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Chris Clegg's top Chicago Cubs prospects rankings for 2025. Read his top 10 Chicago Cubs fantasy baseball prospect power rankings and outlooks for dynasty.
The Chicago Cubs have one of the more loaded farm systems in the minors, even after trading away Cam Smith in the Kyle Tucker deal. You could argue this is a top-5 system even after the trade, given the depth of talent they have. For me, the Cubs farm system checked in at seven on my organization rankings.
Today, we will cover the Chicago Cubs' top prospects heading into the 2025 season as part of the MLB Prospect Rankings for Each Team series. There is a ton of talent to know here for dynasty leagues. RotoBaller readers can see reports on the top 10 Cubs fantasy baseball prospects below and can see the full 30 by heading to the Dynasty Dugout!
So, who is on the way to Chicago, and what do those players bring to the table for fantasy baseball dynasty leagues? Let's dive into the Chicago Cubs' top 10 prospects for 2025.
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No. 10 Cubs Prospect - Cole Mathis, 1B
Age 21, 6-foot-1/210 pounds, NCAA
Mathis will likely fly under the radar because he was from a smaller school, but don’t let that fool you -- the performance is legit. Mathis had a strong 2023 season before dominating in the Cape Cod League, where he hit 11 home runs in 38 games with a wood bat. His 100 mph 90th percentile with wood was respectable, considering the context, and the fifth highest in the league.
In his junior season at the College of Charleston, Mathis mashed 14 home runs and slashed .335/.472/.650. The data was extremely good as he posted a 90 mph average exit velocity and a 108 mph 90th percentile. Not only does Mathis scorch baseballs, but he also makes a ton of contact, having an 89 percent in-zone rate and an 84 percent overall mark. Factor in an elite chase rate of 16 percent and you are cooking.
Mathis pulls the ball often, especially when he gets it in the air. He also showed the ability to hit all pitch types well, showing great pitch recognition and zone awareness. Mathis might be underrated, but he is a player you want on your dynasty rosters if you can.
No. 9 Cubs Prospect - Brandon Birdsell, RHP
Age 25, 6-foot-2/240 pounds, AAA
Birdsell is probably an arm I have undervalued in the past. After a strong Double-A stint this year, Birdsell struggled out of the gate in Triple-A. He then turned in three straight quality starts and was one out away from making it six straight quality starts.
September led to two rocky starts of five and six earned runs, but Birdsell finished the year on a high note, tossing seven scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts and one walk. He allowed just five hits in the start. Finishing the year with a 3.91 ERA across an impressive 135.2 innings, Birdsell struck out 23.5 percent of batters while walking an impressive 5 percent.
His fastball sits at 95 mph but can get flat at times without much horizontal movement. At times, Birdsell can cut, and at others, it has an inch of two or arm-side run. It is an odd shape with below-average IVB (14 inches), factoring in his 6-foot-2 release height, where the average IVB is 16.2 inches.
The changeup and slider sit in a similar velo band in the upper 80s. Birdsell does not throw the changeup often, but when he does, it has strong east-west movement, with 14+ inches of arm-side fade. It has nice depth with late movement, generating whiffs at a solid clip. The slider is more of a gyro shape, missing bats at a high clip this season.
Birdsell then dials it back to the low 80s with nice depth and a short horizontal break on his curveball. It is his most used secondary, having -5 inches of IVB with a 12-6/11-5 shape. Between the fastball and curve, Birdsell has an 80 percent usage rate, which is something to keep an eye on.
On the cusp of his MLB debut, I would not be surprised to see Birdsell get a shot at starting in Chicago by early 2025.
No. 8 Cubs Prospect - Jonathon Long, CI
Age 23, 5-foot-11/210 pounds, AA
A 2023 ninth-round pick from Long Beach State, Long hit the ground running in Single-A Myrtle Beach after the draft. I saw him live but did not pay close enough attention. He enjoyed a massive breakout in 2024 between High-A and Double-A, posting a .283/.391/.461 slash with 17 home runs and 21 doubles.
Putting up solid exit velocities, Long has shown the ability to get the ball in the air, with a 61 percent air percentage. The biggest flaw is that Long needs to pull the ball more. In Double-A, the pull rate was just 24.6 percent, something we would like to see improved. The 90th percentile exit velocity of 105 mph is above average and he is capable of getting home run power.
The contact skills are average, checking in at 75 percent overall and 79 percent in-zone. The good news is that the plate discipline skills are arguably a plus and it shows in his 23 percent chase rate and 14 percent walk rate on the year.
Long does damage when he makes contact. Still just 22 years old, there is a bright future with the bat for the corner infielder who has also gotten some reps out in left field.
No. 7 Cubs Prospect - James Triantos, 3B/SS/OF
Age 21, 5-foot-11/195 pounds, AAA
Triantos is a professional hitter -- that is the best way to describe him. With impressive bat-to-ball skills, Triantos puts the ball in play regularly and has made strides with his power over the years. The Cubs have tried Triantos all over the field but have yet to land on a permanent spot. He has the speed and athleticism to play up the middle and saw the majority of his reps at second base in 2024, but he also got time in center field.
Making contact on over 87 percent of pitches he saw in 2024, Triantos lands toward the top of minor league hitters. The in-zone rate was north of 92 percent for the second straight season. This led to Triantos hitting over .300 at both Double-A and Triple-A and having a combined slash of .300/.346/.427.
Being a plus runner, Triantos swipes bags with ease, stealing 47 bases in 2024. The power is more of the question mark here, but he did make strides in 2023, which carried over to 2024. The exit velocity data is still below average, but I do think there is enough juice in the bat for Triantos to be a 10-home-run bat who hits a high average.
Making it to Triple-A by the season’s end has Triantos knocking on the door of his MLB debut. The versatility in the field should allow him to get plenty of playing time as soon as 2025.
No. 6 Cubs Prospect - Jefferson Rojas, SS
Age 19, 5-foot-11/150 pounds, A+
Rojas was one of the most hyped breakout prospects coming into 2024, and for good reason. Entering the season still 18 years old, Rojas showed a well-rounded skill set in Single-A in 2023. After signing for $1 million in 2022, Rojas grew and filled out his frame, showing solid power and a good feel to hit.
While the 2024 season looks like a bit of a bust on the surface, things look much better under the hood. Rojas slashed a mid .245/.310/.336 with just six home runs across 419 plate appearances. Rojas showed a solid gain in his exit velocity data this year, though. In 2023, Rojas’ 90th percentile exit velocity was just shy of 100 mph. This year, it jumped to 102.6 mph, which is an impressive mark for someone who is a young 19-year-old.
The contact skills remained strong as Rojas made contact on over 80 percent of pitches he saw in High-A. It is an interesting question as to why the results were not there. During the first month of the season, Rojas slashed .315/.361/.427 and seemed to be trending toward a major breakout.
He was hit by a pitch to the face in late June and then missed several weeks of action in August for an undisclosed reason. We have to wonder if he just was not right for the second half of the season.
Rojas is a case where I will gladly hold fast to my rank and what the underlying data suggests. He hit the ball in the air more often this year, hit it harder than ever, and made a ton of contact. Factor in how young he is and I think you have the makings of a really solid player.
No. 5 Cubs Prospect - Kevin Alcantara, OF
Age 22, 6-foot-6/188 pounds, MLB
After spending the majority of the year in Double-A, Alcantara thrived in Triple-A and earned his big league promotion at the end of the 2024 season. Combined between both minor league levels, Alcantara slashed .278/.353/.428 with 14 home runs and 21 doubles. Being an impressive athlete for his 6-foot-6 frame, Alcantara clocks plus run times and stole 14 bases.
Contact has always been a bit of a question mark, though it has improved throughout the last couple of years. Hovering around the 71 percent mark this year, Alcantara has run contact rates slightly below average. He does make up for it some with better in-zone contact and how hard he hits the ball when he does make contact.
It is not a surprise that Alcantara hits the ball as hard as he does, given his 6-foot-6 frame and explosive swing. He finished the year with an average exit velocity of around 90 mph and a 90th percentile of 105 mph.
The reason Alcantara does not get more power in games is largely due to the majority of his hardest-hit balls being on the ground. Alcantara put nearly 52 percent of his batted balls on the ground. If Alcantara can find more loft and get more home run power, there is an intriguing power and speed blend.
No. 4 Cubs Prospect - Owen Caissie, OF
Age 22, 6-foot-3/190 pounds, AAA
Spending the entire season at Triple-A and spending the majority of the year as a 21-year-old, Caissie has good results. There were ups and downs, but as the season ended, Caissie posted a .278/.375/.472 slash with 19 home runs and 11 stolen bases. He added 29 doubles and three triples to total 51 extra-base hits.
Caissie’s 90th percentile of 107 mph is in the upper tier of Triple-A hitters, and he pairs it with a solid average exit velocity of 89.4 mph. He hits the ball at ideal angles often and put it in the air 60 percent of the time in 2024. It is currently an all-fields approach, and Caissie could easily turn his high exit velocities into more home runs by getting to the pull side more often.
Contact has always been a bit of a question for Caissie. Sure, a 68 percent overall mark is a little below what we would like to see, but for a bigger hitter with long levers, it is passable and much improved from last year in Double-A. He paired it with a 78 percent in-zone mark and a strong chase rate of 27 percent.
If Caissie can take one more step forward with contact in 2025, he could make a big impact, having good OBP skills and 25 home run power. Caissie has all the makings of a power-hitting corner outfielder with his 6-foot-3/190 pounds frame that still has room to add more strength.
No. 3 Cubs Prospect - Cade Horton, RHP
Age 21, 6-foot-1/211 pounds, AAA
Horton began his collegiate career at Oklahoma as a two-way player who also played third base and shortstop, but Tommy John surgery early in his career caused him to miss most of his collegiate career until 2022 when he returned.
He saw bumpy results as a pitcher but dominated during the College World Series, seeing his draft stock soar. Landing seventh overall in the 2022 draft, Horton started his pro career great and looked like one of the top pitching prospects in the game in 2023.
Unfortunately, a lat strain ended Horton’s 2024 season in May, and you have to wonder if the injury lingered a little before his shutdown. The fastball velocity trended in the wrong direction all season, and after sitting in the 94-97 range while touching 99 in 2023, he topped at 96 and lived more in the 92-94 range. It likely related to the shoulder injury as the pitch saw a tick down in IVB and locations were not quite there.
The slider and changeup are the major whiff pitches here and are both easily plus. The slider sits in the mid-80s with nice depth and sweeping action, generating up to 10 inches of horizontal movement. The changeup was a new development in 2023 and Horton even changed the grip to be more of a split-finger changeup. It dropped the RPMs significantly, and the pitch played much better. This year, it averaged nearly 15 inches of arm-side movement with good carrying action. Both pitches had whiff rates north of 50 percent on them.
Horton continued to throw strikes at a high clip, having back-to-back seasons near 66 percent overall. Considering the injury, it was a solid showing with his control. Pair that with his athleticism on the mound, and you have one of the better pitching prospects in baseball.
FFG: SP3
90th Percentile Peak Outcome: 170 IP/3.20 ERA/210 K
Variance: Medium
Buy/Sell: Buy
No. 2 Cubs Prospect - Moises Ballesteros, C
Age 21, 5-foot-7/195 pounds, AAA
One of the more polarizing players in the minors, Ballesteros is on the smaller and stockier side, which leaves questions about his long-term body outlook. Listed at 5-foot-7/195 pounds, Ballesteros is slightly below average behind the plate, and if he were to need to move off the position, he would be the shortest first baseman in MLB history.
Putting the questions behind, Ballesteros can hit. Splitting the year between Double-A and Triple-A, Ballesteros slashed .289/.354/.471 with an impressive 127 wRC+. The contact skills have been impressive for Ballesteros’ entire career as he posted a 78 percent overall mark this year with an in-zone mark north of 85 percent.
He also got more aggressive throughout the season, which also led to a higher chase rate. The overall swing rate sat at 48 percent for the year, but over the final month, that number jumped to 55 percent.
Ballesteros gets to power without much effort. His frame generates plenty of power, leading to 19 home runs and 44 extra-base hits across 124 games this year. The exit velocities are above average for his age, having a 90th percentile exit velocity near 105 mph. The average exit velocity sat near 88.5 mph. Upon joining Triple-A, Ballesteros hit the ball about 9 percent more often and also pulled it significantly more. It was a positive progression for Ballesteros and his power output.
Considering he spent the year as a 20-year-old who reached Triple-A, the performance was extremely impressive. One thing is certain -- no matter where Ballesteros is in the field, the bat will play.
No. 1 Cubs Prospect - Matt Shaw, 2B/3B
Age 23, 5-foot-9/185 pounds, AAA
After a slow start to 2024, Shaw steadily improved all year. The Southern League has played weird this year, to say the least, and Shaw put up a 148 wRC+ there. The former first-rounder then jumped to Triple-A and looked even better. Shaw finished the year there with a .298/.395/.534 slash for a combined .284/.379/.488 slash with 21 home runs and 31 stolen bases.
Post All-Star break, Shaw slashed an impressive .335/.417/.585 with 11 home runs and 23 extra-base hits. He punched out in just 15 percent of plate appearances over that span. The underlying data also backs the strong performance.
The 90th percentile exit velocity sat just north of 105 mph, and he pairs it with a near 91 mph average exit velocity. The good thing is Shaw does not try to force power and hits line drives to all fields well. He gets the ball in the air often, having an air percentage of 57 percent. The pull percentage is fairly low at 36 percent and could be something Shaw works on to get to more power.
The contact skills are strong, as Shaw made contact on over 75 percent of all swings this year with an in-zone rate near 81 percent. He also exhibits strong plate discipline skills and rarely chases out of the zone, even though that number did rise in Triple-A.
Shaw has a skill set that is as well-rounded as you can find at the plate. No tool is elite, but the sum of the parts is what makes Shaw such a good prospect who could excel in the majors for a long time.
For full reports on the Top 30 Prospects in the Chicago Cubs system and the top 50 ranked, head to the Dynasty Dugout for more of Chris's work!
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