Baseball America offers bullish outlook on Cubs prospect James Triantos' future

With spring training right around the corner, one Chicago Cubs infield prospect is under the spotlight in Matt Shaw, who is widely expected to be the team's Opening Day third baseman after tearing up minor-league pitching at every step along the way since being drafted with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

But with questionable infield bench depth behind Shaw, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner and Michael Busch, it's prudent to look past Shaw at other prospects who could play a role at some point this season and, in a new episode of the Baseball America podcast, one name received a good amount of attention: James Triantos.

Triantos, who got his first taste of Triple-A down the stretch last summer, has showcased strong bat-to-ball skills during his entire professional career and BA prospect writer Geoff Pontes offered high praise for what he could bring to the Cubs when he arrives in Chicago.

“ ... he is a guy who could project for a 280 average and 25 stolen bases and pretty good second base defense. So, I don't know what the level of confidence is for the Cubs in Triantos in 25, but at the very least 26, I think that he is very easily a Hoerner replacement.”

Across Double- and Triple-A last year, Triantos slashed .300/.346/.427 in 485 plate appearances, swiping 47 bases and striking out only 52 times. He mirrors what the Cubs have come to expect from Hoerner in recent years, which could increase the likelihood of a Hoerner trade at some point in the next 12 months.

It's conceivable that, if Triantos has a strong first half at Iowa, he forces his way onto the big league roster for his MLB debut this summer. Would the Cubs dangle Hoerner if they're in contention? That probably depends how the pitching staff is performing. Right now, the general consensus is this is a team that could use another quality arm in the rotation (not to mention the bullpen, which is up in the air with the unresolved Ryan Pressly question still out there).

If the staff has a clear need or there's another hole on the team, trading Hoerner could be one avenue to address it. Triantos' play early in the year is also another factor at play here, because the Cubs aren't going to rush him at this point. But it's clear that talent evaluators view him as a future quality infield piece capable of impacting the game with his bat and legs - so keep the name in your pocket as you're watching Cactus League games next month because we could see him at Wrigley as soon as this summer.