Chicago Cubs 2026 top 20 prospects: Kevin Alcántara, Moisés Ballesteros lead the way

Posted February 04, 2026 2:16 pm

By Keith Law

The Chicago Cubs have traded away and graduated quite a bit of prospect depth in the last year-plus, with Matt Shaw and Cade Horton in the majors and two more prospects now in Miami after the Edward Cabrera trade, leaving them with a system that doesn’t have a ton of depth and that is extremely hitter-heavy.

(Note: Tools are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale; ages as of July 1, 2026.)

1. Kevin Alcántara, OF (No. 41 on the top 100)

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 188 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 23

Alcántara’s first full season in Triple-A went reasonably well, as he hit .266/.349/.470 despite playing through a sports hernia for a good chunk of the season, still showing flashes of that big power ceiling with a max exit velocity of 112.3 mph. He struck out 29.8% of the time but did improve some of his swing decisions over the year, swinging less often in the second half overall and cutting his chase rate by 4 points, so there was progress despite the injury. He’s still lanky and has a lot of room to fill out, with enormous power upside. He’s a plus runner and defender in center — not that the Cubs need a center fielder right now — who might lose a half-grade or so as he gets bigger.

He’s got the most upside of anyone in the Cubs system, with the potential for 30-plus homers with plenty of doubles, strong defense somewhere in the outfield and enough other offense to make him a two-way star, but he has more risk than most of the guys ahead of him on this list. He’s also reaching the point where he’ll have to take a big leap forward on offense. He’s going to require a fourth option year if the Cubs want to send him to Triple-A, and MLB will probably grant it, but even so, it means the clock is ticking on his development — an example of how the option rules adversely affect players signed as international free agents because they start their pro careers younger.

2. Moisés Ballesteros, C/1B (No. 47 on the top 100)

Height: 5-8 | Weight: 195 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Age: 22

It’s very easy to see Ballesteros’ body and dismiss him as a prospect — I know I had that thought when I first saw him standing by the back fields in Mesa — but man, can he hit. He’s pretty aggressive, with excellent hand-eye coordination that helps him hit even pitches out of the zone, so though he will chase, it hasn’t hurt him yet because he’s a good enough bad-ball hitter. He doesn’t whiff, he hammers fastballs, and because he’s got a short path to the ball (shocking, for a 5-8 guy) and gets his hands moving quickly, he can let the ball travel a bit before committing.

He’s not going to stick behind the plate, as he’s just not a good receiver or blocker, but he’s surprisingly OK at first base, and maybe he could catch once a week to avoid burning a roster spot on a backup catcher. I think he’ll hit for a high average with some pop, maybe 12-18 homers a year, with consistently high contact rates, enough to be at least a solid regular at first.

3. Jefferson Rojas, SS (No. 79 on the top 100)

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 150 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 21

Rojas signed with the Cubs for $1 million in January 2022, and then he skipped the Arizona Complex League entirely in 2023, going right to Low-A. He wasn’t ready for High-A in 2024, struggling in every way at the plate except in making contact, but returned there in 2025 and had an excellent half-season, hitting .278/.378/.492. He’s stronger now as well as more experienced, and he made excellent swing decisions last year, rarely whiffing (21%) or chasing (22%), even after a promotion to Double-A, where he otherwise didn’t hit.

He hammers fastballs, with eight of his 11 homers coming on fastballs or cutters, showing plus power when he gets his arms extended, although he also loses some batting average on contact with pitches middle-away. He’s probably going to top out as an average defender at short, which might keep him from becoming a star. His bat will clearly profile as an average or above-average regular at second or third, especially if his power keeps coming and he ends up a 25-homer guy. The feel for the strike zone is a great foundation, and I expect he’ll be much better the second time around Double-A this year.

4. Jaxon Wiggins, RHP

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 225 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 24

Wiggins ramped up to 78 innings last year, his highest total in any year to date, including college. He continued to miss bats at a high rate with fringy control and below-average command. He had Tommy John surgery in 2023 while at the University of Arkansas and has pitched sparingly since, with the Cubs shutting him down for a month in the middle of 2025 for what they called workload management reasons.

When healthy, he sits 96-98 with a plus slider and above-average changeup, coming from a slot a little above three-quarters, without much visible effort to the delivery even though he doesn’t get a lot of the power from his lower half. He’s never been a strike thrower, with his 11.5% walk rate last year across three levels his best for any full season, so even if he can handle 30 starts a year — and he should, in time — he’s probably going to be less efficient about it, going five to six innings most outings because his pitch counts are high.

5. Ethan Conrad, OF

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 220 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 21

Conrad was the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2025 after his college career ended in April because of surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder. He’d gotten off to a roaring start for Wake Forest after transferring in from Marist, but the injury happened just as ACC play began, so most of his production was against weaker pitching. He has quick hands and projects to at least 55 power, staying inside the ball well, but in limited time showed some vulnerability to fastballs out of the zone. There is above-average everyday upside here if he comes back fully from the surgery.

6. Pedro Ramirez, 2B/3B

Height: 5-9 | Weight: 165 | Bats: B | Throws: R | Age: 22

Ramirez is a high-floor, low-ceiling infielder, with the best-case scenario that he ends up an everyday second baseman, and the most likely one that he’s a good utility infielder who can handle shortstop in an emergency but not every day if the regular shortstop is hurt. He makes a lot of contact, which is by design from his approach; he lets the ball travel pretty deep, so he doesn’t whiff much, but he loses some potential to drive the ball. His exit velocities did move up significantly last year to give him that clear utility floor, and he adds some value as a true switch hitter as well.

7. Jostin Florentino, RHP

Height: 6-0 | Weight: 175 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 21

Florentino looked like an organizational player in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 and 2024, then showed up last year with about 5 mph more on the fastball to make it playable. He eviscerated hitters in the Arizona Complex League before he had a successful 60-inning run in Low-A. His slider is an outpitch already, with huge spin rates and late horizontal movement. Both the slider and the fastball generated some bad chases in Myrtle Beach. He’s still mostly 89-91 as a starter, which isn’t enough for that role as a right-hander; he has some room to fill out, maybe enough to get to average velocity, but I wouldn’t project any more than that. The delivery works, he does throw strikes, and he has the swing-and-miss pitch, so though he has a lot of growth required to be a true starter, this is a good foundation.

8. Jonathon Long, 1B

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 210 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 24

It seems like a requirement that the Cubs have a lumbering first-base type who posts big offensive numbers in the high minors, with Long the latest in that line — and he’s better than the previous model, Matt Mervis. Long is a patient hitter who makes hard contact and is probably too passive at the plate. He has posted strong exit velocities that haven’t translated to big power because he uses the middle of the field so much and rarely pulls the ball in the air. He’s limited to first base but could be a regular there with walks and 15-plus homers, maybe a little better if he swings at more pitches in the zone.

9. James Triantos, 2B/OF

Height: 5-11 | Weight: 195 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 23

Triantos continues to have very high contact rates, but it’s undermined by poor swing decisions — he chases too many pitches out of the zone (34% in Triple-A last year) and doesn’t swing enough at strikes (64%). The results are easy to explain, as he had a 56% groundball rate last year and a .294 BABIP because he’s not making enough quality contact. He’s a fringy defender at second, but it would be acceptable if he were hitting for the kind of averages expected of him — or that his ability to put the bat on the ball implies. The Cubs gave him some run in center field as well last year, where, again, it would be acceptable if he hit more. He is a 55 runner, and there’s enough juice here for 12-15 homers. He’s been in the system forever, as he was a second-round pick in 2021, but he’ll play this whole season at age 23 and could turn himself into an everyday player with a small (but not simple) change to his swing decisions.

10. Owen Ayers, C

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 185 | Bats: B | Throws: R | Age: 25

I don’t think I’ve ever put a 24-year-old position player in Low-A in a top 10, certainly not in a farm system that’s above the bottom of the farm-system rankings, but Ayers is a special case as he’s only become a full-time catcher since signing with the Cubs in 2024 as a 23-year-old senior out of Marshall. Ayers has a plus arm and has plus power, flashing it more in the Arizona Fall League last year (where his exit velocity peaked at 111 mph) than in the regular season, since Myrtle Beach is a graveyard for would-be home runs. He probably would have gone to High-A before the end of the summer, but he broke his right hand in a game in late July and didn’t return until he went to the desert. He’ll turn 25 in June, but as a sort-of new convert to catching, he gets more slack than I’d give most hitters his age.

11. Kane Kepley, OF

Height: 5-8 | Weight: 180 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 22

Kepley is a fourth outfielder — perhaps the ultimate example of a good fourth outfielder prospect. He’s a plus runner and plus defender in center who has excellent contact skills and the power of one of those CR 2032 batteries I have to buy in bulk online because everything uses them, from my tracking devices to my guitar tuner to my kids’ pretend spy gear. The Cubs took him in the second round last year out of UNC, where he hit .291/.451/.444. He somehow even homered twice in Myrtle Beach in 28 games, but I’ll take the under on 10 homers a year.

12. Josiah Hartshorn, OF

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 220 | Bats: B | Throws: R | Age: 19

Signed for a well over-slot bonus of $2 million in the sixth round last year, Hartshorn is an extreme hitter for contact who’ll show 55-60 power already, with good bat speed and present strength on his 6-foot-2, 220-pound frame. He’s not a great athlete or runner and will end up in an outfield corner, so there’s more pressure on his bat.

13. Juan Cabada, 2B/3B

Height: 5-10 | Weight: 165 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Age: 18

Cabada could be the next Pedro Ramirez, but with better contact quality at this age and more upside as an everyday player. He has excellent feel to barrel the ball, with a swing that has enough length to it to anticipate at least average power as he fills out. His swing is reasonably short to the ball with excellent loft in his finish. He’s already moved off shortstop, splitting time last year between second and third in the DSL.

14. Dominick Reid, RHP

Height: 6-3 | Weight: 201 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 22

Reid is up to 96 with a plus changeup that has some late fade and to which hitters do not react well at all. He releases the ball from a very low slot that makes it hard for him to spin any kind of decent breaking ball. He walked 7.5% of batters he faced as Abilene Christian’s ace last spring, and at least has a chance as a two-pitch starter who throws strikes, with relief more likely given the lack of a third pitch.

15. Kaleb Wing, RHP

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 180 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 19

Wing pitches at 92-94 with a 55 curveball, repeating his compact delivery well enough to see a future where he gets to above-average or better command down the road. He’s got a narrow frame without a lot of projection to it, so he’ll have to throw better strikes and develop a real third pitch to stick as a starter.

16. Grant Kipp, RHP

Height: 6-6 | Weight: 220 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 26

Kipp went to Yale (spits on ground) and signed as an undrafted free agent in 2022, reaching Double-A last year as a starter, where he walked 12.2% of batters he faced despite average stuff. He does have a full pitch mix and showed no platoon split last year, with a decent ability to spin the ball, and might tick up enough in relief to make up for the lack of control.

17. Kade Snell, OF

Height: 6-1 | Weight: 220 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 23

Snell was a grad student at Alabama who struck out just 6.9% of the time last spring, with excellent contact quality and a flat swing that doesn’t result in a lot of power. He’s 23 now and has to at least finish this year in Double-A, as there’s no projection or any real areas for growth here unless they change his swing path. He did debut in Low-A and didn’t hit, just drawing some walks, although I don’t think that means very much in a small sample after he’d been off the field for two months. He’s a corner outfielder who has to hit.

18. Koen Moreno, RHP

Height: 6-2 | Weight: 170 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 24

Moreno was drafted in 2020 but has barely pitched since then, with years of elbow problems culminating in Tommy John surgery that kept him out from June 2024 until August 2025. He went to the AFL and was maybe the best he’s ever looked, sitting 92-93 — faster than where he sat in August in his first few outings back — with an average changeup and good spin on a maybe-average slider. It’s relief only, even if he’s healthy, as that arm action isn’t going to lead to great things, but there are three pitches and some idea of the strike zone. Before the surgery, he’d walked more than a batter an inning in his career; since then, including the AFL, he’s walked 15 in 29 innings, not good but a quantum improvement. He’s a fringe prospect, which is itself a few steps up from the non-prospect he seemed to be two years ago.

19. Ty Southisene, 2B

Height: 5-9 | Weight: 170 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 20

The Cubs’ fourth-round pick in 2024 — and brother of Atlanta’s first-round pick last year, Tate — Southisene went to Low-A and hit .244/.387/.276, which sums up what he is as a player. He has a high baseball IQ and good feel for the zone, with maybe 30 power and not much chance to get beyond grade 40 given his height and smaller frame. He can definitely play second base and should at least get some reps at shortstop to see whether he has that utility-player upside. If not, he’s in the Nick Madrigal zone, a high-contact hitter who doesn’t have the power to keep up a high walk rate and doesn’t make up for it with value beyond the batter’s box.

20. Pierce Coppola, LHP

Height: 6-8 | Weight: 245 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 23

Coppola turned 23 in December, signing as a redshirt junior in July after he threw just 49⅓ innings in four years at Florida around shoulder surgery, a bulging disk in his back and other maladies. He’s 6-feet-8 and gets deception from the angles he creates, sitting 91-92 and touching 95 with an above-average slider that had a 72% whiff rate last spring out of the Gators’ pen. He needs to get stronger, and there are some little things the Cubs could do with his delivery, with real upside as a left-handed reliever if he stays healthy.

2026 impact

Ballesteros should get regular playing time for the Cubs somewhere — his bat is certainly ready. Alcántara should start the year in Triple-A, but he’ll be up if there’s an injury anywhere in the outfield.

The fallen

The Cubs gave Nazier Mulé, an extremely raw but hard-throwing high school righty from New Jersey, $1 million in 2022. He didn’t pitch at all until 2024 after Tommy John surgery, and since his return, he’s walked 97 in 119 innings.

Sleeper

I’m not a huge Hartshorn believer, but he does have the feel to hit and understands the zone enough that he could easily have a strong debut in Low-A and push for a top 100 ranking.