These Cubs prospects forced their way onto the radar in '24

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian's Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have built one of the game’s better farm systems over the past few years and boast eight players in Pipeline’s Top 100 rankings. While those highly ranked farmhands understandably garner the most attention, there were success stories throughout the Minor Leagues for the North Siders this season.

Let’s highlight a few players who stood out in 2024, while taking a look ahead to next season:

3 players who forced their way onto the radar

C Moises Ballesteros (No. 4 on Cubs’ Top 30; No. 44 on MLB's Top 100)
Considering that Ballesteros posted an .823 OPS across three levels in 2023, what the catching prospect did in ‘24 was not exactly a breakout showing. That said, the fact that Ballesteros has now climbed to Triple-A Iowa -- while still just 20 years old -- has very much put him on the Major League radar for next season.

In 124 games between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A, Ballesteros hit .289 with 19 homers, 24 doubles, 78 RBIs and an .826 OPS. When he was not catching, the prospect also played some first base and got at-bats as a designated hitter. He is also playing in the Arizona Fall League, where he had a 1.097 OPS through his first four games with Mesa.

RHP Jack Neely (No. 18 on Cubs)
Neely flew onto the radar in ‘25 after the Cubs acquired the righty reliever from the Yankees as part of the deal for reliever Mark Leiter Jr. In 39 games between the Chicago and New York farm systems, the 24-year-old Neely had a 2.86 ERA with 79 strikeouts and 18 walks in 50 1/3 innings. That includes 16 strikeouts and two walks in 8 2/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa in six appearances out of Chicago’s bullpen.

INF Jonathon Long (No. 30 on Cubs)
Reaching the big leagues in 2026 might be a more realistic goal for Long, but the corner infielder (and part-time outfielder) certainly put himself on the Cubs’ map this year. Long, 22, led qualified Cubs’ Minor Leaguers with a 149 wRC+, hitting .283/.391/.461 with 17 homers, 21 doubles and 70 RBIs between High-A and Double-A. In one scorching 14-game stretch with Tennessee between July 21-Aug. 7, he hit at a .521 (25-for-48) clip. Long is getting more playing time in the Arizona Fall League this month.

2 breakout players to watch

RHP Jaxon Wiggins (No. 10 on Cubs)
The Cubs earned a second-round compensatory pick in the ‘23 Draft (due to Willson Contreras’ exit in free agency) and used the selection on Wiggins. At the time, Wiggins was still recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, an injury that cost him his final season at the University of Arkansas.

Wiggins, 23, was back in game action by May and pieced together a promising first pro season across three levels (topping out at High-A South Bend). The righty racked up 71 strikeouts against 36 walks with 42 hits allowed (four homers) in 59 2/3 innings, ending with a 4.37 ERA in 18 starts.

RHP Nico Zeglin (unranked)
Zeglin flew way under the radar this season after going undrafted in ‘23 and then being signed in April by the Cubs after a stint in Mexico. The 24-year-old righty split his season between Single-A Myrtle Beach and South Bend, going 7-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 90 strikeouts, compared to just 16 walks, in 66 innings (21 relief outings and four starts). With that type of pro debut, Zeglin could be positioned to be a fast mover in ‘25.

1 big prospect question for 2025

Will there be an opportunity for top prospects to impact the MLB roster?
Besides Ballesteros, here are the other players who are currently on Pipeline’s Top 100 list from the Cubs’ system:

No. 22: INF Matt Shaw
No. 34: OF Owen Caissie
No. 42: RHP Cade Horton
No. 55: INF James Triantos
No. 67: OF Kevin Alcántara
No. 73: 3B Cam Smith
No. 100: SS Jefferson Rojas

Smith had an eye-popping pro debut after being picked in the first round by the Cubs in this year’s Draft, but he is likely a couple years away from The Show. Likewise, while Rojas is turning heads, he is just 19 years old. Horton will be on the comeback trail in ‘25, but he could still join the rest of that list as potentially MLB-bound at some point next year.

The Cubs have Ian Happ in left, Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and Seiya Suzuki in right (plus Cody Bellinger, if he does not opt out of his deal), creating a logjam for Caissie and Alcántara. With Dansby Swanson (short), Nico Hoerner (second) and Isaac Paredes (third) locked in place, Shaw is blocked (with Triantos behind him).

“We should never underestimate the value of depth,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said recently. “We'll obviously think about all sorts of different opportunities, but that's a really enviable position that -- with an injury or poor performance -- the kind of guy that's coming up to the roster is a Top 100 prospect. And I don't want to lose sight of that.”