Cubs prospect Owen Caissie will get a chance to shine in the World Baseball Classic

Another Chicago Cubs player has committed to the World Baseball Classic, though not for Team USA. Team Canada GM Greg Hamilton confirmed this week that the North Siders' top outfield prospect, Owen Caissie, will be representing his home country once again in 2026. It's a nice honor to recognize his talent shown throughout the minors, and it now makes him the third Cub to join the international competition alongside Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matthew Boyd.

Caissie previously went north of the border for the WBC in 2023 and immediately turned heads during his debut with Team Canada. He clubbed a home run and went 2-for-5 with three RBI in a complete thrashing of Great Britain to kick off Canada's run. That game alone accounted for two of his three hits in three contests for an overall solid performance. Despite his contributions, the team failed to advance out of pool play at 2-2 and still has yet to make it past the group stage.

Things have changed considerably for the outfielder since then. When he eventually returns from the WBC, the 23-year-old Burlington, Ontario native won't be heading back to the minors, but is instead poised to play a major role on the Cubs' roster. The team doesn't have an exact plan to replace Kyle Tucker's bat if and more than likely when he signs with another team, meaning Caissie will be asked to step up at least part-time in right field. Even if Seiya Suzuki sees a lot of time out there, there will be a real runway for him after only getting 27 plate appearances across 12 games in 2025.

Caissie didn't exactly get to showcase what has made him such a highly valued prospect during his brief time with the Cubs last year. In that very limited sample, he slashed .192/.222/.346/56 wRC+, though he did notch his first big league home run. That already short run ended after he crashed into the wall while making a catch in September, forcing him to leave the game and go on the IL with a concussion.

In Triple-A, meanwhile, he was banging down the door with a .286/.386/.551 slash line and a 139 wRC+. He also tied for a single-season professional career-high of 22 home runs. His power has never really been in question since he was acquired in the Yu Darvish trade, but there are flegitimate concerns about his strikeout rate. He managed to cut that number dto 27.9% in 2025, though it's still relatively high compared to minor league competition.

Owen Caissie could get Cubs fans excited with a strong WBC showing

A white-hot performance from Caissie in the WBC wouldn't exactly be enough to quell concerns about how he'll perform in the big leagues, but it wouldn't hurt. Showing out with Canada on an international stage would bring some extra attention to the young prospect and give him some extra experience to parlay into the regular season shortly thereafter. It was Matt Shaw's red-hot Premier12 tournament performance last year that turned heads and cleared a path for him to ultimately take the starting job at third base ahead of the 2025 season. Caissie could be the next to make a name for himself on a platform where stars can be born.