Cubs’ Biggest Prospect Risers and Fallers in 2026

The 2026 MLB regular season is quickly coming to an end, and it’s been quite the eventful year for the Chicago Cubs. The major-league roster is currently in a fight to hold onto its Wild Card spot, with the Cubs hoping all of the work they’ve put in throughout the season will be enough to get them back to the postseason. But while there’s obviously plenty of attention on what’s happening at the major-league level, there’s also been a ton of movement throughout the farm system.

Some prospects had breakout seasons and saw their stock skyrocket as a result. Others struggled, dealt with injuries, or simply didn’t take the steps forward that many expected, causing them to slide down the prospect rankings. And then there are guys like Moisés Ballesteros, who began the year as North Side Baseball’s top prospect before being traded at the deadline. With all of that movement, it feels like a good time to take a look at some of the biggest risers and fallers in the Cubs’ prospect rankings this season.

Cubs' Biggest Prospect Risers (2026)

The biggest riser has to be catcher Owen Ayers. The backstop started the season outside of North Side Baseball’s top 20 prospects. Now, he sits at No. 4. That’s a pretty significant jump, but it’s also one that Ayers has earned. After starting the year at High-A South Bend, he will finish the season in Triple-A Iowa barring a September call-up. That means he’s gone from outside the top 20 to knocking on the door of the major leagues in a matter of months. And the dude has done nothing but rake.

Across 118 games between his three different stops this season, Ayers is hitting .295 with a .409 on-base percentage and a .952 OPS. Those numbers are impressive enough on their own, but his overall profile makes his breakout season even more intriguing. Ayers has shown some impressive athleticism for a catcher, stealing 13 bases while also continuing to develop into a legitimate power threat. His power production has grown exponentially throughout the year, giving the Cubs another reason to believe he could eventually be more than just a defense-first catcher.

There’s still plenty that needs to happen before Ayers can establish himself as a long-term major league catcher, but it’s hard not to get excited about where he is right now. If everything continues trending in the right direction, we could hopefully see him in Chicago early next season.

Another massive riser is Josiah Hartshorn. Hartshorn opened the year as North Side Baseball’s No. 9 prospect. Now, he’ll finish the year at the very top. That kind of jump doesn’t happen without a really impressive season, and Hartshorn has certainly provided one.

In his first year in the Cubs’ system, the 19-year-old is hitting .289 with a .411 on-base percentage and a .940 OPS across 122 games between Low-A and High-A. There’s a lot to like about his offensive profile. He can hit for power, as evidenced by his 54 extra-base hits. He’s also shown a patient approach at the plate and enough athleticism to steal bases when he reaches. Put all of that together, and it’s easy to understand why his stock has risen so dramatically.

There’s obviously still a long way to go, especially considering he has yet to play above High-A. But Hartshorn has put himself in a position where the Cubs have to start thinking seriously about his long-term future. He’ll only be 20 years old next season, so expecting him to reach the majors anytime soon would be aggressive... though he's certainly on the 2027 radar after exploding so thoroughly here in 2026.

Cubs' Biggest Prospect Fallers (2026)

As for a couple of prospects who saw their stock decline, let’s start with pitcher Brandon Birdsell. The 26-year-old began the season as the Cubs’ No. 11 prospect and currently comes in at No. 20. A lot of that has to do with the fact that he hasn’t played at all in 2026.

He underwent elbow reconstruction surgery last summer, and he’ll now enter next season at 27 years old. That’s obviously not an ideal combination for a prospect who is trying to establish himself as a legitimate option for the Cubs’ future. Still, I think it’s too early to write him off. Birdsell looked solid in 2025 when healthy, and the biggest question right now is simply whether he can get back on the mound and stay there. That makes 2027 a very important year for him.

Then there’s Jaxon Wiggins. Wiggins isn’t necessarily a faller because he dropped dramatically in the prospect rankings. He went from No. 2 at the beginning of the year to No. 3 currently. But if Wiggins were a stock, his value has crashed.

Coming into the season, he looked like someone who could potentially develop into a frontline starter. Instead, he’s now being used as a reliever at Triple-A Iowa, and he has not looked good in that role. Wiggins owns an 8.24 ERA and a 2.02 WHIP across 31 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Perhaps most concerning, he has walked 31 batters during that stretch.

The swing-and-miss stuff is still there, which is at least something to hold onto. Unfortunately, the control simply hasn’t been. Like Birdsell, though, it’s still too early to completely write him off. There’s a reason the Cubs viewed him as one of their best prospects coming into the season, and one bad year doesn’t erase all of the talent that got him there. But for someone a lot of Cubs fans, myself included, expected to be making an impact in the majors by now, this has been an extremely disappointing season for Wiggins.

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