Josiah Hartshorn finished his first professional season with the Knoxville Smokies, making him one of just three high school players from his draft class to reach Double-A in 2026. That kind of rapid rise comes with expectations, but the switch-hitting infielder and outfielder doesn't spend much time thinking about them.
"I care more about golfing by myself than I do about baseball," he told Knox News.
It's an unusual outlook for the 19-year-old, now the No. 1 prospect for a Chicago Cubs organization that enters the MLB postseason Sept. 29 as a Wild Card. The Cubs hope Hartshorn will one day help them chase a championship at Wrigley Field, and the Smokies hope they can help him master the skills to get there.
How golf (and a little tennis) shaped Josiah Hartshorn's baseball rise
Hartshorn trains hard so playing baseball
can be fun. That's how he hit 23 home runs and 112 RBIs across three levels of professional baseball in his first season after high school.
Bypassing his commitment to Texas A&M University, the Anaheim, California, native was a sixth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft and started out 2026 as the No. 8 prospect for the Cubs. He has since skyrocketed to No. 1.
"I think baseball is fun for me, and I can be hard on myself in other areas of life," he said. "If I go out there and have fun and I did my best, then I have no regrets."
His love for the game started with his father, Chris Hartshorn, who never played baseball and instead grew up on tennis and basketball. But seeing Josiah walk around the house hitting a cap with a bottle of iced tea, Chris realized how naturally baseball came to his son.
Chris tried to get his son into tennis, but all Josiah wanted to do was hit the ball over the fence.
Everything Josiah knows about hitting and pitching comes from his father, who studied the mechanics and blended the philosophies of different coaches to find a formula that worked. When Josiah was homeschooled, the two would work out in the backyard around noon almost every day.
By the time Josiah was 12, baseball had become more than something he did with his dad. He played for the USA Baseball 12U national team, and when the first player rankings came out, he was among the highest-ranked players in the country.
But when the rankings started to matter, Josiah said, "it was kind of miserable." He wished the game was still the recreational sport he fell in love with.
"It's a lot easier to kind of be undercover for a while and just play the game and love it, right?" Chris said. "It becomes a lot less enjoyable when everybody's looking at you and judging you from such an early age."
Chris wanted his son to have an escape, whether it was family fishing trips or playing video games with friends.
Josiah's ultimate getaway became the golf course.
Golf is an individual competitive sport where Josiah could control the outcome. No one would care how well he played − only himself. That pressure helps him appreciate what baseball provides. Unlike golf, the burden isn't his alone.
"Realizing that you have teammates that have your back keeps it very lighthearted," Josiah said. "And then golf or video games − something that's more by yourself − you can be hard on yourself, and it's fun that way."
Hartshorn: 'I just woke up one day and it was different'
When Hartshorn was assigned to Low-A Myrtle Beach to start the season, he set a personal goal: finish the year in High-A, and hit somewhere between 10 and 15 home runs. A self-proclaimed stat-lover, he surpassed both marks easily.
Hartshorn hit his 20th home run of the season in late August, a couple of weeks before his Double-A promotion.
"I ultimately don't really care about results as much," Hartshorn said. "I just go out there and try to have fun and realize that I get to play this game for a living."
He didn't change anything about his game to rise through the professional ranks. He has been the same player ever since he stopped caring about what other people think.
"Everybody says it can't change overnight, but I think in baseball, it can," he said. "For me at least, I just woke up one day and it was different."
At the end of the day, Hartshorn doesn't let an at-bat ruin his mood. He struggled after reaching Knoxville, but he still had fun. He still smiles. He still dances.
And when he strikes out? "Good for them," he says, reminding himself how fortunate he is.
As Josiah has put himself in rare company, joining statistical groups that include former MVP Giancarlo Stanton and only a handful of other players over the past two decades, Chris isn't surprised.
"If that wasn't my kid, I'd be like, 'That's insane,'" Chris said. "But I watch him play every day. And my wife and I kind of live or die with his at-bats. And so, for us, he's just the same Josiah that we've always watched."
Trevor McGee covers the Knoxville Smokies and One Knox SC for Knox News. Email: trevor.mcgee@knoxnews.com; X: @TrevorMcGee12
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Cubs top prospect has talent for Wrigley, a place to grow in Knoxville
