February is here and spring training is just around the corner, which can mean only one thing around these parts: it’s time to rank minor-league prospects. Every team across the majors is selling hope to their fans: some are selling it in a more immediate fashion, in the form of active offseasons full of free-agent signings and trade acquisitions. Others, meanwhile, are selling it in the personage of prospects who could make the difference over the coming years.
CBS Sports continues examining the top three prospects in each organization. Our definition of “prospect” is simple: does that player have rookie eligibility remaining for the 2025 season? If so, they’re a prospect; if not, that’s probably why your favorite young player is absent from the proceedings.
As always, these lists are formed following conversations with scouts, analysts, player development specialists, and other talent evaluators around the industry. There’s a fair amount of firsthand evaluation, statistical analysis, and historical research mixed in, too. Plus a heaping of personal bias — we all have certain traits and profiles that we prefer over others, there’s no sense pretending otherwise.
Keep in mind that there’s no one right answer with these sorts of things. Besides, these are merely our opinions, meaning they have no actual bearing on the future. We already published our ranking of the top 25 prospects in all of the minors.
With all that out of the way, let’s get to ranking the top three prospects in the Chicago Cubs system.
The short hook: Bat-first infielder with pop
Shaw could find himself on the Opening Day roster after a 35-game stint in Triple-A that saw him produce a .929 OPS. (Later, during the Premier12 tournament, he matched Ken Griffey Jr.’s Team USA single-game record by driving in seven runs.) Shaw routinely makes hard contact, even possessing enough power to drive out more than a handful of balls the other way. That feel for the barrel helps obscure that he has an appetite for elevated fastballs that can get him into some trouble. Shaw has auditioned at several infield positions; he’s certainly probably going to end up at second or third base, with the latter serving as the current favorite given Isaac Paredes’ inclusion in the Kyle Tucker trade. MLB ETA: Spring 2025
2. Moises Ballesteros, C
The short hook: Promising stick, but can he catch?
On paper, Ballesteros has immense upside. He split his age-20 season between Double- and Triple-A, batting .289/.354/.471 and launching 19 home runs from the left side. He has a good feel for the zone and contact alike, allowing him to mostly keep his strikeout rates below 20% despite being several years younger than his average opponent. The real questions about Ballesteros’ game are on the defensive end. He doesn’t yet grade as a good framer, and he’s never going to possess a strong arm. The Cubs seem to be hedging their bets on his chances of sticking behind the plate. Not only have they given Ballesteros looks at first base, but they inked veteran Carson Kelly to a two-year pact to pair with Miguel Amaya at the big-league level. Ballesteros could arrive at any point during the 2025 season; it’s to be seen whether he’ll do so with the intention of being used as a catcher most days. MLB ETA: Summer 2025
The short hook: Tantalizing strength, troubling swing and miss
Caissie has long intrigued evaluators with his ability to make hard contact. More than 42% of his balls in play last season were clocked over 95 mph, and he twice cleared the 115 mph threshold. (For reference, fewer than 30 qualified MLB batters did it even once in 2024.) The reason Caissie hasn’t found himself higher on these lists is because of his strikeout tendencies. To wit, his 28.4% K rate last season represented a new career best. Caissie remains prone to expanding the zone, and pitchers can get him to whiff both within the zone and on secondary pitches. His combination of pure upside and youth (he won’t celebrate his 22nd birthday until after Independence Day) make him worth monitoring, as any gains could turn him into a middle-of-the-order force. MLB ETA: Summer 2025
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