2025-2026 Offseason Top Prospects Lists

[CaliforniaRaisin]

42. Owen Caissie
61. Moisés Ballesteros
73. Jaxon Wiggins

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Cubs top 10 is out at BA:

[Bertz]

Kepley over Alcantara is the silliest case of shiny new toy syndrome I've seen in a long time

[Post Count Padder]

These are always fun. 

 

[Outshined_One]

1 hour ago, Post Count Padder said:

These are always fun. 

 

Me reading the lineup:

Me reading the rotation:

[CaliforniaRaisin]

8 hours ago, Post Count Padder said:

These are always fun. 

 

Looking at that pitching after Horton, Wiggins and Palencia:

[CaliforniaRaisin]

But seriously, they need Wing and Reid to pop and more reinforcements next draft.

Hopefully the lack of pitching depth is a brief lull after Wicks, Brown, Palencia and Horton graduated and Herz, Ferris, Johnson and Gallagher were traded away.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

https://www.prospectslive.com/chicago-cubs-2026-top-20-prospects/

No Hartshorn

[Post Count Padder]

After 10 that's quite a drop off. And I know he had a great debut and was a 2nd round pick but feels like Kepley is being over-ranked. 

[Outshined_One]

3 minutes ago, Post Count Padder said:

After 10 that's quite a drop off. And I know he had a great debut and was a 2nd round pick but feels like Kepley is being over-ranked. 

I admittedly have to disagree. And this coming from someone who pooh-poohed the pick when it was made.

My issue with Kepley was his draft profile was an OF who was heavily reliant on contact and speed. However, he showed enough in-game power in his major league debut to suggest he might be more than another Brett Bateman. I can buy him as a Top 5 guy in this organization.

[Bertz]

Kevin Alcantara is just over 18 months older than Kepley, significantly more tooled up, and major league ready.  What are we doing here?

Edited November 20, 2025 by Bertz

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 hour ago, Bertz said:

Kevin Alcantara is just over 18 months older than Kepley, significantly more tooled up, and major league ready.  What are we doing here?

Just to play Devil's Avocado, Alcantara may be more of a corner OF than MLB-viable in CF, and was the 6th best hitter on his team at Iowa.  Kepley looks like a clearly more valuable baserunner, possibly a more viable CF, and has yet to be slowed down offensively(low bar considering the level).  I don't think it's unfair to have them on the same tier, though I'm admittedly a long-time Alcantara skeptic.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Alcantara just doesn't have the power numbers to justify his K rate. It's not surprising some people are down on him.

[Bertz]

59 minutes ago, Transmogrified Tiger said:

Just to play Devil's Avocado, Alcantara may be more of a corner OF than MLB-viable in CF, and was the 6th best hitter on his team at Iowa.  Kepley looks like a clearly more valuable baserunner, possibly a more viable CF, and has yet to be slowed down offensively(low bar considering the level).  I don't think it's unfair to have them on the same tier, though I'm admittedly a long-time Alcantara skeptic.

I am not aware any major reservations on Alcantara's defense.  PCA is really the only reason he's not viewed as a sure fire CFer.  This is Longenhagen:

Quote

The thing that stabilizes Alcántara's profile is his center field defense, which has become quite good. He's a plus runner with plus range and ball skills, and he plays with a fearlessness around the warning track. He's gotten very good at the minutiae of the position, like deke'ing baserunners or running to a spot to position himself to throw before he's collected the baseball. With Pete Crow-Armstrong around, Alcántara is more likely to be a potential Gold Glove corner outfielder in Chicago, but here he's evaluated as a center fielder because, league-wide, that's the position at which he has the most value.

And Callis

Quote

Alcántara offers a combination of size and athleticism that few players can match. Though it takes him a while to get out of the batter's box, he's a plus runner once he gets going and can be at least a 20/20 player if he takes more chances on the bases. He continues to improve defensively, and he's a quality center fielder with good instincts and a strong arm.

And Kiley

Quote

He is a 6-foot-6 center fielder whose height becomes a factor in every part of his game. He is a plus runner and defender due in part to his long strides that provide make-up speed into the gaps. 

And like sure Kepley hasn't been slowed down yet but he played at the same level Alcantara finished at 19.

Like if Kepley pulled a Cam Smith and raced to AA but didn't have a chance to continue proving himself because the calendar ran out sure we might be able to talk.  But this is like saying your High School freshman acing algebra is a better student than your junior getting a B in calculus.  It is completely ignoring the difficulty of the respective assignments.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

On 11/14/2025 at 6:32 AM, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Cubs top 10 is out at BA:

BA released 11-30 today:

11. James Triantos
12. Josiah Hartshorn
13. Dominick Reid
14. Brandon Birdsell
15. Jostin Florentino
16. Cristian Hernández
17, Kaleb Wing
18. Owen Ayers
19. Juan Cabada
20. Ángel Cepeda
21. Riley Martin
22. Ty Southisene
23. Will Sanders
24. Juan Tómas
25. Erian Rodríguez
26. Pierce Coppola
27. Tyler Schlaffer
28, Brody McCullough
29, Ariel Armas
30. Nick Dean

Wilfi de la Cruz was 18 for Baltimore. Ryan Gallagher 22 for Minnesota. Ronny Cruz 21 and Christian Franklin 22 for Washington.

[Outshined_One]

2 hours ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

BA released 11-30 today:

11. James Triantos
12. Josiah Hartshorn
13. Dominick Reid
14. Brandon Birdsell
15. Jostin Florentino
16. Cristian Hernández
17, Kaleb Wing
18. Owen Ayers
19. Juan Cabada
20. Ángel Cepeda
21. Riley Martin
22. Ty Southisene
23. Will Sanders
24. Juan Tómas
25. Erian Rodríguez
26. Pierce Coppola
27. Tyler Schlaffer
28, Brody McCullough
29, Ariel Armas
30. Nick Dean

Wilfi de la Cruz was 18 for Baltimore. Ryan Gallagher 22 for Minnesota. Ronny Cruz 21 and Christian Franklin 22 for Washington.

Kinda hilarious they didn't even rank Grant Kipp.

[allen6510w]

I'm a bit surprised they didn't list Connor Noland somewhere in the 20 to 30 range -given his "best control award".  I guess his "fringy", "well-below" average FB is not expected to play above AAA.

 I was surprised to see Pierce Coppola on the list, and BA believes Owen Ayers fall stats are real. 

I had Grant Kipp just outside of the top 30 - so not too surprised there.  He had a good year in 2005 and a 92-95 mph FB isn't too shabby.  I think it takes a while to warm up to guys who weren't drafted.  Certainly a sleeper to many. 

Nick Dean is a guy who really outperformed his AA ERA last year.  Perhaps he'll get a cup of coffee in the majors someday soon. 

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BP’s Cubs list is out:

1. Jaxon Wiggins
2. Ethan Conrad
3. Moisés Ballesteros
4. Kevin Alcántara
5. Josiah Hartshorn
6. Pedro Ramírez
7. Jonathan Long
8. James Triantos
9. Jefferson Rojas
10. Kaleb Wing

Kane Kepley was 12.

[muntjack]

I think I've finally reached the point where these lists hold no weight at all for me anymore. 

Ethan Conrad had around 500 PAs in college and has yet to face professional pitching.  

Moises Ballesteros has 2000 professional PAs, has mashed at every level, including his brief stint in the majors, and is only 8 months older than Ethan Conrad.   This without factoring in the possibility that he could still become a serviceable catcher.....

[Outshined_One]

10 minutes ago, muntjack said:

I think I've finally reached the point where these lists hold no weight at all for me anymore. 

Ethan Conrad had around 500 PAs in college and has yet to face professional pitching.  

Moises Ballesteros has 2000 professional PAs, has mashed at every level, including his brief stint in the majors, and is only 8 months older than Ethan Conrad.   This without factoring in the possibility that he could still become a serviceable catcher.....

I kinda get it with Conrad vs. Ballesteros, since Mo comes with prospect fatigue and it's easy to see him as a DH only guy, and Conrad would have likely been a Top 5 pick in the most recent draft if he were healthy. I don't agree with it, but I can see it.

What I don't get are Hartshorn and Wing. Don't get me wrong, I like them both, but they were high ceiling high school prospects who are a long, long ways away.  Cripes, Wing is still relatively new to pitching.  To me, you either have to be extremely high on both, or have a very, very negative opinion on the Cubs' system to rank them that highly.

[Bertz]

Would love to hear the rationale for juicing Conrad, Hartshorn, and Wing that also allows you to be logically consistent in having Rojas behind James Triantos.

[craig]

I love that some reputable scouting loves Conrad,  Hartshorn, Wing, and Keppler.  

Obviously doesn't mean anything, it's just a ranking.  Guessing Conrad ahead of Mo reflects higher ceiling:  favorable scouting on his positional defense (maybe even CF), and perception of potentially superior HR power?  Like, if you see the potential for Conrad to be a 30-HR guy with plus RF defense, but think Mo is probably a <20HR DH, the WAR ceiling for the good-defense HR guy is way higher?  

But yeah, new guys can get upranked on potential, when nobody has seen their limitations exposed against actual pro pitching.  That can change fast when the performance is exposed.  

There may also be some intrinsic respect for Cub scouting?  Cubs saw enough in Wing and Hartshorn to seriously super-slot them at $1.6 and $2.0.  Maybe some other scouts see the same potential?  

I just hope those 2025 draft picks really work out.  We really need some new serious talent in the system.  Having several of those guys turn out good, many would that make a difference in extending the contention window.  

 

 

[craig]

3 hours ago, Bertz said:

Would love to hear the rationale for juicing Conrad, Hartshorn, and Wing that also allows you to be logically consistent in having Rojas behind James Triantos.

Biggest surprise to me is Pedro Ramirez ahead of Rojas and Triantos.  I don't really understand why?  If Conrad/Harshorn/Wing are upranked based on hypothetical upside, what upside does Pedro have?  No SS, no slug.  107 singles to only 33 XBH, Nic Madrigal wannabe?  As a no-slug/no-SS bench guy, why is he ahead of Triantos and Rojas?  Or Long or Wing or Kepley?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

4 hours ago, muntjack said:

I think I've finally reached the point where these lists hold no weight at all for me anymore. 

Ethan Conrad had around 500 PAs in college and has yet to face professional pitching.  

Moises Ballesteros has 2000 professional PAs, has mashed at every level, including his brief stint in the majors, and is only 8 months older than Ethan Conrad.   This without factoring in the possibility that he could still become a serviceable catcher.....

BP is easily the worst of the major national prospect publications. Not a fan of their lead guy. Getting by on Goldstein and Parks‘ reputations.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

30 minutes ago, craig said:

Biggest surprise to me is Pedro Ramirez ahead of Rojas and Triantos.  I don't really understand why?  If Conrad/Harshorn/Wing are upranked based on hypothetical upside, what upside does Pedro have?  No SS, no slug.  107 singles to only 33 XBH, Nic Madrigal wannabe?  As a no-slug/no-SS bench guy, why is he ahead of Triantos and Rojas?  Or Long or Wing or Kepley?

This is easily the worst one. There’s a (bad) argument to be made for Conrad > Ballesteros if you see Ballesteros topping out as Matt Stairs. II don’t see how you pick Ramírez (or Triantos) over Rojas, who has the positional advantage and better power.