Cubs Minor League Hitter of the Year - 2024

Honorable Mention

• James Triantos, 21 - Tennessee Smokies/Iowa Cubs - 115 G, .300/.346/.427, 23 2B, 6 3B, 7 HR, 75 R, 52 RBI, 27 BB, 54 K

• Cam Smith, 21 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans/South Bend Cubs/Tennessee Smokies - 32 G, .313/.396/.609, 5 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 20 R, 24 RBI, 15 BB, 24 K

• Kevin Alcantara, 22 - Tennessee Smokies/Iowa Cubs - 111 G, .278/.353/.428, 21 2B, 0 3B, 14 HR, 61 R, 61 RBI, 47 BB, 123 K

The Top Five
5. Alexander Canario, 24 - Iowa Cubs - 64 G, .243/.336/.514, 13 2B, 0 3B, 18 HR, 46 R, 47 RBI, 32 BB, 86 K
Canario joined the Cubs organization in the 2021 Kris Bryant trade with the San Francisco Giants. 2024 was the first season where Canario didn't play below AAA, and the results spoke for themselves. The 5'11", 165 pound, right-handed bat raked his way up to the majors early in the season by recapturing the slugging components of his approach at the plate after a down 2023. A late-July hamstring strain limited his games in 2024, but the Dominican Republic slugger shows promise for reaching Wrigley Field again in 2025.

4. Jonathon Long, 22 - South Bend Cubs/Tennessee Smokies - 114 G, .283/.391/.461, 21 2B, 0 3B, 17 HR, 86 R, 70 RBI, 69 BB, 101 K
The Cubs drafted the 6'0", 210 pound, slugger Long in the 9th round of the 2023 amateur draft out of Long Beach State for his ability to generate power in the heart of the order, and after teasing fans with a three game burst in the ACL and a quick climb to Myrtle Beach in 2023. Long proved that his prospect status was here to stay by staking a .963 OPS in his Double-A run with the Smokies in 2024. Whether Long lands as a corner infielder or outfielder will depend on factors beyond his control, but continuing to deliver with each promotion has shown Long to be up to the challenge. His development is slated to continue in the Arizona Fall League in the coming months.

3. Owen Caissie, 22 - Iowa Cubs - 127 G, .274/.375/.473, 29 2B, 3 3B, 19 HR, 69 R, 75 RBI, 71 BB, 156 K
Caissie landed with the Cubs in the 2020 Yu Darvish trade with the Padres. The former 2nd round pick out of Canadian secondary school baseball has followed the slow and steady path through the minor leagues, but the 6'3", 190 pound, lefty outfield bat finally found his way to the top of the minor-league ladder and doesn't look to be headed anywhere else but up. Caissie's overall numbers actually took a step down from his Double-A results in 2023, but a solid start to the season in 2024 could grant the lottery ticket at the core of the Darvish trade a chance to finally pay off for the Cubs.

2. Moises Ballesteros, 20 - Tennessee Smokies/Iowa Cubs - 124 G, .289/.359/.471, 24 2B, 1 3B, 19 HR, 57 R, 78 RBI, 45 BB, 93 K
Ballesteros signed out of Venezuela in 2021, and has bounced up and down the lower levels of the Cubs minor-league system ever since. 2024 saw the 5'7", 215 (or so) pound, left-handed prospect finally rise to Triple-A, and a spot in the Futures Game. Some alarming trends emerged in the jump to the Iowa Cubs squad, with a decrease in walks, an increase in strike outs, without a relative rise in OPS. This needs to be remedied before Ballesteros can make the next jump in competition, but extended work in the Arizona Fall League in the coming weeks will hopefully provide opportunities for growth.

1. Matt Shaw, 22 - Tennessee Smokies/Iowa Cubs - 121 G, .284/.379/.488, 19 2B, 4 3B, 21 HR, 78 R, 71 RBI, 62 BB, 95 K
The 13th overall pick by the Cubs in the 2023 amateur draft out of the University of Maryland found his way up to the penultimate level of the organization in 2024. Shaw came into the season as #21 on the Baseball Prospectus prospect list, and while his slash line dropped overall from his 2023 campaign with the rise in competition, his results in Iowa began to display the kind of slugging and plate discipline that he displayed in college. As Matthew Trueblood pointed out in August, while the signs of growth are encouraging, Cubs fans should be patient with the final leap to the majors. Whether or not the Cubs are in a position to wait is yet to be determined.

Regardless, Shaw clearly rises to the top of the list of Cubs minor league hitters to be excited about as the club hopes to turn the page on a disappointing 2024 season. 

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