3 sleeper Chicago Cubs prospects nobody is talking about ahead of Opening Day

Opening Day is finally here, and all eyes are understandably on the Chicago Cubs as they kick off a lengthy road trip to open the year, looking to finally return to the postseason. While it's all eyes on the big-league club, there's also a lot of action to look forward to down on the farm. Although the team's top prospect, Matt Shaw, has been called up and figures to stick in the big leagues for most of the year, they still have plenty of top 100 prospects waiting in the wings between Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, Kevin Alcantara, Cade Horton and more.

A common criticism of the Cubs' farm system, though, is that it's not particularly deep. There appears to be a noticeable drop-off after their big names. Not only that, but most of their best talent is concentrated in Triple-A, save for Jefferson Rojas. Still, there are other players that fans and the media are starting to become more familiar with as they come into their own, like their eighth and ninth-ranked prospects, Brandon Birdsell and Fernando Cruz.

The future health of the organization will somewhat depend on those deeper in the minors making strides in the years to come to become actual contributors at the big-league level, though. Even if there's less recognition of their efforts, others are making their way up the ranks who have the potential to blossom into special players. Let's look at three sleeper prospects worth keeping an eye on in the 2025 season.

1. Jaxon Wiggins

We're slowly getting to the point where Jaxon Wiggins may no longer be considered a "sleeper" pick. The fireballing righty began turning heads last year after undergoing Tommy John surgery in his draft year in 2023. Although he was limited to only 59 2/3 innings, he flashed a lot of promise with a mid-90s fastball capable of hitting triple digits and a sharp mid-80s slider, even if his combined ERA and FIP of 4.37 and 3.99 from Rookie Ball to High-A doesn't entirely show it.

Among all Cubs prospects on MLB Pipeline, Wiggins has the highest-graded fastball on the 20 to 80 scouting scale at a 65 and is tied for the highest-rated changeup at 50 with another name we'll get to later. FanGraphs, meanwhile, has him well above average with his fastball at a 70. That largely tracks with why Dan Kantrovitz and company picked him as a second-rounder and paid a notably over-slot bonus of $1,401,500 to sign him. His two years with the Arkansas Razorbacks didn't jump off the page from a numbers perspective, but the raw arm talent was never really in question. Future value and his rise to #10 on the Cubs rankings reflect his progress already.

Wiggins has a chance now to take a big step forward. He's another year removed from Tommy John and will have a longer leash so long as he remains healthy. Considering he was able to hold batters to a .197 batting average across all levels last year, there's hope he can find a new gear with less precautions about his arm holding him back. Command may be an issue — he averaged 5.43 walks per nine — but a full year in the pros could see him start to make adjustments and cement himself as one of the best Cubs starting pitching prospects, especially if he jumps to Double-A.