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3 Cubs prospects whose stock dramatically rose this season
The Cubs suddenly have a wealth of good position players prospects, and three of them turned heads in a major way in 2024
While the Chicago Cubs' 2024 season was undoubtedly a disappointment at the Major League level, the Cubs once again saw growth within their farm system. As the Cubs near the end of the 2024 season, there are several prospects who elevated their stock this season and are names to watch for in 2025.
1. Matt Shaw
After selecting infielder Matt Shaw in the first round of the 2023 draft, the Cubs have watched the 22-year-old quickly shoot his way to the top of both their farm system and national prospect rankings. MLB currently has Shaw as the 21st-best prospect in all of baseball and the best prospect in the entire Cubs system. Needless to say, the expectations are high with Shaw and he has delivered at every turn so far.
Shaw is currently rounding out his first full season as a pro, and he is slashing .282/.376/.491 with 21 homers and 29 stolen bases across both Double-A and Triple-A. He has been able to handle Triple-A pitching since his Iowa Cubs call-up and he has also improved his defense at third base. Although he was initially drafted as a second baseman, the Cubs made sure to give him reps at third because of Nico Hoerner's presence at the big-league level and third base was a need at the time.
Things have changed in the meantime though, as the Cubs traded for third baseman Isaac Paredes, who is under team control for another three seasons after 2024. And that is the only problem with Shaw, the Cubs don't have anywhere for him to play at the big-league level. The team will have to give Paredes time to settle into his role and unless the big-league squad gets hit with a significant injury, Shaw is effectively blocked.
It would be hard to see Shaw go in a trade given his elite talent, but the team may have to make a tough decision like that next year. For the beginning of 2025 at least, Shaw will likely remain with Iowa and continue to get everyday reps until his opportunity in MLB arrives.
2. Moises Ballesteros
At just 20 years old, Moises Ballesteros is already considered one of the best hitters in the Cubs system, and he has been in the upper levels of the minor leagues for most of this season. Ballesteros has collected 442 at-bats for Double-A and Triple-A this year, where he has a combined OPS of .833 with 24 doubles and 19 home runs. Although he cooled off slightly at Triple-A, the young catcher still has a respectable wRC+ of 108 through 272 plate appearances with Iowa and garnered enough attention to climb to 41 on the top 100 prospects list.
While his bat is Ballesteros' best tool, it may be his only one. There have been serious complaints about his receiving skills as a catcher and his ability to throw out runners. In Triple-A this year, Ballesteros is throwing out just 15% of base stealers and he is being considered more of a designated hitter these days.
Standing at just 5'7, Ballesteros is probably too short to play first base in the big leagues, which is where catchers usually end up if they aren't good enough to stick behind the dish. Similar to Shaw, there isn't really room at the DH spot in the big leagues right now. Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken over center field, which has shifted Cody Bellinger to right field and Seiya Suzuki to the DH role. This figures to be the same outlook for 2025, assuming Bellinger doesn't opt out of his contract.
Luckily, Ballesteros is young enough to stay in Triple-A for a while to fine-tune his hitting and settle into being a full-time DH. It remains to be seen how long it will take for him to get the big league call-up and whether it will be with the Cubs.
3. Cam Smith
Although he was just drafted by the Cubs in July, third baseman Cam Smith has been tearing through the minor leagues and he has already reached the Double-A level. The 22-year-old was taken by the Cubs 13th overall out of Florida State University, and he has already cracked the top 100 prospects list. Smith boasts an impressive slash line of .313/.396/.609 through 32 games across three minor league levels, with 16 extra-base hits and 24 RBIs.
Going into 2024, the Cubs were lacking at the third base position throughout the system. But now, Shaw has emerged as a legitimate call-up candidate, Paredes is manning third base in the majors for now and Smith is potentially the exciting young power hitter that the team has been looking to develop for years at this point. Tough playing time decisions will need to be made but it is not a bad thing for the team to boast this much talent that is near big-league ready.
Paredes is likely to keep third base locked down for the foreseeable future, but it's nice to know the Cubs can lean on their depth should he go down with an injury. Smith's quick rise will likely put him in the mix as early as the end of next season should his first full year as a pro go well.
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