2024 North Side Baseball's Minor League All-Star Team (Part One: Hitters)

The Chicago Cubs’ year didn’t end how fans were hoping, with another barely-.500 season in the books. There remain some pressing questions the front office will have to answer this offseason, namely: is this current core good enough to not just make the postseason, but actually win when the lights shine the brightest?

Luckily, the team does come equipped with a strong farm system, highlighted by a number of Top 100 prospects. During the 2024 minor-league season, the Cubs had a number of breakout performances up-and-down the ranks of their system.

North Side Baseball’s minor-league writers voted for the awards and for an all-star team of Cubs prospects. This isn’t a Top Prospect ranking or list, but a recognition of which players in the Cubs’ system had the best seasons. Each writer chose a catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, shortstop, three outfielders, a DH and a Utility player. Tomorrow, we’ll finalize the All Star team with the pitchers. Readers will have a chance to vote for their top prospects soon. 

Before we get to the All Stars, here are our 2024 North Side Baseball Award winners (and links to the articles to see who else received votes). 

Short-Season Hitter of the Year: Anderson Suriel 
Short-Season Pitcher of the Year: Jostin Florentino  
Minor League Hitter of the Year: Matt Shaw  
Minor League Starting Pitcher of the Year: Brandon Birdsell  
Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year: Nico Zeglin  

Read through our choices for each position, and then discuss and cast your votes as well!

Let’s get started. 

LINEUP
Catcher: Moises Ballesteros (20) - Tennessee Smokies, Iowa Cubs  
Acquired: International signing out of Venezuela on January 15, 2021  
2024 Stats: .289/.354/.471 (.826)) with 24 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, and 78 RBI.

Firmly inside the Cubs’ top-five on most major prospect lists—as well as ubiquitous appearances on every Top 100 ranking—Ballesteros has become one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball. Of course, the fact that he’s a catcher (for now), only adds to his value as a major threat at the plate.

He’s slashing .391/.431/.717 in the Arizona Fall League as of Monday, October 28, further adding to the hype surrounding the 20-year-old. After playing 68 games with Triple-A Iowa to close out the 2024 season, a mid-season debut in 2025 doesn’t feel too far-fetched. He could reasonably be expected to handle emergency catcher duties upon his call up, though expect manager Craig Counsell to insert him into the lineup on a regular basis as the team’s DH.
ETA: Late 2025

First Base: Jonathon Long (22) - South Bend Cubs, Tennessee Smokies   
Acquired: Cubs 9th round pick in 2023 out of Long Beach State.  
2024 Stats: .283/.391/.461 (.851) with 21 doubles, 17 home runs and 70 RBI.

The ninth-round pick from 2023 has quickly become one of the best pure hitters in the Cubs system, posting his best stats (.983 OPS) in a 46-game cup of coffee with Double-A Tennessee. As a right-handed hitting first baseman, Long will have to keep hitting to find a place with the Cubs with Michael Busch entrenched at the cold corner. The Cubs did try him out at third base and the outfield this season, though his below-average speed will keep him from being a defensive asset anywhere on the diamond. Still, his feel in the batter’s box is advanced, and he should continue pushing his way up the system, with an eye on a mid-2026 debut.
ETA: Mid-2026

Second Base: James Triantos (21) - Tennessee Smokies, Iowa Cubs. 
Acquired: Cubs 2nd round pick in 2021 out of high school in Virginia.  
2024 Stats: .300/.346/.427 (.773) with 23 doubles, six triples, seven home runs and 52 RBI. 

Triantos was a second-round pick as an 18-year-old in 2021, and now he’s knocking on the door of the major leagues at 21 (he turns 22 in January). He could be a replacement for Nico Hoerner at second base if the front office elects to trade their all-star second baseman, though Triantos has the arm to make a living in one of the outfield corners if he’s pushed there out of necessity.

He won the Arizona Fall League Offensive Player of the Year last autumn (417/.495/.679 slash line), and his bat-to-ball skills are the best in the farm system, bar none. He should be able to hit for a high average the moment he steps into the big leagues, which could come as soon as Opening Day 2025 if he breaks out in spring training.
ETA: Early 2025

Third Base: Matt Shaw (22) - Tennessee Smokies, Iowa Cubs  
Acquired: Cubs 1st round pick in 2023 out of the U of Maryland.  
2024 Stats: .284/.379/.488 (.867) with 19 doubles, four triples, 21 home runs and 71 RBI. 
Arguably the top prospect in the system right now, the MLB Futures Game participant put on an offensive show with the Smokies and Iowa Cubs this season, further cementing his status as one of the best bats in all of the MiLB. Shaw has shifted to third base since being drafted as a middle infielder, though Isaac Paredes could feasibly block him at the hot corner if he ever reverts back to his Tampa Bay form. Regardless, Shaw’s bat is good enough to push for playing time with or without a permanent defensive home, and his presence (along with Triantos) could make Hoerner expendable. Anticipate a much-hyped debut for the 2023 first-round pick sometime next season.
ETA: Early 2025

Shortstop: Cristian Hernandez  (20) - Myrtle Beach Pelicans, South Bend Cubs   
Acquired: International signing out of the Dominican Republic on January 15, 2021. 
2024 Stats: .261/.374/.381 (.755) with 27 doubles, five triples, five homers and 59 RBI.
It feels like Hernandez has been in the Cubs’ system forever, though he’s still only 20 years old (21 in December). The smooth-fielding shortstop finally reached South Bend this year, though his bat continued to struggle against older pitchers at the High-A level. His bat speed is still unbelievable, and his performance in Myrtle Beach earlier in 2024 (.788 OPS) does offer some hope that he’ll be able to figure things out at the plate with more reps. His speed (44 stolen bases this year) remains one of his trademark traits.
ETA: 2027 

Outfielder: Owen Caissie (22) - Iowa Cubs 
Acquired: Acquired from Padres with four other players for Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini on December 29, 2020   
2024 Stats: .278/.375/.473 (.848) with 29 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 75 RBI.
For this writer’s money, this is the best prospect in the Cubs’ farm system. Caissie is a powerful, knowledgeable hitter that draws a healthy amount of walks to offset a somewhat alarming strikeout rate. His exit velocity numbers are some of the best in the minors, and the power will translate against major-league pitching.

He has steadily progressed through the Cubs’ organization, spending the entirety of the 2024 campaign in Iowa. He’s a true corner outfielder with a strong arm and average range, which could pose an issue with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki entrenched in the outfield as of right now. Still, Caissie’s potential is far too promising to ignore, and if he can show a bit better swing selection in Iowa, he should be hitting bombs at Wrigley before long.
ETA: Mid-2025

Outfielder: Jacob Wetzel (24) - Myrtle Beach Pelicans, South Bend Cubs
Acquired: Undrafted free agent signed on June 26, 2020, from Frederick CC (MD) 
2024 MILB Stats: .253/.372/.456 (.829) with 17 doubles, 12 triples, eight homers and 43 RBI.
The Pretzel Man (I am coining that nickname) was technically an undrafted free agent from the shortened, five-round 2020 draft, though he was a priority signing for the Cubs once the festivities concluded. He hasn’t been able to get past High-A yet, and his prospect clock is ticking, though his bat still holds a lot of untapped potential. Perhaps most positively, the outfielder worked a 77-55 strikeout-to-walk rate in Myrtle Beach this year, which will hopefully portend a quick ascent through the upper levels of the minors.
ETA: 2027

Outfielder - Andy Garriola (24) - Myrtle Beach Pelicans, South Bend Cubs 
Acquired: Cubs 17th round draft pick in 2022 out of Old Dominion University.
2024 Stats: .246/.319/.484 (.803) with 29 doubles, one triple, 18 home runs and 72 RBI.
Another older outfield prospect that has yet to make it to Tennessee, Garriola has a major flaw in his game: strikeouts. He struck out 134 times (against just 41 walks) this year, which will only get worse as he climbs the proverbial ladder in the team’s organization. Still, he produced 48 extra-base hits in 2024, and his career slugging percentage in the minors stands at a robust .428. There’s a long road between Garriola and the major leagues, though few players possess his pop and ability to do damage on mistake pitches.
ETA: 2028 

Designated Hitter: Alexander Canario (24) - Iowa Cubs   
Acquired: Acquired from Giants with Caleb Kilian for Kris Bryant (7/30/21). 
2024 Stats: .243/.336/.514 (.850) with 13 doubles, 18 home runs and 47 RBI.
It feels like Canario continues to be on the precipice of breaking out, and he’s already garnered 42 at-bats with the MLB team across 2023 and 2024 to legitimate success (136 OPS+). However, it seems that the Cubs don’t feel that Canario is ready for a full-time role in the MLB, and as such he continued to tee off on Triple-A pitching while waiting for his chance. Besides Caissie, no one in the organization has the raw power that Canario does—his 18 homers came in just 64 minor-league games this season. With a strong performance in winter ball, Canario should be considered a favorite for a bench job heading into spring training.
ETA: ASAP

Utility Player: Felix Stevens (25) - South Bend Cubs, Tennessee Smokies   
Acquired: International free agent signing from Cuba on March 15, 2019 
2024 Stats: .237/.354/.445 (.799) with 18 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs and 62 RBI.
Stevens hit 20 home runs across two levels (High-A & Double-A) this season, marking his second consecutive year with 20+ homers. He benefits from an unusually high BABIP (.348 this year, .346 in his MiLB career), though that speaks to his ability to square the ball up when he does make contact. Unfortunately, that power does come with a giant hole in his swing, as his 47 home runs over the last two seasons are combined with a whopping 315 strikeouts in just 234 games. Until and unless the first baseman/corner outfielder can get his swing-and-miss habit under control, he’ll remain on the periphery of prospect discussions.
ETA: Late 2026

There you have it, the North Side Baseball Cubs Minor League All Stars for 2024. It's a pretty solid group of top prospects, guys who put their name more-firmly into potential plans. Would your All-Star offense look any different?