Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn gets MLB Pipeline recognition that surprises absolutely nobody

All year long, the story of the Chicago Cubs' farm system was Josiah Hartshorn. A sixth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft out of high school, it would have been fair to see a teenager struggle to find his footing in his first professional season. Instead, the 19-year-old blitzed every level of the minor leagues that he saw in 2026.

Climbing from Low-A to Double-A over the course of the season, Hartshorn hit a robust .284/.407/.518 (140 wRC+) over 125 games. He finished with 23 home runs and 17 steals to boot, becoming the first teenage Cubs prospect in over 20 years to drive in more than 100 runs in a single campaign.

Naturally, that kind of effort is deserving of awards recognition, and there's a new one that Hartshorn can add to his résumé: He has been named MLB Pipeline's Cubs Prospect of the Year. There was never any doubt he'd walk away with the honor, as it's just another feather in his increasingly heavy cap.

Brooks Caple joins Josiah Hartshorn as top Cubs prospects in 2026

Perhaps the more interesting MLB Pipeline honor was awarded to Brooks Caple, whom the outlet named as the best Cubs pitching prospect in 2026. A ninth-round pick back in 2024, the 24-year-old righty put a meager debut season in 2025 (4.48 ERA, 4.16 FIP) behind him with a scintillating showing this year.

Caple pitched to a 3.09 ERA and 3.66 FIP over 107⅔ innings, most of which were accrued in Double-A Knoxville. Just about everything he did on the mound improved from his first season in the organization, including a better strikeout rate (25.5 to 17.3 percent), walk rate (7.3 to 10 pe), batting average allowed (.213 to .259), and whiff rate (28.1 to 20 percent). He did yield a few more fly balls in place of some grounders, but that's a small nitpick considering he kept getting better against higher levels of competition.

Thanks to a late-season promotion for Hartshorn, both players finished the year in Double-A. Neither are on the 40-man roster quite yet, so an Opening Day spot in Chicago is probably out of the question. However, that also means they'll be eligible to play in the minor leagues while the MLB lockout is happening, which could further accelerate their timelines to join the big-league club.

Thanks to a bevy of trades, promotions, and stalled developments in recent years, Hartshorn and Caple are suddenly two of the best -- they rank No. 1 and 9 within the organization, respectively, according to MLB Pipeline -- and most important Cubs prospects right now. How they build on their breakout seasons will not only impact their own careers, but the plans in Chicago as well.

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