Latest honors for Matt Shaw and Moises Ballesteros add to Cubs' offseason intrigue

The season may be over, but the honors keep rolling in for the Chicago Cubs' top prospects. MLB Pipeline released their lineup for the annual All-MiLB Prospect Team which honors the best performances of the season across all levels of the minors. While the Northsiders didn't have any representatives on the first team, they did land two prospects on the second team, making them one of only five organizations to with two or more players honored.

Those two players are likely ones you'd suspect too - Matt Shaw at third base and Moises Ballesteros at designated hitter. Shaw was a no-brainer to make the team in some capacity after a performance in Double-A that earned him Southern League MVP honors and shot him past Cade Horton as the team's top prospect. In 121 games between Tennessee and Iowa, he slashed .284/.379/.488/146 wRC+ with 21 home runs and impressive strikeout and walk rates. He looked every bit like the professional hitter with a bit of slug the team could desperately use.

Ballesteros, meanwhile, shot into the stratosphere this year at only 20 years old with a .289/.354/.471/127 wRC+ line in 124 games combined in Double-A and Triple-A. There are serious questions about whether he can stick at the catcher position, but the possibility of bringing that offense behind the plate is exciting. Even if not, he's taken great strides as a future DH with plenty of power and is still young enough to take his time reaching the majors.

It's more confirmation that both Shaw and Ballesteros are not just two of the best minor league hitters in the Cubs organization, but are considered two of the best in the league. Chicago's respective #1 and #4 prospects rank on MLB Pipeline as #22 and #41 overall. Arguably even more encouraging, however, is that it's a new pair of Cubs prospects getting highlighted by the All-MiLB team. Their farm system still has a lot of talent with Owen Caissie, James Triantos, and the recently-debuted Kevin Alcantara also banging on the door.

Cubs have questions to answer with Shaw and Ballesteros

As we've said repeatedly, finding a place for the Cubs to play all of their prospects regularly is impossible and even squeezing in just Shaw and Ballesteros will be a challenge. The infield is locked up and Seiya Suzuki thrived at DH. If Cody Bellinger opts into his deal, which seems quite possible, there won't be much flexibility to work either prospect in without trades. Moreover, there are no more excuses for the Cubs to not make the playoffs, and relying on these guys to figure it out at the major league level mid-season is a recipe for disaster.

Some of these are good problems for an organization to have, however. It's a balance the Cubs will have to strike as they try to determine which of their many prospects knocking at the door to the majors is likeliest to impact them in 2025 and beyond. Shaw and Ballesteros certainly fit the profiles of hitters the team has desperately missed though, and all the recognition only builds excitement for them to one day make it to Wrigley Field. They may also be the exact pieces needed to swing a trade for a surefire star.

Whatever their future holds, Shaw, Ballesteros, and their fellow Top-100 prospects are some of the few rays of hope in an otherwise disappointing season. They are very good, and if they're still here next season, we'll likely get a look at some of them with the big-league Cubs sooner rather than later.