you're giving him credit for. In fact, I think the growth he's showing right now might be one of the more underrated stories in the system right now.

Outshined_One Cooperstown

Outshined_One

Community Moderator
Posted
Posted

I really, really, really want to see meaningful scouting reports on the lower level pitching prospects.  It's great that we have a bunch of guys putting up good numbers in A-ball, but I'd love to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Donzo College Ball

Donzo

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
On 6/20/2025 at 3:59 PM, Jason Ross said:

He had like 20 PA's, if you didn't love his MLB debut, then you probably don't think much of Roman Anthony, who is considered one of the 3 best (if not the best) prospects in baseball. He has been real bad in 30 PA's. We can't judge prospects in samples like that.

I understand the defensive questions; I think that's a legitimate criticism. If you think he's DH, then it's a lot harder to get to being a great player. Even if he had 35 home run power, it's hard to make it as a DH. 

But the MLB debut? That's a nothing burger. 

That said, I do have good news for you; article coming out tomorrow. There's more growth in Owen Caissie's game than you're giving him credit for. In fact, I think the growth he's showing right now might be one of the more underrated stories in the system right now.

I'm much more a Cub fan than I am a MLB fan. I don't know who Roman Anthony is. If he's a short, overweight, slow catcher that can't catch and his organization wouldn't let him catch in the majors, then I wouldn't love his debut either.

Ballesteros physical limitation have always been part of his profile. For me, his MLB debut only reinforced the concern for his athletic profile. That's not a nothing burger.

If he can't catch, then you ask is there anyway he can do a Schwarber and transition to LF? To me that's very unlikely. He looks more like a full time DH so far. He's very young, so we'll see. 

Donzo College Ball

Donzo

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted
On 6/20/2025 at 3:52 PM, Bertz said:

I think it's worth keeping in mind he's the fourth youngest regular at AAA this year, and also the fourth youngest player to get a single MLB AB this year.  If he were an american college kid he would be in next month's draft.

Given how heavily much the Cubs weight the between the ears aspects of catching, it's not surprising he got passed over.  The only two catchers this century to get significant MLB playing time at age 21 or younger are Brian McCann and Francisco Alvarez.  And the 2023 Mets sucked.

I will say it's not crazy to have other guys 1st.  Mo's pretty clearly got the least power of the big four bats at Iowa.  And while his age implies oodles of untapped upside, at 5'8" that remaining upside might in reality be pretty limited.  I think if you promised me he wouldn't be able to catch in the big leagues I'd rank him somewhere in the 4-6 range.  

Yep, that's how I pretty much see it, too. If he can't catch (lots of concern that he can) he'd have be a ++ hitter to have value as full time DH. A lot of questions there. I just see more value with Cassie and Wiggins.

I put Cassie #1 because of a much longer track record as a top prospect and success at AAA, but I think I really like Wiggins more. If there was a farm system draft and teams could protect one player, I'd protect Wiggins.

Jason Ross Myrtle Beach Pelicans

Jason Ross

North Side Contributor
Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Donzo said:

I'm much more a Cub fan than I am a MLB fan. I don't know who Roman Anthony is. If he's a short, overweight, slow catcher that can't catch and his organization wouldn't let him catch in the majors, then I wouldn't love his debut either.

Ballesteros physical limitation have always been part of his profile. For me, his MLB debut only reinforced the concern for his athletic profile. That's not a nothing burger.

If he can't catch, then you ask is there anyway he can do a Schwarber and transition to LF? To me that's very unlikely. He looks more like a full time DH so far. He's very young, so we'll see. 

Well, their body types don't have anything to do with their debuts. It isn't like Moises Ballesteros height/weight/body type were a secret, you know? That doesn't make sense. 

Like I said, if you have concerns about him defensively, then I think it's a fair critique. I think if you have concerns about the power profile at DH, I think that's a fair critique. Being concerned about a rookie over a 10-game-sample size is not a fair critique. Almost every prospect has struggled in their initial run currently at the MLB level right now. Much of this is a belief that as teams fear pitching injuries teams would rather not "waste bullets" in Triple-A, thus making the jump between Triple-A and MLB larger than it has been..

A recent anecdote is to look at how the Reds have dealt with Chase Burns, their top pitching prospect. Burns is the #2 pick last year. He went 11 innings last year post-draft, 40 in Double-A and then made just 12 innings in Louisville (their Triple-A affiliate). He's pitching in Cincinnati Tuesday night making his debut less than a year after his draft day. I don't to down play it, he's a very good prospect and has crushed each level, but this is fast. Because these arms are skipping over this level right now, guys like Ballesteros and Anthony are getting a rude awakening when they come to the MLB because they just don't get a chance to see Burns often.

I just wouldn't worry myself over what I think I saw over 20 PA's. It's meaningless data on that front. I share some questions over his position and power myself. His debut? Not a drop of concern. That's just what rookies look like.

Defensively he's incapable of playing OF. It's likely catcher, 1b and DH only, and I think as a catcher, it's far less likely he's a 100 game guy. I think he's more of a 70 game type who plays DH and 1b on his offdays. 

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