Top Chicago Cubs Prospects Who Could Contribute in 2026

During the Chicago Cubs’ transition from their 2016 championship core to their current roster, they have relied heavily on young talent.

Players like Cade Horton, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch and Matt Shaw were all prospects just two years ago. Additionally, players like Ian Happ, Nico Hoerner, Daniel Palencia, Justin Steele, and Miguel Amaya all went through the Cubs’ farm system and have spent the entirety of their career on the north side.

Now, all of these players have developed or begun to develop into contributing pieces to a team that is looking to contend for a World Series this year.

So, what does the next crop of prospects look like, and could some of them make an impact in 2026? Let’s dive in.

DH/C Moises Ballesteros

Moises Ballesteros has a head start on some of these other guys. He had a few different stints in MLB last season, playing in a total of 20 games. The longest stretch was in September when he was called up to take at-bats off the bench while Kyle Tucker was benched due to a right calf strain. 

In that limited time, he performed exceptionally well. He slashed .333/.465/.564 with a .999 OPS, and he also slugged two home runs. Albeit, it was a small sample size of only 46 plate appearances. Still, the production was promising.

Ballesteros was signed by the Cubs as an international free agent in 2021 at just 17 years old. He moved through the Cubs’ minor-league system, and as he progressed, his numbers continuously improved.

He finished with an .812 OPS between Rookie and Low-A in 2022, an .823 OPS in 2023 across three levels, where he finished in Double-A Memphis. Lastly, he finished with an .825 OPS in 2024 between Double-A Memphis and Triple-A Iowa.

In 2025, Ballesteros began in Iowa, and he hit the ground running. In April, he had an unbelievable .420 AVG with a .648 SLG. He walked just as much as he struck out and finished the month with an impressive 1.128 OPS.

On the season, he slashed .316/.385/.473, finishing with a .858 OPS, and he reached No. 60 on Just Baseball’s Top 100 Prospects.

Ballesteros is listed as a catcher, however he likely won’t see much time there with Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya splitting time behind the dish. Last season, he was almost exclusively penciled into the lineup as a DH, where Seiya Suzuki played 102 games. With Tucker gone, Suzuki will likely move primarily to right field, and Ballesteros will need to fill in at DH.

At the very least, Ballesteros and Suzuki may platoon at DH. While Suzuki’s numbers are relatively similar versus righties and lefties, Ballesteros’ are glaringly different. In 2025, he slashed .230/.296/.281 against lefties, compared to .346/.418/.547 against righties.

Regardless, Ballesteros will be asked to contribute a lot in 2026.

OF Kevin Alcantara

Kevin Alcantara is another Cubs prospect who has seen some time at the highest level. He only played three games in 2024 at the very end of the season, and he came up late last year again, playing in 10 games.

He’s been in the Cubs’ system since 2021, when he was acquired from the Yankees as a part of the Anthony Rizzo trade. In that time, he’s performed pretty well. He started off scorching hot in Rookie Ball in 2021, slashing .331/.415/.609. Over the next four seasons, he progressed through the Cubs’ system, putting up around an .800 OPS each year.

He’s a plus defender in center field and a great baserunner, but that archetype isn’t exactly in high demand for the Cubs’ as of right now. He could be used as an outfielder on days where the Cubs are facing a lefty, as his OPS was .984 against lefties in 2025 — over 200 points better than his .762 against righties.

His issue has consistently been swing-and-miss, particularly against breaking balls from right handed pitchers, striking out in 29.8% of his plate appearances in 2025. This is something that he will likely always struggle with, as he is quite tall at 6-foot-6, and he is very lanky. However, if he doesn’t cut it down at least a little, he will struggle in MLB.

Alcantara has been around forever, so it’s easy to think he’s treading water in the minors. However, he is still only 23 years old. He has arguably the most upside of any prospect in the Cubs’ system. Still, he’s approaching 2,000 minor-league at-bats, and he still struck out at nearly a 30% rate in 2025.

If he performs well, he could fill the hole left in right field by Tucker’s departure, but he will need to make a jump forward offensively. In short, 2026 could be make or break for Alcantara.

RHP Jaxon Wiggins

Jaxon Wiggins is one of the Cubs’ more interesting prospects in their system.

He progressed quickly through three levels of minor-league ball in 2025, beginning in High-A South Bend and finishing in Triple-A Iowa. By the end of the year, he’d made it all the way up to Just Baseball’s No. 72 overall prospect, and it’s easy to see why when you take a closer look.

Wiggins has one of the best fastballs in all of the minor leagues, sitting in the high 90s and even touching 100 pretty consistently. He pairs that with an 88-90 mph slider and an upper-80s changeup that pairs well with his fastball. 

Across the three levels, he pitched to a 2.19 ERA and a .161 BAA in 78.0 innings. In that time, he struck out 97 batters, good enough for 11.19 strikeouts per nine. However, he had issues with command, walking over four batters per nine as well.

Another thing to keep in mind is whether he can stay healthy. The Cubs shut him down for a month during the middle of the season for workload management reasons. This could be linked to him having to receive Tommy John surgery while he was in college at the University of Arkansas.

Despite this, Wiggins’ upside is quite high. His stuff is very good, and he has clean repeatable mechanics. If the pieces fall into place for him, he has the potential to work out to being a No. 2-3 starter in a few years.

How long this will take is hard to tell as of now. Cade Horton only made 11 total starts in Triple-A Iowa, including six in 2025 before being called up. Wiggins made three in 2025, so there is reason to think he could come up in 2026. However, the Cubs already have five established starters, not including Justin Steele, who will likely return mid-season.

Regardless, it would take an incredible beginning of 2026 for Wiggins to find his way into the Cubs’ pitching staff.

1B Jonathon Long

The Cubs drafted Jonathon Long in 2023 in the ninth round. Despite signing for just under $180,000, Long has developed into one of the best offensive prospects in the Cubs’ system.

He’s produced some great numbers in the Cubs across all levels, and 2025 was arguably his best season yet in Triple-A Iowa. He finished with a .305/.404/.479 slash line while displaying a very patient hitting approach. These numbers were so good that Long earned the Buck O’Neil Cubs Minor League Player of the Year.

His ability to put up good offensive numbers is undeniable. However, he is limited to first base, where Michael Busch currently occupies, and he’s already 24 years old. Busch is under team control through 2029, so he’s likely to be the starting first baseman for a while.

Long’s ability to hit could earn him a spot on the roster at DH in the future, but there’s a good chance he could be used in a trade if the opportunity arises.

INF/OF James Triantos

The Cubs drafted James Triantos in the second round in 2021, and like Alcantara, he is also approaching 2,000 career minor-league at-bats.

In that time, he’s seen mixed results. He sported an OPS well over .700 from 2021 through 2024, and there were even some flashes of power mixed in.

However, last season in 102 games in Triple-A Iowa, he slashed just .258/.315/.369. He struggled with decision making, chasing too many pitches out of the strike zone and taking too many pitches in the strike zone.

Combine a 56% ground-ball rate and a .294 BABIP, as well as the fact that he is entering his sixth season in the minor leagues without having broken through to MLB yet, and it becomes obvious that 2026 is a very important season for Triantos.

However, his chances for an opportunity in 2026 are low.  Unless there is an injury on the big-league roster that opens a spot, his chances of earning a spot this season are slim, especially with Matt Shaw already on the roster and giving the Cubs good infield depth.

He’s been in the system forever, and it’s starting to look like the door is closing on his chances.

Other Names to Watch

Outside of the players listed above, there aren’t many guys who are likely to be seen on the Cubs’ big-league roster in 2026. However, there are still some interesting prospects to watch.

Pedro Ramirez is a similar prospect to James Triantos. He is a very high-floor switch-hitting infielder, however he lacks the upside that would make him a high-profile prospect. 

When he first arrived on the scene, he put up very good numbers in Rookie Ball. Since then, he has progressed through the Cubs’ system, putting up an OPS around .750 everywhere he went.

He spent all of 2025 in Double-A Memphis, and he had a pretty good season there. He slashed .291/.346/.386, hitting eight home runs and driving in 73 runs. However, in an already-crowded infield, it’s unlikely we will see the 21-year-old any time soon.

Another prospect is Jack Neely. He was acquired in a trade with the Yankees for Mark Leiter Jr. in 2024, and at the time he looked promising. He pitched very well in the Yankees’ system in 2023 and 2024, putting up back-to-back seasons of an ERA below 3.00.

However, 2025 was difficult. He had an ERA of 6.23 in 30.1 innings, as well as a walk rate of over eight batters per nine. For reference, his walks per nine was 3.22 in 2024.

Despite this, Neely will have the chance to bounce back and try and make his way onto the Cubs’ rotation in 2026.