No one has been doing prospect rankings longer than Baseball America, and today the venerated publication revealed their top 10 Cubs prospects for the 2026 season. (sub. req.)
While the scouting reports
that go with each player are behind a paywall, I can share the rankings.
- Moisés Ballesteros. Catcher
- Owen Caissie. Outfield
- Jaxon Wiggins. Right-handed pitcher
- Jefferson Rojas. Shortstop
- Ethan Conrad. Outfield
- Kane Kepley. Outfield
- Kevin Alcántara. Outfield
- Jonathon Long. First base/outfield
- Cole Mathis. Third base
- Pedro Ramirez Third base/Second base
I don’t think it’s unfair to say that the Cubs’ minor league system is down compared to last year. Teams don’t graduate prospects like Matt Shaw and Cade Horton and trade away Cam Smith and don’t drop off a little in minor league quality. There is, however, still a lot of upside in these ten players, even if all of them carry some questions as well.
Baseball America has as many questions about Ballesteros’ defense as everyone else does, but they have little doubt that he can hit, saying he should compete for batting titles in the future. His power is above-average as well.
I think everyone here is pretty familiar with Caissie, whom Baseball America praises as major-league ready and someone who has cut down on his swing-and-miss tendencies. They note he’s slowed down a bit as he’s aged and put on more muscle, which is hurting his range in right field.
Wiggins has sky-high potential as a hard-throwing starting pitcher, but one with a significant injury history and thus, a tremendous amount of risk.
Rojas is someone who consistently performs in the minors, despite almost always being one of the youngest players in the league he is in. He’s much more of an contact over power hitter, although he could be good for ten home runs or so in a full major league season. Rojas did struggle badly in his late-season promotion to Double-A, which clouds things a little, but it was a small sample size. The upside here is a bit muted, but he could be an average everyday shortstop or a strong utility player.
Conrad was the Cubs’ first-round pick last year out of Wake Forest, but he missed most of the college and all of the minor league system with a shoulder injury. Putting him here at five seems like a placeholder move—we really don’t know what the Cubs have in Conrad until he can get back on the field. He could be the number-one prospect in the system by this time next year, or he could slide down the list further.
Kepley had one of the more impressive professional debuts last year after the Cubs took him in the second round out of North Carolina. He hit an impressive .299/.481/.433 with 16 steals in 28 games in the tough hitting environment of Low-A Myrtle Beach. He also showed plus defense in center field. His power is below average, so Kepley projects out as an old-fashioned leadoff hitter/center fielder who relies on contact, steals and strong defense.
We’ve been talking about Alcántara since he came over from the Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade in 2021. Obviously his star has dimmed a bit because of issues making contact. In particular he struggles against breaking pitches by right-handed pitching. But he crushed left-handers last year and his defense in center field is still above-average. He’s running out of time to put things together, however.
Long is a right-handed hitting first baseman with good contact skills and elite exit velocities off the bat. He doesn’t get a lot of lift on the ball, which limits his overall power to more above average than plus. The Cubs are trying him out in left field to try to increase his versatility.
Mathis was the Cubs’ second-round pick in 2024 and has really been injured most of the time. He had Tommy John surgery right after getting drafted and his 2025 season was cut short by an elbow strain. He is healthy now and playing in the Arizona Fall League. Baseball America still likes Mathis’ promise hitting for both average and power coming out of the College of Charleston.
As a switch-hitter with excellent contact skills and strong defense, Pedro Ramirez projects out to be a very good utility player.
