Cory Sparks

Former Cubs top prospect Moises Ballesteros is red-hot out of the gates to start the 2026 season. What is contributing to this prolific stretch, and can Ballesteros take home NL Rookie of the Year honors in a crowded field that includes JJ Wetherholt, Konnor Griffin, and more? We break it all down in this video. Enjoy! View full video

Edward Cabrera has been superb as a bright spot in an otherwise injury-riddled rotation. What is the science behind his 1-0 start with a mid-1s ERA? Today, we dive into his electric changeup, high whiff, and chase rate, and how he can keep this momentum going as the 2026 season progresses. Enjoy! View full video

Cubs' starting first baseman Michael Busch is hitting well below .200 to start the 2026 season. While he had an exciting RBI knock in the Cubs' come-from-behind win to cap off a series with the Pirates, will Busch break out of this dry spell? We dove into his advanced analytics to find out how possible that is. Enjoy! View full video

The Chicago Cubs have signed second baseman Nico Hoerner to a six-year, $141 million extension. In this video, we break down everything from Hoerner's reliability to his Gold Gloves and how 2025 was a career year on multiple fronts. Enjoy! View full video

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the Cubs' Injured List, Craig Counsell announced. Chicago's veteran slugger is a key piece in their starting lineup, and his injury tips over a few dominoes. Suzuki spent the majority of 2025 as the Cubs' designated hitter, which could open up some availability for the squad's top prospect in Moises Ballesteros. He also spent some time in right field, which means a former first-rounder in Matt Shaw may be in line for some more playing time. View full video

The Chicago Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong are both closing in on a long-term extension, per Jeff Passan and other reporters. Is locking down the 30-30 center fielder and Gold Glove honoree a smart move at this point in his career? We dive into everything from PCA's top metrics to the reason he's on the Cubs in the first place and ultimately whether this is a wise decision or not. Enjoy! View full video

The Chicago Cubs are undergoing somewhat of a changing of the guard at the catching position. Carson Kelly, coming off a career year, is a season away from a mutual option. Miguel Amaya showed more pop in 2025, but he lost some playing time to Kelly. Moises Ballesteros, the top prospect and man with the most years of control, passed the eye test in a small sample size this year. What's the future of this position? We dive into that exact question in this video. View full video

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The catching position is as involved as any in baseball, seeing that whoever is behind the plate factors into every single pitch. The Chicago Cubs’ catching position has everything from a grizzled veteran who is coming off of a career year to up-and-coming talents with varying levels of upside. Here is a full breakdown of the North Siders' backstop situation heading into the 2026 season. Cubs Catchers At A Glance Starter: Carson Kelly Backup: Miguel Amaya Depth: Moises Ballesteros Prospects: Christian Bethancourt, Casey Opitz, Ariel Armas Cubs starting catcher fWAR last year: 11th out of 30 Cubs fWAR ranking projection this year: 16th out of 30 The Good Regardless of what the Cubs were expecting to get out of Carson Kelly in his first season with the team, he exceeded those standards. Chicago’s veteran backstop posted career marks in batting average (.249), hits (92), RBI (50) and runs scored (48), among other statistics. Arguably the most awe-inspiring figure was this: Kelly logged just 4.1 WAR over the first nine years of his career. In 2025 alone, he logged 3.6. One of the reasons Kelly had a breakout season at the plate was his plate discipline. His strikeout rate (19.0) and walk percentage (10.7) both beat the league-average marks, and it allowed him to capitalize in a crucial way: the pull-side air raid. While the majority of Kelly’s balls in play were to left field, he found a way to get out in front of pitches at a remarkable rate this year. The 31-year-old catcher capitalized on a career-high in Pull AIR%. Kelly wasn’t the only player who put up a career year, though. Miguel Amaya hit a personal-best .281 with a .500 slugging percentage that eclipsed his previous career-high of .359. Furthermore, after hitting just eight home runs across 117 contests the year prior, Amaya swatted four long balls in just 28 games. Call it hunger for more playing time if you want, but the 6-foot-1, 230 pound catcher found his power stroke in the 2025 season. Moises Ballesteros, while very young, flexed his hitting abilities as the team’s top prospect in his debut last year. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has always been a standout talent for his elite bat-to-ball skills, and the 60-grade hit tool on his scouting report reinforces that narrative. Very possibly the Cubs catcher of the future if his defense can hold up, Ballesteros registered a .298 batting average with an .868 OPS. He throttled a pair of home runs and served as a shot in the arm for an at-times anemic Cubs offense in the second half. The Bad It’s a rare sighting to see a player on the other end of 30 years old put up career numbers. Even if Kelly were to replicate his incredible 2025 season, he has a year left on his contract before a mutual option kicks in. That places a plethora of pressure on Amaya, who simply didn’t play a ton in 2025. In fact, Amaya’s 96 at-bats were the lowest total of any of his three seasons in the big leagues so far. Take the small sample size with a grain of salt, but his strikeout rate (21.4%), whiff rate (26.0%) and chase rate (36.8%) all left much to be desired in that time. The pop is clearly there. Now, it comes down to pitch identification and plate discipline, something that catchers of all people should have an advantage in. Given that those skills develop with more repetitions, it's a problem that Amaya's injury history is growing concerningly long when factoring in his time in the minors. Ballesteros, on the other hand, gets to swing freely as the projected starting designated hitter. When a 22-year-old is being projected to play at DH, though, that should tell you all you need to know about their defensive skills. The Bottom Line There’s a very clear changing of the guard happening here. With Kelly’s short-term contract nearing its end, it’ll be up to Amaya and Ballesteros/a prospect to slide up a spot in the team’s depth chart. Their power could be the calling card for a lineup that had to say goodbye to Kyle Tucker (22 home runs in 2025) after just one season. If both of these up-and-comers are hits? Chicago may have its answer for the foreseeable future, especially if they can find a veteran replacement for Kelly to pair with Amaya. Those are longer-term problems, though. For 2026, the Cubs are well positioned to run out a competent group of backstops. View full article

Daniel Palencia just did what many thought would be impossible; he slammed the door on a loaded Team USA lineup to take them out in the WBC title game. Palencia logged five shutout innings and struck out nine on a run that Venezuela fans will not soon forget. What did his showcase on the worldwide stage mean for the upcoming MLB season? We dive into it all right here. View full video

The Chicago Cubs have announced that Matthew Boyd will get the ball for their Opening Day contest. The 2025 All-Star will take the hill on March 26th against the Washington Nationals, who feature a budding talent group that's aiming for a climb up the competitive NL East division. In this video, we break down Boyd's arsenal, his path to this point, and how he can be effective in the 2026 season. View full video

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Brett Bateman just missed our ranking of the Cubs' top 20 prospects this spring, but his performance in the Cactus League might already be proving us wrong. How close might he be to helping the parent club? Painting the Picture Bateman has already proven to be a steal. Since being drafted out of the University of Minnesota, the 2023 eighth-round pick has ascended into the Cubs’ top 30 prospects list, and he isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. Bateman currently has 233 minor-league contests under his belt across four different levels. His most recent stop was with the Double-A Knoxville Smokies, where he spent his last 28 games of 2024 and all of 2025. 2025 After wrapping up his 2024 campaign two steps from the big leagues, the rangy outfielder spent all of last season there. Don’t mistake his longer tenure for a flat trajectory, though. He hit .261 with a pair of long balls, 33 runs batted in and 19 stolen bags in 94 contests. He struck out 82 times against 61 walks, showing a keen eye and above-average bat-to-ball skills. Strength: Speed Even when he was viewed as a low-grade prospect in college, no one doubted Bateman's burners. The former Golden Gopher has a 70 speed grade on the 20-80 scouting scale. Without that, he probably wouldn't even have merited a look in pro ball. The speed translates far beyond the base paths, too: Bateman is regarded as a plus defender in center field. However, he also hit .500 in 13 games in the Cape Cod League the summer before he was drafted, so there's some feel for hitting here—amplified by his wheels. With a good eye at the plate, Bateman ranked third in walk rate (15%) and sixth in on-base percentage (.376) among qualified Double-A hitters. Weakness: Lack of Slug As you might guess, Bateman's speed and contact skills were known strengths even when he was in school. He fell to the eighth round because those skills have to compensate for a galling absence of power. In 233 professional games, Bateman has only hit three home runs. That makes a player nearly unplayable, unless they do everything else well. Bateman’s game is mainly about beating the ball into the ground and racing the baseball to first base. It’s the same blueprint major-league talent Chandler Simpson uses, but Simpson is a pretty limited player, and his speed is a grade better than Bateman's. His lack of any power has kept a pretty low ceiling on him throughout his time in the Cubs organization. He's hit five of his 14 batted balls this spring over 100 MPH (including three at 104+), but only one of them was hit at a positive launch angle. That has to change, if he's to have any meaningful offensive impact in the majors. When Will He Debut? With plenty of experience at Double-A already, Bateman could spend this entire season at Triple-A. It'll be his age-24 season, so there's no reason why he can't come up to the big-league team late in the season, if injuries open the door to it. He has to be added to the 40-man roster this November or be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, so if he has a good season, the Cubs could want to get an early look at him against top-level pitchers. Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki are nearing the end of their contracts, and fellow top prospect Kevin Alcántara has struggled with an above-average strikeout rate. Could Bateman take his cup of coffee at the end of this year? Don’t rule it out. There's still a chance he never plays in the majors at all, but if he stays healthy and can find a way to produce a bit more thump, he could carve out a solid career as a fourth outfielder—beginning as soon as this summer. View full article

Which statistics hold the most weight for the Cubs in 2026? Today, we review the following: stolen bases, home runs allowed, walks, runners left on base, and defensive errors. Pete Crow-Armstrong, Dansby Swanson, and Shota Imanaga will be among the most important players in helping the team excel in these categories. View full video

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images North Side Baseball's top 20 Chicago Cubs prospects list has reached the top seven. To keep up with our deep dives on the brightest rising talents in the farm system, see the articles below: Prospects #20-16 Prospects #15-11 Prospect #10 - James Triantos Prospect #9 - Josiah Hartshorn Prospect #8 - Kane Kepley Chicago Cubs 2026 Top Prospects: Pedro Ramirez Coming Up With Moises Ballesteros Chicago found two high-level hitters out of a Venezuelan baseball program in 2021. Cubs top prospect Moisés Ballesteros has gained a lot of attention, especially since his impressive debut last year. The powerful backstop inked a $1.2 million contract before exploding onto the scene. Ramirez was the other of the two talented hitting prospects from Alvaro Diaz’s training program; he signed for $75,000. Fast-forward to today, and the versatile infield prospect has played in over 400 minor league games as a contact hitter with plus speed on the base paths. The 21-year-old switch-hitter has gained plenty of attention during his ascension, getting a Southern League All-Star nod and earning a slot with the big-league club’s 40-man roster. Strengths Ramirez has a very similar prospect profile to Jefferson Rojas. Both are smaller, compact and have the potential to develop as base-stealers. At 5-foot-9, 165 pounds, the Dominican Republic native has logged a .291 career batting average, better than that of Rojas. He has also leaned into his natural speed, stealing at least 15 bases in three of the last four seasons. Another strength of Ramirez’s is his experience. In a day and age where fans (and some league executives) itch to accelerate a player’s development, Ramirez has now taken 1,700 professional at-bats. When he does finally get the call, he’ll have plenty of data to work from. Weaknesses Ramirez doesn’t have a ton of power, and his hand-eye coordination almost works against him at times. Chicago’s rising infielder, according to his MLB.com scouting report, is able to make contact with pitches tailing out of the zone. What could be a walk turns into a weak dribbler, and sometimes double-play trouble when there are already runners on base. One of his main priorities will be learning which pitches to let go, even if he’s able to get to them. 2025 Performance Ramirez enjoyed one of his best seasons yet in 2025. Knoxville Smokies fans were treated to a .280 batting average and career-highs in home runs (8), runs batted in (73) and stolen bases (28). To this point, Ramirez is yet to strike out 100 times in a full season, showcasing above-average contact abilities. He has a better eye from the right side of the plate, but every one of his 12 home runs in the last two seasons have come from the left side. The Cubs did add Ramirez to their 40-man roster at the tender deadline in 2025, therefore keeping Ramirez away from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. Players who are signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to the 40-man within five years, and Ramirez was on the brink of qualifying before the Cubs made this move in November. Projecting His Call-Up Ramirez is the highest rated third baseman in the Cubs’ pipeline, but with three-time all-star Alex Bregman inking a five-year deal over the offseason, the Venezuela native will need to move off of the hot corner if he wants a realistic chance at playing up. Even if Bregman were to go down, Matt Shaw’s glove was more than capable at third base last year, and Shaw is working on shifting to the outfield to salvage his own big league playing time. Ramirez has an ETA of 2026, but he’ll have to battle with reserves for the first spot behind established names like Bregman and Nico Hoerner. His switch-hitting ability and bat-to-ball skills are admirable, and with Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki both facing contract years, don’t rule out a possible shift to the outfield corners if the Cubs really want Ramirez in their future plans. View full article