Jason Ross

Nothing I can find. I'd guess, just on timelines that he's not super far away from some "throwing on the side" reports to pop up. I'd guess he's in Triple-A action again by early-ish or so August if it was a minor lat strain.

We all have our things, right? I remember watching the Baez/Vogelbach draft at my favorite bar. I requested they put that on the TV and being quite happy with how that turned out (was really hoping for Lindor or Starling to drop. One was better than the other haha). I was the only dork in the bar who gave a horsefeathers. Even my friends were miffed. I'm used to being the oddball who cares about some random 18 year old shortstop out of southern Cal and why we should all be jazzed about his glove in six years time. But that's what's cool about forums and this place; I get to write dorky articles and discuss this nonsense with people who somewhat care about that oddball niche I have. Sucks for yall. 🤣

The first half has seen the Cubs promote a handful of pitching prospects, headlined by Ben Brown and Jordan Wicks. While, generally, the Cubs' position players are thought to be "ahead" of the pitchers, the system has some exciting arms moving up the ranks. Which ones make our prospects on the rise list? Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-USA TODAY Sports Much has been made over the years about the Cubs' inconsistent or insufficient pitching development, but I think there are a lot of good seeds in their farm right now, and that the Cubs are moving forward. That doesn't mean everything is perfect, but I think they're trending in the right direction. A handful of notable Cub pitching prospects have made some gains this year by either flashing improved stuff, improved control, or simply, improved health. Hunter Bigge, RP Chicago Cubs (MLB) There probably isn't a prospect who's made his name known on Twitter in the 2024 season more than Bigge. He's a 26-year-old reliever, who signed with the Cubs in 2019 out of Harvard, of all places. While he's shown the ability to post big strikeout numbers in the past, the walk rates have always been rough, and Bigge wasn't really on call-up watch in April. On the season, though, the Ivy Leaguer has posted wonderful strikeout and walk numbers. Most notably, his non-competitive pitch rates have plummeted. Bigge's bread and butter is a heater that touches 100 mph and has a whiff rate you can dream on. For the season, hitters have swung and missed on one out of every three tries against the heater, within the zone. That's elite stuff. Bigge has recently been called up to the parent club, and should make his debut shortly. There's a high-leverage reliever here, as long as he can control the walk rates. Porter Hodge, RP Chicago Cubs (MLB) I am keeping Hodge on this list as of now, because he entered the season as a prospect and (unlike Ben Brown) hasn't spent the entire season in the big leagues. I wrote about Hodge in the winter as someone I really liked to break out, and lo and behold, I got one right! I don't always get 'em right, so I've got to celebrate a bit here. Thus far on the season, the big righthander has looked phenomenal with the Cubs. He's sporting an ERA below 1.50; he's inducing ground balls at over a 43% clip; he's yet to give up a barrel; he's kept the walk rate to 11.5%; and he's striking out almost a third of the hitters he sees. That's back-end stuff. We're still in the early days of Hodge as an MLB player, as he's still under 15 innings of a sample size. But it's hard to say that many people saw this kind of breakout from the cutter specialist, and it's hard not to get a little excited. Brandon Birdsell, SP Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) Birdsell was a good find for the Cubs in the 2022 draft. A fifth-round pick out of Texas Tech who had dealt with some injuries, Birdsell was probably too good to go so low on talent alone. The righty isn't overpowering (with a strikeout rate just over 20%, the punchout isn't in his repertoire right now), but he also walks next-to no one, with a walk rate under 5%. I'd feel a bit better if Birdsell was a ground-ball machine (he's not), but with funky arm action and a lot of strikes being thrown, it's probable that he makes an MLB start in his career, and possibly, many. I keep thinking about how the Cubs have gotten the most out of Javier Assad, and while they're different pitchers who go about things in their own ways, I have some confidence that there's a back-of-the-rotation arm in Birdsell. With the youngster having recently promoted to Iowa, it'll be interesting to see the Savant data on him, and whether the Cubs try to do some of the seam-shifted wake stuff that they've done with Jameson Taillon and the aforementioned Assad. Will Sanders, SP, South Bend (High-A) In many ways, Will Sanders feels like a similar pick to Birdsell: a fourth-round pick who, on talent alone, probably was too good to be picked that late. Sanders didn't have a great end to his career in South Carolina in college, and the Cubs picked up on him. In his draft year, the 4.91 ERA doesn't look great, but a lot of that was issues he had at the start of his time in South Bend. The former Gamecock got rocked in his first two goes, but since then, he has been much better, posting a mid-3s ERA, a strikeout rate over 26% and a walk rate under 10%. Unlike Birdsell, Sanders is very much a groundball pitcher, so that helps to eliminate runners through ground balls and keeps the ball in the park. Much like Birdsell, though, there's a good chance Sanders makes some starts in his career, though whether it's as organizational depth, or as a fixture in the fourth or fifth spot in a rotation is hard to tell. Either way, he's looked pretty good, and I think there's an MLB future here. Sam Armstrong, SP, South Bend (High-A) The Cubs had a pretty solid 2023 draft (just wait, it's not done!) when you're adding the 13th round selection out of Old Dominion on your risers spot! So far, in 62 innings, Armstrong has posted wonderful numbers in South Bend, striking out 24.7% of hitters, walking 7% of them, keeping ground balls over 40% and maintaining solid home-run rates on flies. Armstrong has formed a nice duo with Sanders so far. While you can point to Armstrong being older than Sanders as a negative, he's also not coming from the SEC, so this is a larger leap for him, as well. He's a bit maxed out on his body, standing at 6'2" and weighing 245 pounds, but he maintains a low- to mid-90s fastball, which is likely enough. Much like the aforementioned former South Carolinian, the upside here is likely more "back end" than "front end", but getting anything out of a 13th rounder is a win. Jaxon Wiggins, SP, Myrtle Beach (Low-A) Wiggins was a divisive pick in 2023, with many fans and pundits on the internet upset at the Cubs for getting a bit "weird" with the pick. Wiggins, whose overall college numbers at Arkansas looked rough, was fresh off Tommy John and hadn't really been seen, outside of some fall action. He was recommended by Ty Nichols, however. We should have known not to doubt the man who also brought in Cade Horton, under similar circumstances. It's only Low-A, but working his way back from surgery, Wiggins has looked awesome, flashing high-90s stuff and eliminating a lot of the walk concerns (so far). I'm not willing to say "all fixed!" there yet--Wiggins is likely too good for Myrtle Beach talent alone--so it'll be worth monitoring how well he progresses when he gets a bump to South Bend, but it's hard to say his arrow is pointing anywhere other than "up" right now. The Cubs aren't yet a pitching factory on par with the teams who do that best, but they're making progress. As discouraging as the big-league results have been this year, there are good things percolating. View full article

I'd like to see someone tactically versatile. It's why I didn't love Marsch yeah he's done decent with Canada but his big knock at Leeds was that once things didn't work, Jesse had no answers. He just kept banging his head against the wall. Truly, someone like Thomas Frank is the answer. Now, it won't be Frank for a lot of reasons; one, he's not leaving a PL club like Brentford for a national job in the States. Maybe if Denmark came calling, but even then, I think it's kind of a very special place to pull him out of there. But realistically, his style of being very tactically flexible and hitting teams on the counter I think plays really well for the USMNT. He can play tika-taka when he's got the side (I.E. see Brentford in Championship) but when he's outgunned, with less talent can out tactic even some of the best (I.E. pulled the double on City in 22/23). Find me a Frank.

I still do not hate what I've seen the last handful of starts, too! Like I said, it's pretty unfair to ding him for the 29th; he was cruising...then he couldn't grip a baseball through rain. No blame from me. The one blowup on the 18th aside, I don't hate the last handful and I think he's been pretty good. End result, I stand by my assessment. No worries if you see it differently.

I've got a whole pitchers article coming, Tom! This was just hitters. But I bet Sanders won't be the only South Bend Cub pitcher who was taken in the 2023 draft to make the list, either... But let's be real, there's no reason to clip at his last six like you did. Unless you want to conviently cut out his run from April 24th through May 25th (a whole month) where over 23 IP, Sanders struck out 25 and gave up five runs. That's pretty unfair. So let's expand that out. If we cut just his first two starts (which, I think we can see are the two weird ones on the season based on results, length of start and realizing theyre his first two professional starts and he hadn't pitched in real game since last year), this is his line: 3.68 ERA, 26.1 K%, 9.1 BB%, and he's managed 4+ IP in eight of those 12 starts. You're right, his last six or three starts don't look great...but the first sample includes his only other start all season where he got blown up (June 18th where he gave up five runs in three innings) and both include June 29th which was a rain-makeup game in which Sanders was the pitcher of record when the rain hit and he never got out of the third (game was rained out while he was pitching) and Sanders was clearly struggling that inning as he threw two wild pitches through the rain. I think that's a much more indicative line for why I think Sanders has done well on the season. He's also managed a GB% of 42%, which is good news as well. I don't think he's a stud, but he looks good on the eye test through South Bend, and he's passed the statistical test over his last 51.1 IP. I wouldn't say it's been a perfect ride, but as a fourth round selection, this has been a good showing in South Bend for someone who didn't have a particularly great Junior year. It's certainly a bounceback. He doesn't have to have posted eye popping numbers to have his arrow pointing up. If you don't like Sanders year, hey, that's a you thing! But I've been encouraged by a pretty solid front nine for Will and look forward to seeing what he does when/if he moves to Tennessee to see if he can continue.

Wicks! horsefeathers, I knew I was forgetting someone. Which tracks, because Wicks is a K-State guy and Nichols is the guy for that area.

Caldwell at 19?! Man, my internet sleuthing was way off there. Everything I read on him made me feel somewhat "whelmed". Like a Bradford from last year. Why I guessed on the 3rd or so. Ole Miss is an SEC commit so that's never cheap, but I wasn't super jazzed there as a top-20 guy. Feels like a Will Taylor type a few years ago, as well. Actually I like that more than a Bradford comp. Carson makes sense at 78. Puts him in that possible 2nd/3rd round over or later in the draft as he drops a bit due to signability. Saw he got invited to the Rangers prospect shindig in November as a top-40 guy, and then PL had him as an HM...so late 70s splits the general difference. Interesting on Lovich from BA. The PG and other articles on him kept talking about hitting. They *did* mention his throwing motion from the OF but it was giving me big "this guy is a bat" over "this guy is an arm" vibes.

Only can accept half of the sleuthing! The guy who runs Savermetrics (not sure if you're familiar with him - he breaks almost every Cub signing on twitter) was a PSD Alum and a friend of mine. There's a small discord of ~10 or so us from the old haunt who still keep in touch and he's one of the guys. So he does all of the social media stuff...dude's a guru. So I can't take credit for the follows. There's a strong correlation between follows and Cubs draft picks. So it's a fun way to preview where the Cubs might go. With Nichols, it counts even more. All of the scouting and information is on my end, however. So he gives me the names and I go digging through websites and google until I can find stuff. Sometimes, it's easy, and other times, they're both named "Alex Grant" and are left handed pitchers and I'm not entirely sure which horsefeathers guy it is! But yeah, the Arkansas connect is real. The second he sent me the name "Carson Wiggins" I was 98% certain I knew it was Jaxson's brother because of it.

Good information on Ty Nichols and his social media: he's recently followed five players and they're the only five players he's followed since last draft. Nichols is the area scout who was credited with Jaxson Wiggins (this is important!) and Cade Horton the last two years. He's someone to follow and who holds water on draft day, so any number of these names could be called, and I'd bet at least one does. - Carson Wiggins (yes, his brother is Jaxson). Carson is a RHP committed to Arkansas (shocker), my guess is that he isn't a 2nd round overslot, but could be a later round, or 11+ round overslot like Hope or Wheat. Was invited to Texas as a top-40 player but Prospects Live had him off their top-100 prep players and in the HM section. - Slade Caldwell is an slight-framed CF'er committed to Ole Miss. Very athletic, not a ton of power. Feels like a mid-round overslot or 11+ round overslot - Eli Buxton is a RHP/1b/OF who stands 6"6. My guess is he's a pitcher at the next level from what I can find on him. He's committed to Arizona State, an easier commit to yank out of with money. - Alex Grant is a LHP committed to Vandy. I can't find a ton on him. Looks like he sits 92 mph with the fastball, though others I've seen he tops out at 88mph. He's from Connecticut, not a hot bed of baseball, so probably why I'm struggling. Vanderbilt commits are traditionally some of the hardest to breakout of, I'm having a hard time guessing where he'd be picked. Vandy has "2nd round" feel to it, but there's just a dearth of information Edit: Based on location, I'm not sure this is the same Alex Grant. There are two Alex Grants in this draft. The other four are all from OK, AR, and KS, but there's another Alex Grant, another LHP, from Texas. I think that might be who it is based on Nichols area usually being that area and not CT He's a LHP, with sinking action. 3 pitch mix. No velo readouts. No commitment information I can find. Sounds like he's a projectable LHP. That's...that's like it. - Eli Lovich is an OF'er also committed to Arkansas. He's lanky and tall, 6"4, 175lbs. Looks like he's pitched in the past, but everything I can find is about him as a hitter, so I'd assume he's a hitter next level. Looks like a Cody Bellinger, tall and lanky type, with the arm I'd assume CF is on the table. Kansas player of the year. That feels like a 2nd round overslot potential.

Same. King has some aspects that I think the Cubs like, but his overall profile has him in the same category (for different reasons) as I have someone like Vance Honeycutt - they feel like un-Cub draft picks. At least under Kantrovitz. Seaver King feels like someone the Cubs would draft under Wilkin.

Merv has a broken hand, yes.

There's a lot to like with Baldwin. He's running an 78.7% contact rate and a huge 25% barrel rate right now. His in-zone-whiff is miniscule (11.5%), and he's hitting lefties better than righties. The exit velocities are really good too. Also, seems to not struggle with velocity. The big issue is that he just doesn't get a lot of loft; he's hitting a ton of ground balls. He makes a lot of swing decisions on the outer-third of the plate and these (coupled with low and in) are where the ground balls come from. So I'd say he'd be an interesting return. Get the guy to stop swinging at pitches on the opposite third and grounding out on them, attack more pitches to generate loft...and there might be a pretty good hitter there.

Oops, sorry, I missed this. Spoiler alert: I've got him on the risers! He started off pretty rough, but I've really liked what I've seen from him in the past handful of starts! I'm not like "over the moon", but he's made progress and looks more settled. In May he was one of my biggest bummers, but now, I actually think he's looking up!

King is...fine? I'm not a big King guy. I can see the athleticism in him, and in this draft, King is probably as good as the next guy. But given the options on the board, I'm going to keep pounding the drum on Ryan Waldschmidt. He reminds me a lot of the "good" version of Andrew Benintendi when he first came up; someone who hits the ball hard, doesn't strike out a lot, has some real athleticism despite playing a corner spot. It might not be the 4.4 fWAR 123 wRC+ year in and out, but I think a "light" version of that is on the cards. I know the fanbase is pretty hard in on Yesevage...I'm pretty luke warm there. It's not that he's a bad pitcher or a bad pick, but he feels like the standard 10-20 draft-range-college-arm that you can find most drafts; he's solid, has some good stuff with maybe one pitch that pops more than others. There's a solid mid-rotation arm with a little projection that maybe you squeeze the 98% out of him and he's a solid #2...but I'm just not overly enthralled here, either. If it's Yesavage, I won't have a single bone to pick...he's a good prospect in this draft, at this pick. But he's not my pick, either. Give me a college bat, then go arm-arm-arm; this is such a middling draft overall that I think the value is in picking a solid-ish bat, saving some slot and then grabbing upside arms where and when you can.

If we're being realistic, the upside on someone like Yesavage is probably right next to that of the upside on Waldschmidt or Malcom Moore, or just about anyone else the Cubs are going to be picking from. Yesavage isn't really someone you'd project today to be a #1 or a #2 in a traditional rotation; you can make a play for "sum of all your parts" but I think a realistic upside on him is something of a #3-#4 in a good rotation. That's not nothing, but that's also probably right next to Waldschmidt, or Moore, or almost any of the other college bats who will be available at 14. No shade for anyone who prefers one of these names over another, but this ain't the draft (on paper) where you're drafting a superstar potential from where the Cubs are picking. Doesn't mean it won't happen, but I think we have to slide our realistic outlooks on #14 this season. I do expect a more "arm" heavy draft this season overall. though. Kind of why I lean thinking the Cubs will go college-bat in the top and then aim at picking through pitchers most of the way through.

As the midway point of the baseball season ticks over, it's time to examine the health of the Cubs' Minor League System. Today, we will examine the prospects in the Cubs organization who struggled in 2024 and saw their prospect shine decline a bit. Image courtesy of © Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK The reality with prospects is that development is not linear. Sometimes, numbers look bad, but real development is happening under the radar. Prospects who are on this list are not dead, and it doesn't mean they're done and dusted—it just means statistically, they didn't have the best first half of the season. Some of these are top prospects; others are more fringe guys. Some have seen their years derailed by injury. As with the other looks, these are in no particular ranking order. Brennen Davis, OF, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) This might feel like a weird addition if you're looking at his 137 wRC+, but I think, despite that, Davis belongs in this category for a few reasons. As awesome as a 137 wRC+ is, and as much as we can't just cherry-pick statistics, I think it's important to highlight the path of Davis' season. Davis struggled from April 12th until May 9th (22 games, 85 PAs), posting an 84 wRC+ and a sub .100 ISO with a 61% contact rate. From May 10th to May 21st (ten games, 41 PAs), Davis had a 326 wRC+, hit seven home runs (he's hit ten all season), and looked like an all-worlder. After the 21st of May, Davis had another 12 games in which he posted a 64 wRC+. He has struggled with contact throughout the season, posting one of the lowest contact rates in the International League. Most of the 137 wRC+ comes from a ten-game stretch, whereas in the other 37 games, he's been pretty terrible. To make matters worse, he reportedly got an MRI on his back and hasn't played since June 11th. Again. I genuinely feel bad for Davis; he's struggled with injuries that aren't his fault. He's been hit in the hand and face, he's had back surgery, he's had stress fractures, and he keeps coming back. But his body doesn't seem capable of staying together, and his season has been held up by ten seemingly uncharacteristic games. BJ Murray, 3b/1b, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) It has been a no-good, very bad season for BJ Murray so far. Unlike Davis, Murray has posted a 64 wRC+ on the season. He's hitting a ton of groundballs, undoing all of the loft he seemingly added last year in Double-A. He has hit eight home runs, which isn't a bad number, but his overall ISO is down to .126 on the year. He's hit RHP and LHP equally as poorly, too, as he's only been marginally better against RHP (.621 OPS to .605). There isn't even a silver lining of "he's doing better lately" with Murray, as he's posted a 50 wRC+ since June 1st, which is even worse than his season line. Entering the season, there was a path to making the Cubs for the former fifteenth-round pick in 2024 if he hit the ground running. Still, sadly, with the start of his 2024, there's just no chance at this point of Murray seeing Chicago this season outside of a massive rash of injuries. The good news is that bad halves of the year happen to players. BJ Murray wouldn't be the first player to get to a new level and struggle for a bit. He remains an interesting enough prospect if he can find some of that 2023 magic, lift the ball a bit more, and find more barrels. He's making a fine amount of contact and isn't chasing a ton. So there's some positives. Let's hope this looks silly by the end of the year! Haydn McGeary, 1b, Tennessee Smokies (Double-A) As a first base prospect, you'd better hit, and sadly, the hulking first baseman, Haydn McGeary, has not hit this year. It's been a rough first half, posting just a 95 wRC+, inflated strikeout rates, and a ton of ground balls. The entire Southern League has struggled to hit in 2024, so McGeary's .211/.276/.389 line is a bit hidden under the weight of how bad the league has been, but it's just not enough for someone who has to hit to have value. At the very least, we can point to a small sample of success for the first baseman since mid-May, posting a 135 wRC+ over his last 106 PAs. The K's are still up, but he's hitting home runs at a much better rate and has looked better. It's got to continue, but it's still a rough start of the 2024 season for someone who looked like he might be interesting this season. Josh Rivera, INF, Tennessee Smokies (Double-A) Rivera, the Cubs' third-round selection in 2023, has not hit this season, posting a .170/.273/.275 line on the year. Again, the Southern League is suppressed offensively, but this line is still over 30% worse than the league average. Rivera has just three doubles, two triples, and four home runs this year, and it's just not working. The wheels have fallen off in the last month, as he's posted just a 22 wRC+ since May 31st, over his last 84 PAs. The hope is that the Southern League is making him look worse than it is. It's really hard to hit there if your name isn't Triantos, Shaw, or Ballesteros, so there's a little grace to be given. With that said, Rivera is already almost a full year older than someone like Ed Howard and doesn't have the glove profile that Howard had. So, for all of the hand-wringing on Howard over the years, I think there's more juice in that squeeze right now (though that could also be clouded by the fact that one of them is on a heater and the other is as cold as ice) Is there any prospect that you think I missed? Who do you think has lowered their profile in the 2024 season? Leave your comments below! View full article

Bigge has a 20% non-competitive strike rate on the season and aan 18.5% at Iowa right now. It's improving, but that's not going to really help. To put that in perspective, his season total , that's 4% higher than MLB BP average. That's...a big jump. Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, Jorge Lopez, Luke Little and Ethan Roberts are all probably just as worthwhile, if not more. Smyly, Brewer and Neris are all whatever, but all require DFA'd and eating money; I just don't think the Cubs are going to to do that with the deadline looming. Daniel Palencia, on the 40 man and on the path back, is probably also ahead of Bigge. Hunter Bigge has big velocity, but doesn't throw a ton of strikes yet. He's not on the 40-man roster...I assume a 40 man spot will open in a few weeks. A few more weeks in Iowa isn't going to change either his developmental plan or the Cubs path, so letting him continue to throw more strikes, and when he doesn't, throw more competitive balls in Iowa is probably the best for both parties. I like Bigge, just think he should probably continue to trend in the right direction with the strike throwing before we dump him in the pen...especially as the Cubs may more a reliever or two in July.

The Chicago Cubs have seven prospects on the MLB Pipeline top-100, which is about the most of any team. If we're worried about prospects, then the Cubs aren't really hurting for that. That doesn't mean they ignore the MiLB side of things, but that as is, the Cubs have plenty to help the long-term prospect of success that doesn't require them to trade a 3-4 win second baseman with control. As well, I directly addressed the second part when I broke down Hoerner's contract, and the "in house" replacements. But let's talk those "in house" replacements. Who's an in-house replacement right now? Matt Shaw and James Triantos have a combined 0 PA's above Double-A currently. And while I think both are good prospects, Triantos' defensive profile at 2b remans "iffy", Shaw might be the future at 3b (he can't be the future at two positions at the same time), and as we have seen over, and over, and over again, expecting prospects to jump straight from Triple-A into three+ win value off the bat is a difficult ask currently. The best prospects on the planet have struggled. And while Shaw and Triantos are fun dudes, they're less universally loved than guys like Jackson Holiday in the prospect world. It's highly unlikely that the 2025 Chicago Cubs are any better than the 2024 Chicago Cubs by trading Nico Hoerner. And I don't think the Chicago Cubs as an organization are looking to be worse in 2025 than 2024. I can understand a bit more of an argument on Happ; but even then I think it's hard ask.

Of course I wrote this yesterday...the day Ed Howard hit his first home run! So his numbers are even better!

I think you're probably going to receive assets back that are unlikely to help the Chicago Cubs for a few years. Teams simply don't trade close-to-the-MLB prospects mid-season, and when near-MLB-ready prospects do get moved, they're generally lower ceiling prospects. It'd also be one thing if these players were making inflated amounts, but neither are. Nico Hoerner is making $11.5m the next two seasons. That's a little over what teams pay for a win (wins on the free market generally go between $8 and $9m or so). Even if you project Shaw as an immediate three win player on his own, $11.5m isn't going to buy much. So while I think the return would be good, it's unlikely to be immediate. Ian Happ is signed for $21m. While he's a little less "surplus value-y" he still offers a good contract due to length/price. I'm a little more willing to move Happ (especially if Bellinger is seemingly opt-ing in). However, with a NTC, Happ's value is probably pretty limited on his own. In the end the Cubs are not rebuilding again; that much is clear. Jed Hoyer is signed through 2025 only right now; he has no reason to tear it down and not shoot for competition in 2025. The Cubs haven't fired him, which is what they'd do if they were cool with ripping it down. I'm not entirely opposed to a Happ trade, but even then, I'm not sure it's making the Cubs any better next year. A lot of this feels like fans just want to high five and say "it'll be different because these guys are gone!" and feel like real change is happening. And I don't disagree that change is needed. But I'm not sure trading either of these are bringing positive changes to the Cubs.

As the midway point of the baseball season slides by, it's time to take a look at the health of the Cubs' farm system. Today, we'll take a look at the prospects in the Cubs organization who have raised their stock throughout the 2024 season. Image courtesy of © MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK Heading into the back half of the season, and with the MLB Draft looming, it's time to take a look at how the Cubs' hitting prospects are doing. These are not ranked in any specific order, as it's just an overall recap of a handful of players who have raised their stock throughout the season. Some have put themselves in prime positions for call-ups, while others have rescued their faltering prospect status. Moises Ballesteros, C, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) Very few prospects across baseball have raised their profile as much as Ballesteros has (from an offensive point of view), which is not to suggest his prospect status was low entering the season, either. Big Mo was generally seen as a back-end top-10 prospect in the system, with outside looks and honorable mentions on top-100 lists. The Cubs' catcher was coming off a good season in South Bend, posting a 128 wRC+ as a 19-year-old, and was promoted to Tennessee to start the season as one of the youngest Double-A prospects in the league. What followed was not expected, however. Mo Baller lit Double-A on fire. Through 56 games, he was 53% better than league average, hitting nine home runs, nine doubles, and even a triple, while striking out less than 15% of the time. It was one of the best seasons any 20-year-old has had in Double-A in the last two decades, comparable to the kind of stuff Mike Trout was doing (that's not to say he's Trout, of course). It was clear he was ready for Triple-A Iowa, and he was duly promoted. What's he done? Posted a 150 wRC+ in his first 10 games. There's no stopping the guy right now. Behind the plate, the glove is still a work in progress. He's not MLB-ready yet, and is showing a little more swing-and-miss in Iowa than in previous stops. That's not dousing him in water, just saying it's probably too early to pencil him into the Cubs' DH spot right now. With that said, though, doing just that in September might be viable. Owen Caissie, RF, Iowa Cubs (Triple-A) Caissie remains one of the youngest players in Triple-A, and has responded by getting off the ground running. Seeing a significant decrease in his K% (under 28%) while maintaining a near 15% walk rate, the red-headed right fielder is doing almost everything right. He's flashed improved footwork in the field and a plus arm. Really, the only thing we're missing is the power. Though it's hard to entirely fault a .170 ISO, you'd like to see him generate a little extra loft. What's even more fun is going under the hood. Caissie is hitting lefties better than righties this year, suggesting he's not just a platoon guy moving forward. The contact rate, while not setting the world on fire, is likely "pretty good," at 68%. It's below both the minor- and the major-league average, but with the (projected) power and walks to go with it, that should be offset. Caissie, previously an exit-velocity specialist, has managed to post high BABIPs throughout his pro career, which suggests that when he does connect, he hits it hard enough to maintain that. It's hard to argue his profile hasn't been raised, or at least fleshed out, in 2024. James Triantos, 2B, Tennessee Smokies (Double-A) If Ballesteros hadn't had such a marvelous first half, I think we'd be paying more attention to the great year James Triantos is putting together in Tennessee. The knock on Triantos has always been the lack of slug in his game, but he's shown a newfound commitment to generating power this season, as he's hit seven home runs on the year (nearly double his four last year in High-A) while nearly doubling his ISO. The strikeout rate remains at a minuscule sub-10%, and on the whole, he's been a 138 wRC+ hitter. The diminutive second baseman has really taken off over the last month. Since the calendar ticked over to June, Triantos has a 208 wRC+; a .600+ SLG; is striking out 7% of the time; and has been absolutely scorching-hot. He's even playing better defense and finding success at second base and in center field. He's almost assuredly going to be on the move to Iowa shortly. Ed Howard, SS, South Bend Cubs (High-A) This one is less about a top prospect, but about a prospect who's raised his game and re-emerged as a potentially useful guy. I was ready to write him off, entering mid-May; he looked sluggish, slow and sapped of the energy that made him a fun and interesting prospect in 2020. He's had a tough road. He didn't get a senior year of high school (thanks, COVID); was pushed into Myrtle Beach right away (a very tough hitting environment); and then right when he started to look comfortable, he had a devastating hip injury. Upon his return from it, he looked toasted. Then... something changed. From May 25 to the present, Howard has played 24 games. In 94 plate appearances, he's managed a .379 batting average, has hit eight doubles (of his season total of 12), has a 156 wRC+, and has shown a quality approach at the plate. The only thing that's missing are the home runs. Most of all, he's remained healthy through this time. Suspend for a moment your awareness that he's a first-round pick in real danger of not panning out. Once you do so, you realize: that's a great run. A 156 wRC+ is higher than Ballesteros has in Iowa or Tennessee on the season. Yeah, it's fewer games, and yeah, it could just be a hot streak, but has he not raised his prospect profile? He finally looks like someone who's not only settled at a level, but may be really figuring a level out. At 22 years old, he's not dead, and being a 22-year-old in Tennessee (to where, like others, I suspect he'll be promoted shortly) doesn't put him behind any sort of acceptable developmental arc. Maybe he's not going to be a star, but even if he's back in play as a backup infielder at the MLB level... well, a month ago, I thought he may not even make it the entire season before being released. Great comeback story, and he deserves to be on this list. Alfonsin Rosario, OF, Myrtle Beach (Low-A) Rosario, a sixth-round selection in 2023, has really made himself known in Myrtle Beach. First, the negative: he's striking out a lot. Like, a lot, a lot. The near-35% punchout rate is not great, but that was kind of expected. The book on Rosario was "big tools, but raw." However, if we put that aside for a moment, the rest of what Rosario's been doing is nothing short of impressive. He's hit 10 home runs (many of the "very loud" variety), has an ISO north of .200, has stolen 13 bases (this man is listed at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds; he's big), and has posted a 138 wRC+ in his first taste of full-season professional baseball. Oh, did I mention he's been playing center field? The strikeouts need to get ironed out at some point, but as a sixth-round pick, Rosario is flashing all the tools you'd hope to see. There's work to do, but you don't normally expect this out of this kind of pick--at least not this quickly. He's definitely a name to watch moving forward. Maybe the strikeouts never get fixed and this will be exploited later, but I'm impressed with his start and excited to see where he goes. There's massive upside here, even if it's an unlikely ceiling to be reached. Cristian Hernández, SS, Myrtle Beach (Low-A) Hernández felt like he was really starting to wane in the public eye, because he really had struggled since being placed on the Myrtle Beach roster. Lanky and awkward, he seemed to struggle to control the barrel through the zone. Mechanical tweaks, some added muscle and all of a sudden, Hernández is cruising in South Carolina. Posting a 141 wRC+, with far improved K% and BB%, and a .135 ISO, he's starting to look like a total package. It feels like forever ago that the hype train ran out of steam, but Hernández is just 20 years old. Once he gets promoted to South Bend (which could happen any day now), he'll be in an age-appropriate league, and he's arguably a fringe-top-10 Cubs prospect, pre-Draft. This is a really great season for someone who had slid off many top-20 lists entering the year. Who do you think is having a great 2024 season so far? Have I forgotten anyone? Let me know in the comments section below! View full article