Josiah Hartshorn Could Be the Best Prospect in the Chicago Cubs Pipeline

[Cory Sparks]

Image courtesy of © Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

One of the Cubs' most impressive prospects is just starting his professional career. At this rate, we should be keeping tabs on Josiah Hartshorn anytime he steps to the plate, because he has been remarkable to watch and could help out the big-league club sooner than you think. Let's dive into Hartshorn’s story, his strengths, weaknesses and overall projected time to crack into the big leagues.

Background
For starters, Hartshorn is currently the fifth-ranked prospect in the Chicago Cubs’ farm system, according to our rankings here at North Side Baseball—and that stock is rising. Four of his five tools are a 50 grade or better, and at just 19 years of age, he has all of the tools to be a big-leaguer one day. Chicago saw this promise after he participated in the All-Star High School Home Run Derby a couple of years ago, and they selected him in the 6th round of last year’s draft. How is this guy breaking out in his first full season as a pro?

Early on this season, Hartshorn was in Low-A Myrtle Beach with the Pelicans. His numbers there were strong. He posted a .273 batting average, .424 on-base percentage and .460 slugging average, crushing five home runs and 15 extra-base hits in total over the course of just 39 games played. He walked more times than he struck out, 34 to 27. 

The Cubs, liking what they saw, promoted the 19-year-old to High-A with the South Bend Cubs, who just claimed a first half title and will be heading to the playoffs. Here's where things get wild: Through 26 contests there, Hartshorn is hitting .348, with nine home runs, 34 runs batted in and a ridiculous 1.113 OPS. The power is even more lethal, and he’s punishing baseballs three levels removed from the major leagues before his 20th birthday. 

It's no surprise that he can generate plenty of power from that 220-pound frame, and his 55-grade power attribute and 13 homers through half a season back that up. This all comes from a switch-hitter, excelling at something that’s quickly turning into a lost art of modern baseball. Almost all his power comes from the left side, but he's running a .468 OBP as a right-handed batter, showing a good approach against southpaws.

The one weakness to watch out for—and this is nitpicking, given his age and all the other things he's doing well—is that his strikeout rate is starting to spike. After walking more than he struck out in Myrtle Beach, Hartshorn has punched out 23 times in 113 plate appearances for South Bend. This isn’t an awful strikeout rate by any means, but the rise is something to keep an eye on as he faces off against better and better pitching. 

The plate discipline, ability to identify pitching from a high-level arm and everything that comes with that process should come naturally, as Hartshorn gets more reps. When can we expect to see him in the major leagues? In the best-case scenario, it could be late next year. More realistically, he could stake a claim to a corner outfield job come 2028, but even at that point, he'd be 21 years old. We’re a long way from that. He has to play well for the balance of this season, and eventually, he has to pass the stern test of Double-A pitching. Right now, though, he looks like the best mid- to late-round pick the Cubs have made in some time.

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