Reviewing Owen Ayers' Improbable Rise From 19th-Round Pick to Potential Cubs Catcher of the Future

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

One of the nice things about the MLB Draft is that every class has guys who don’t get picked particularly high, but still find a way to turn themselves into quality big leaguers. Guys like Albert Pujols, Nolan Ryan, and Mike Piazza are three of the most obvious examples. All three were later-round picks who went on to have Hall of Fame careers, proving that where a player gets drafted doesn't necessarily determine where his career is headed.

Now, I’m certainly not suggesting that Chicago Cubs catcher prospect Owen Ayers is going to go down as one of the best players to ever do it. But after the year he has put together in the minors, it's becoming increasingly difficult to overlook the possibility that Ayers could eventually become a solid big league backstop.

The Cubs selected Ayers in the 19th round of the 2024 MLB Draft, 572nd overall, out of Marshall University. Coming into the 2026 season, it seemed like he was probably destined to be nothing more than organizational depth. That may no longer be the case. Ayers started the year outside of North Side Baseball’s top-20 Cubs prospects. Now, he finds himself all the way up at No. 4.

Obviously, there are some caveats here. He’s already 25 years old, making him older than most top prospects. But at the same time, what he has done this season simply is not normal for a catcher.

Ayers began the year at High-A South Bend, where he absolutely tore the cover off the ball. He posted a ridiculous 1.341 OPS before earning a promotion to Double-A Knoxville, and he didn’t exactly slow down after moving up. Eventually, he made his way to Triple-A Iowa, where spent the last two months of the season. That meteoric rise, especially at a position that is notoriously slow to develop, has certainly changed the tune around the Cubs' future plans at catcher.

On the season as a whole, Ayers hit .289/.403/.526 with 25 home runs and 55 total extra-base hits while stealing 13 bases in 125 games. That’s an absurd offensive profile for a catcher. In fact, do you know how many MLB catchers have hit 20+ home runs with double-digit steals this season? None.

He probably isn’t going to steal 13 bases every year if he reaches the major leagues. Catchers generally aren’t asked to run very much, and there is a good chance the Cubs would be more cautious with him if he’s behind the plate every day. Still, it’s worth pointing out that he’s gone 13-for-14 on steal attempts this season. When Ayers does run, he’s been extremely successful, and that could eventually give Craig Counsell another tool to work with int he lineup. If Ayers reaches the majors and proves he can consistently get on base, there’s at least a world where the Cubs could let him use his speed to set the table for the heart of the lineup.

And the offensive versatility doesn’t stop there. He’s also a switch-hitter, which gives him another potential advantage as he works his way toward the major leagues. But notably, he’s been significantly better from the left side of the plate against right-handed pitching. Ayers has an OPS just under 1.000 as a left-handed hitter this season, compared to a .785 OPS from the right side. Even more impressive, 22 of his 25 home runs have come from the left side. If he can continue developing, there’s a path for him to eventually become the Cubs’ primary catcher while taking some starts at DH against right-handed pitching. That would give Chicago some additional flexibility without taking his bat out of the lineup completely.

The one thing I would like to see Ayers polish up a little bit is his bat-to-ball ability. He’s a very smart hitter who rarely chases pitches outside of the zone, and that’s a really important part of his offensive profile. However, there’s still some swing-and-miss in his game. To me, that doesn’t seem like a huge deal, especially considering how many walks he takes and how much power he has shown. But cutting down on the strikeouts and making a little more consistent contact would go a long way toward making his offensive production more sustainable as he continues climbing the ladder.

His bat was not necessarily the reason the Cubs selected him in the 19th round, either. His defense and arm behind the plate were his calling cards coming into professional baseball. Now, he has paired those defensive tools with an offensive breakout that has completely changed the way he should be viewed within the organization.

It’s always cool to see a story like Ayers. A late-round draft pick at one of the most difficult positions in baseball has taken a massive step forward offensively and worked his way from High-A to Triple-A in the same season. There are still questions he will have to answer as an older prospect less than 50 games of experience at the highest level of the minor leagues. But after everything Ayers has accomplished in 2026, it’s no longer crazy to wonder if he could eventually become the Cubs’ catcher of the future.

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