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 News and Promotions
- It was no surprise to anyone when Matt Shaw made the Cubs’ Opening Day roster to begin 2025. Shaw, a Top 10 overall prospect, had a strong year in 2024 and was really good this Spring. While his MLB debut was rocky (.172 BA, .535 OPS), Shaw still showed he could play at the highest level, but the Cubs wanted regular at-bats for him in the Minors. The Cubs demoted Shaw after 18 games. Shaw has performed well since his demotion to Triple-A Iowa, batting .264 with one homer, two steals, and a .777 OPS. It won’t be long before we see the 23-year-old return to the Majors and produce a successful career.
- Shortstop Jefferson Rojas missed the first two weeks of the season battling a hamstring injury, but the 20-year-old has returned and is performing well at High-A. In 17 games, Rojas is batting .288 with six extra-base hits, three steals, and almost as many walks as strikeouts. Rojas is repeating the level after an up-and-down season in 2024, but it’s important to remember that he’s still 20 and remains one of the top prospects in a strong Cubs system.
- The Cubs opted to give Rule-5 pick Gage Workman more playing time over Matt Shaw, but ultimately, Workman was shipped across town to the White Sox. The former 4th-round pick spent less than four months in the Cubs’ organization after the Rule 5 draft but did perform well when called upon.
Notable Prospect Performances
- Moisés Ballesteros is doing everything he can to hit his way to the Majors. Ballesteros has completely dominated at Triple-A, slashing .376/.435/.556 with four homers, seven doubles, and 18 RBI in 29 games. His strikeout rate is a hair under 10%, with a nearly identical walk rate. Among full-season catchers, only Josh Kross (STL) and Joe Mack (MIA) have a higher wRC+ than the 162 Ballesteros has produced. The biggest problem now is that there is nowhere to promote him. Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly are the most productive catching duo in the Majors this season, and Michael Busch is having a great year at 1B. Playing time situations almost always work themselves out, so keep an eye on Ballesteros getting the bump to the Majors.
- Just as Cade Horton was building momentum to make the Majors, injury struck, and the former first-round pick missed the final four months of 2024. Now healthy, Horton is once again on the cusp of the Major Leagues after a dominant start to his season. In six starts at Triple-A Iowa, Horton has a 1.24 ERA with a 30.6% strikeout rate and a 13% swinging strike rate. He’s allowed one earned run or less in all five starts while striking out at least five. The downside is that his walk rate has spiked to 12%, but the ABS remains prevalent in the International League. Horton has also built up his workload in each of his starts and is reportedly in consideration to fill the rotation spot vacated by an injured Shota Imanaga.
Moisés Ballesteros extends his hit streak to 13 games tonight👀
The @Cubs No. 3 prospect is hitting .405 with a 1.028 OPS so far this season.
He continues to be a hot bat for the @IowaCubs🔥
(🎥@IowaCubs)
pic.twitter.com/3Bb4jwlK0B— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) April 27, 2025
