The division reports debuted last year. The goal of this article series is to provide a quick overview of all dynasty-relevant information from each division. Each team has multiple minor league levels, each containing plenty of impactful prospects which can feel impossible to keep up with. This article series, which will be updated once per month, will help dynasty managers stay up-to-date on performances, injuries, promotions, and more. New this season is the inclusion of tiers in the rankings. Next to their rank, each prospect is assigned a tier. The tier range is 1-5.
- Tier 1: A potential difference-making dynasty prospect. Somebody who would rank in the top-20ish prospects for dynasty baseball
- Tier 2: A still very good dynasty prospect who holds plenty of value. This prospect would typically rank in the 21-75 range
- Tier 3: A mid-tier prospect who could be valuable but has questions and concerns present in his profile ranking in the 76-150 range
- Tier 4: A prospect who is worth knowing, but is reserved for deeper leagues. This prospect would rank 151-250
- Tier 5: The rest of the prospects fall into Tier 5
The Chicago Cubs have one of the better systems in the game, specifically with proximity prospects, as six of their Top 10 have already reached Triple-A. The team’s top pitching prospect, Cade Horton, made his MLB debut on Saturday, leaving a host of positional players atop the prospect rankings. Here are the top prospects from the Windy City!
Notable Prospect Promotions and News
- There were long periods when I was unsure if Cade Horton would ever make it to the Majors, not because of talent but due to injuries. Finally healthy to start 2025, Horton made his MLB debut on May 10th at the Mets. In that outing, he served as a bulk reliever and threw four innings, allowing three runs. The 23-year-old has remained in the rotation since and has thrown the ball well. In five appearances, Horton has a 3.51 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 25 2/3 IP. It’s surprising to see his strikeout rate hovering around 17%, but he’s been unable to finish hitters with his four-seam fastball, which has a 4.8% swinging strike rate. Either way, Horton is a key component of a Cubs team that has deep postseason aspirations.
- Horton wasn’t the only top prospect to debut in May, as Moisés Ballesteros made an abbreviated stint in the Majors. Ballesteros, who is still 21, was with the big club for a week and had three hits in 16 at-bats before being sent down. At no point did he ever look overwhelmed, but the Cubs needed a roster spot, and Ballesteros wasn’t going to see regular ABs unless he was in Triple-A. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get another shot by the end of the Summer.
Notable Prospect Performances
- Jonathon Long was an excellent performer in 2024 and became one of the fastest risers in the Cubs organization. As a 22-year-old, Long slashed .283/.391/.461 with 17 homers and 21 doubles across two levels. He was also sent to Arizona to play in the AFL, where he continued to rake, batting .338 with six homers in 18 games with Mesa. All of his momentum has carried over to this season, where Long is dominating Triple-A pitching and is knocking on the door to the Majors. In 27 games for Triple-A Iowa in May, Long hit .351 with six homers, 24 RBI, and a 1.052 OPS. His 71 hits rank second, and his 158 wRC+ ranks fourth in the International League this season, making Long one of the early favorites for league MVP. He would likely only get a shot with the Cubs if there were an injury, but I’m intrigued by the skills he’s showing in the Minors.
- 2023 2nd-round pick Jaxon Wiggins is drawing plenty of attention early in 2025 as he was promoted to Double-A Knoxville earlier this month and has settled in nicely with his new team. In four starts with the Smokies, Wiggins has compiled 22 strikeouts in 19 1/3 innings and is holding hitters to a .197 average against. His season-long swinging strike rate is just over 16%, resulting in a 28.6% strikeout rate. Wiggins features a three-pitch mix headlined by an upper-90s fastball that has reached triple digits, a wipeout slider, and a change. Although Wiggins has struggled with his command at times this season, he has just over 100 professional innings under his belt and has shown tremendous bat-missing potential. Wiggins is a name to watch moving forward.
#Cubs No. 10 prospect Jaxon Wiggins yielded two hits and three walks while striking out five over five scoreless innings in Wednesday's win.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/9qrfhJRjV5
— Knoxville Smokies (@smokiesbaseball) June 3, 2025
