Former Cubs Second Round Pick Harshly Dropped from MLB Top Prospect List

The Chicago Cubs are loaded with top prospects. They have done a pretty good job drafting, but the logjam of prospects has some of their players losing hype and lowering expectations.

MLB.com recently released their new and improved top 100 prospect list. The Cubs have a few players on the list, but they have one prospect that has fallen out of the top 100.

James Triantos is the Cubs No. 7 prospect. He was the No. 67 prospect in the MLB, but the updated list has left him out of the top 100.

Did Triantos deserve to be dropped from the Top 100?

The former second-round pick had a great start to his pro ball career. He was drafted out of high school, so Chicago had to be a little bit patient with his development. He was never going to be a guy that joins the big league roster within the first few years.

In his minor league career, Triantos has slashed .286/.345/.410 with 401 total hits, 92 stolen bases and just 206 strikeouts in 357 games played.

He is a player that makes a lot of contact and uses his legs as a weapon. The right-handed hitter will not hit for a lot of power, but he does have the ability to leave the yard on occasion.

The reason Triantos was left off the MLB top 100 prospect list is because of his start to 2025.

To begin this year, he has a slash line of .235/.270/.306 in 21 games played. He also has no home runs, only five RBI and just nine runs scored in those matchups.

Because of this, Triantos dropped from No. 67 to out of the top 100. Another reason noted is the 22-year-old is chasing a lot more than normal this year. His ability to make contact with those pitches is a curse more than a blessing when it comes to making contact with those pitches out of the zone.

Along with his poor hitting in 2025, the Virginia native has never been the smoothest fielder.

Triantos is a true utilityman as he has played second base, third base, shortstop and center field in his minor league career. The downside with that is he has not been able to get comfortable at just one position.

His fielding percentage is the highest in center field (.978), but it is still low for the position. Triantos' worst position is shortstop as he has a fielding percentage of just .870. There is not a lot of room on the diamond for someone that is a liability defensively.

Despite his slow start to the year, Triantos' relegation out of the top 100 seems a bit harsh. He is still young, and his bat-to-ball skill is superior to a lot of the prospects on the list. The defense needs to come around, but he would benefit from playing and learning just one position. Still, his hitting alone should have been enough to keep him on the list.