Cubs Farm System Updates: 2025 Draft Class Continues To Shine

[Jason Ross]

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/ News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

As the calendar is set to turn from June to July, baseball is about to hit its midpoint of the season, both at the highest levels and in the minors. This means players are starting to differentiate themselves in meaningful ways beyond just a hot streak or a cold snap. The good news for the Chicago Cubs is that they've had a relatively strong season down on the farm, but that doesn't mean everyone's having a career year. Whose stock is up? Whose is down?

Chicago Cubs Updated Top-20 Prospects List (June 2026)

1. Jefferson Rojas, INF
2. Pedro Ramirez, INF* 
3. Jaxon Wiggins, SP
4. Josiah Hartshorn, OF
5. Kevin Alcantara, OF
6. Ethan Conrad, OF
7. Kane Kepley, OF
8. Owen Ayers, C
9. Jonathon Long, 1b
10. Kaleb Wing, SP
11. James Triantos, INF
12. Brooks Caple, SP
13. Mason McGwire, SP
14. Ty Southisene, INF
15. Will Sanders, SP
16. Juan Cabada, INF
17. Eli Lovich, OF
18. Ariel Armas, C
19. Jostin Florentino, SP
20. Grant Kipp, SP

*indicates a player who has since graduated from prospect status since our most recent vote.

New Additions

Mason McGwire, SP
Mason McGwire took a little time to get going, but now, fully healthy, he's showing what intrigued the Cubs back in 2022. Flashing upper-90s velocity and an improved level of control, the righty has worked his way to South Bend and could see Knoxville by the end of the year. The downside here is clearly the injury risk, as his 45 IP so far in 2026 marks a new career high since turning professional. If he can remain healthy, there's mid-rotation (or better, if the secondaries develop) upside. 

Ariel Armas, C
Ariel Armas was drafted with one massive feather in his cap: the guy is a great defender behind the plate. While at San Diego University, Armas won the NCAA Gold Glove for his play behind the dish. Having the defensive aspect of the game in spades, Armas only needs to be a "bad hitter" to have an MLB pathway as a catcher, and he seems to have just enough juice offensively to keep him interesting. His 70 wRC+ in Knoxville isn't good enough yet, but it's not far off if the glove is as good as advertised. Armas does not have a starter's profile, but with a few years of seasoning, he probably will get a shot to be a big-league backup someday. 

Grant Kipp, SP
Grant Kipp has been on the fringes of being ranked in the top-20 over the last few seasons, and the 26-year-old now finds his name on this list. While he's been given the bulk of his time starting in the minors, he's likely ticketed for an MLB bullpen, maybe even as soon as 2026. His slurve-y breaking ball is hell on right-handed hitters, and his fastball plays up just enough, sitting 92-94 as a starter, that you could believe 93-95 could be in play from the pen. He's got good size and a nasty demeanor on the mound, too. There's a decent shot we get a look at Kipp in Chicago this year.

Biggest Risers

Josiah Hartshorn, OF
There's a legitimate argument to be made that Hartshorn is the best prospect in the Cubs' system. The over-slot 2025 draft pick has looked nothing short of a star, breezing through Myrtle Beach and has hit nary a speed bump in South Bend. Hartshorn should be a freshman, playing in the SEC, but legitimately could make Knoxville by the end of the year. That's amazing. So far through roughly 100 plate appearances in High-A, the switch-hitting outfielder has posted a 164 wRC+, has belted nine home runs in just 27 games, and has maintained a K-rate under 20%. There's a long way to go, but so far, he looks every bit of a very special hitter whose future defensive home isn't even a worry with how good his bat has been.

Owen Ayers, C 
The story on Owen Ayers is one of the best in the entire system. Ayers, a 19th-round selection out of Marshall in 2024 (the 572nd player selected overall), was kind of an afterthought on draft day. Two years later, we're seeing a real breakout from the switch-hitting catcher. Ayers has made short work of Double-A so far, posting a 174 wRC+, 14 home runs, and a very acceptable 26.3 K%. The one drawback is that Ayers is 25, which is obviously near the elder stages for a legitimate prospect. With that said, he's new to the position, and catchers tend to be slow to develop. If he were 22 years old, he'd be a top prospect, not just in the system but in the league. But that he's 25 has likely kept him under the radar. Don't sleep on him.

Kaleb Wing, SP
Kaleb Wing was an over-slot prep arm from the 2025 draft class. He looked to have a live arm, and with development, he could begin to pop, and pop he has. He's sped through the Complex League and now has found himself in Myrtle Beach. He's shown mid-90s velocity with room to grow and has struck out one-third of the hitters he's faced. Control is still a bit of a work in progress, but he's showing early signs of upside and has rocketed up the Cubs' top-20.

Biggest Faller

Jonathon Long, 1B
Jonathon Long is proving how hard it is to be a minor-league first baseman; you have to hit from day one, and you simply cannot stop. Posting a 131 wRC+ in Iowa last year had Long almost called up to the MLB team. Had he not suffered an elbow injury in spring training, he may have been the most logical hitter to take the spot vacated by Tyler Austin when he underwent knee surgery. However, since then, Long has fallen down the pecking order due to a weak second year in Iowa. His .724 OPS on the surface isn't horrible, but part of the issue is that Iowa plays in the International League, and right now, it's as if every ballpark is playing like prime Coors Field; offensive outputs are off the hook right now. This means that Long has been 14% worse than league average, and at his position, this puts a damper on your light. Hopefully for the Cubs and Long, his power stroke comes back in the second half, but if not, it's likely we'll see him fall down the ladder a bit more.

Cubs' Farm System Outlook

Realistically, this has been a really, really good year for the Cubs' system. Despite Rojas getting off to a weak start (he's since turned on the jets and is absolutely blistering the baseball) and injuries to Jaxon Wiggins and Ethan Conrad, the system has had almost everything else go right. The 2025 draft class has looked like an absolute haul so far, with Kane Kepley and Josiah Hartshorn already getting top-100 love and Kaleb Wing flashing upside. They've even found a few pitchers to get excited over, like Brooks Caple, Mason McGwire, and Grant Kipp. 

While it isn't a top-10 system today, the Cubs are showing an ability to develop and replace. Over the last few years, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cade Horton, Moises Ballesteros, Matt Shaw, and others have come through the system and graduated from prospect status. Yet the team has continued to find new talent through (primarily) the draft and International Free Agency. This should fill fans with hope that they can create a consistent churn of talent. It could have easily been a tough year on the farm as the team waited for the 2026 draft to restock, but instead, they've seen some real breakout performances. They're really just missing the big-time pitching upside, and it's likely the team will look to address this come the next few weeks when they add 18-20 new names to the system.

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Who is your biggest riser in the Cubs' system? Your biggest disappointment? What do you think of the Cubs' minor-league system today? Sound off in the comments below!

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