Five Cubs prospects who could open eyes in 2026 from Wiggins to Rojas

Pete Crow-Armstrong broke onto the scene as a top prospect in 2022 and hasn’t really stopped. The electric center fielder parlayed a strong 2025 campaign into a long-term extension with the Chicago Cubs as team president Jed Hoyer attempts to secure a young core in place, something he and predecessor Theo Epstein failed to do a decade ago.

What other young players could join Crow-Armstrong as key pieces to future winning Cubs teams? Is the next great Cubs player on this list? One name not in this group is last summer’s first-round pick, Ethan Conrad. Conrad, a power-hitting outfielder out of Wake Forest, didn’t play any pro games last year as he recovered from shoulder surgery. A back issue is now slowing him out of camp, and he’ll be out around a month, according to farm director Jason Kanzler.

If not for that injury, Conrad would likely be a name to watch. And he still will be whenever he’s ready to go. But for now, here are five Cubs prospects who could break out in 2026.

Jaxon Wiggins, RHP

This is probably cheating since real prospect heads know Wiggins broke out in 2025. But he needs to be mentioned as he works his way to becoming a consensus top-100 prospect with one of the best fastballs in the minors. Manager Craig Counsell took notice of Wiggins, a nonroster invite to camp.

“There’s a lot of good signs with Jaxon, there are a lot of good things happening,” Counsell said. “The finishing touches can happen really fast is how I would describe it. But they can also take a while. That’s Jaxon’s job right now, just make himself a little bit more complete pitcher. It’s certainly very close.”

The fastball is in the upper 90s and has the type of vertical rise that is impossible to ignore. He also has a strong curveball, a quickly developing changeup and a slider. So what are the next steps?

Continuing to develop his secondaries is important. Wiggins needs to understand that his breaking balls are real weapons and that he can’t throw non-competitive offerings. He also has to pound the zone with his stuff, something that can take a little while for young pitchers to understand. His stuff is good enough to play in the zone. So don’t be afraid to challenge hitters.

He has a walk rate well above 10% in each of his pro seasons. That has to change. That he walked just 5.9% of batters this spring was something that was taken note of. Now bring that into the season.

Most importantly, Wiggins needs to stay healthy and rack up innings. This is a pitcher who missed his junior year after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but his talent still led to the Cubs taking him in the second round of the 2023 draft. He also missed time last summer with shoulder pain. The 78 innings he threw last season was a professional high for him. He needs to continue to build on that while also going deep into games.

If he can prove he’s capable of that, he could be one of the best starting pitching prospects in the game. Even if he can’t, he’s likely to have a bright future as a high-leverage reliever.

Pedro Ramírez, 2B/3B

Because he hasn’t shown much in-game power, Ramírez gets overlooked in the national rankings. But everyone with the Cubs loves him. And it goes beyond his play.

“I’ve had multiple guys on a 26-man roster sing Pedro’s praises,” Counsell said. “Which is always a great sign. Frankly, they’re not talking about him as a player necessarily; they’re talking about him as a worker and how he conducts himself. Pedro should be proud of that.”

The makeup is off the charts here, and Ramírez seems to really take to coaching and understands who he is as a player and where he’s at in his career. The infielder won a minor-league Gold Glove award at third last season. His numbers suggest that he’s a contact-oriented bat who walks a decent amount and hits for average.

But the Cubs believe the power will come. It showed up in the spring, but it’s dangerous to take too much away from those results. The Cubs have adjusted Ramírez’s posture at the plate, which they believe will help him catch the ball out in front and lift it in the air a little more.

If he takes to that in the season, then this is a player who could open eyes around the game. He already did so at Cubs camp. Even if he doesn’t develop power, many believe this is a major-leaguer who can help with a great glove and contact skills.

Jefferson Rojas, SS

The shine may have worn off Rojas for some after he really struggled at Double-A when promoted there midsummer. But that is probably a poor decision by those who jumped off the bandwagon. Rojas was one of the Cubs’ best bats this camp.

Counsell has watched him for three consecutive springs and has seen real growth in his offensive performance.

“He’s a dangerous hitter now when he gets up there,” Counsell said. “He had the ability to make contact when he was here when he was 19, which is impressive. But now it’s like, ‘Man, there’s damage in there’ at 21.”

He’s matured physically and is more confident at the plate. The Cubs always knew he’d hit fastballs and they feel there’s a lot of promise with him overall. They believe last summer’s late-season struggles weren’t cause for concern. It was a lot for a young kid who had to play in the cold for an extended period. He will likely start at Tennessee once again and the expectations are high.

Josiah Hartshorn, OF

If one were to take a quick poll of Cubs executives and coaches across the organization as to who will end up on top 100 lists that already isn’t on them, Hartshorn would likely be the name heard most. A sixth-round pick last summer who was given a $2 million bonus to buy him out of his commitment to Texas A&M, Hartshorn, who turned 19 on Feb. 2, even got a start during the spring, a rarity for such a young player.

Hartshorn got two hits in a spring game on March 7, both with exit velocities above 100 mph. Counsell called it “impressive,” especially considering Hartshorn hadn’t played in a professional setting at all and hadn’t had real game at-bats since last May when he was in high school.

A thickly built player with deceptively great athleticism, Hartshorn just looks like he belongs when he steps in the box. A switch-hitter who can play all over the outfield — though he’ll be given a lot of time in center to start — he has an advanced approach at the plate and has quickly proven to be a very knowledgeable hitter who has all the physical traits teams look for.

Ariel Armas, C

A deep cut in the system who deserves a mention because many within the organization have sung his praises. The defense is already up to snuff with Armas. Pitchers and coaches rave about him as well. He frames, has a strong arm, knows the scouting reports, understands how to handle a staff and seems very advanced in many areas defensively.

On offense, he’s incredibly strong. He’s been on the ground a lot, pushing too much in his swing. But they believe he has the skills to get to at least average on offense. The Cubs believe he’s a hidden gem who not enough people are talking about.

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