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Cubs Have Two Prospects Named To Southern League Double-A All-Star Team
David Kohl-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have one of the most talented farm systems in baseball with several highly touted prospects.

Third baseman Matt Shaw was the team’s top-ranked prospect coming into 2025. Starting pitcher Cade Horton was their top-ranked hurler. Both made an impact at the Major League level, graduating from prospect status.

There are a lot of other talented players in the minor leagues that the organization is excited about. A few got a taste of the Big Leagues this year. Outfielder Owen Caissie , catcher/first baseman Moises Ballesteros and outfielder Kevin Alcantara have all made it to the highest level for at least a cup of coffee.

Pedro Ramirez Named Southern League All-Star

Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Who could be the next wave of prospects to keep an eye on? There are two players who excelled at Double-A Knoxville this year, earning spots on the Southern League All-Star team.

The starting second baseman on the team is Pedro Ramirez, who is the No. 8-ranked prospect in the Cubs organization. Signed to a $75,000 deal in 2021, he has quickly risen through the ranks because of the consistent production he is providing at the plate.

This year, he has a .280/.346/.386 slash line. He has stuffed the stat sheet with eight home runs, 21 doubles and four triples. An impressive 73 RBI and 28 stolen bases were added to round out his stat line across 563 plate appearances.

Ramirez has moved up a rank each year he has been in professional baseball. It will be interesting to see if he has done enough in the eyes of the decision-makers to warrant starting the 2026 campaign with Triple-A Iowa.

B.J. Murray Jr. Named Southern League All-Star

Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The other Chicago prospect who was featured on the All-Star Team was B.J. Murray Jr. He made the team as the utility player, showcasing improvements across the board after a brutal 2024 campaign.

Last year, he had a .196/.309/.319 slash line, with most of his action coming at Triple-A. This year, he upped those numbers to .242/.363/.418, spending the entire campaign with Double-A Knoxville.

Murray hit 20 home runs and 18 doubles with 89 RBI and 20 stolen bases. His strike zone recognition and contact skills both skyrocketed, striking out only 103 times in 537 plate appearances after going down 100 times on strike in only 418 plate appearances in 2024.

Not currently ranked inside the organization’s top 30, another season at Double-A looks to have done the 2021 15th-round pick some good. He will likely get another shot at Triple-A in 2026, performing in the fashion a team would want a 25-year-old to at Double-A.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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