Rounding up where Cubs players rank on top prospect lists
It’s that time of year where a new MLB top prospects list drops seemingly every day.
MLB Pipeline unveiled their Top 100 rankings late last week and on Monday morning, Keith Law rolled out his Top 100 list at The Athletic.
Here’s where the Cubs rank on those lists, as well as on Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus – whose lists came out earlier this month.
The Athletic – Keith Law
14 – Matt Shaw
33 – Kevin Alcántara
46 – Moisés Ballesteros
74 – Cade Horton
One thing is clear from all of these lists: Matt Shaw is seen by all prospect evaluators as the Cubs’ best.
This is Shaw’s highest ranking among the 4 main outlets – all the way up to No. 14.
Here’s a snapshot of why Law is so high on Shaw:
Shaw is one of the best bets to hit for a high average of any prospect in the minors, and should add another half-grade of power to get last year’s 21 homers up into the 25-30 homer range in his best years. Depending on his position and how much he can improve his defense, he could be a 5-WAR player at his peak.
When the Cubs traded Isaac Paredes to Houston last month, it opened the door for the possibility of Shaw taking the Opening Day third base job in Spring Training and running with it.
[MORE: How Cubs, Matt Shaw are viewing third base opportunity this spring]
Shaw just turned 23 in November and is coming off his first full season as a pro. He finished last year with 35 games in Triple-A and overall hit .284/.379/.488 (.867 OPS) with 21 homers, 71 RBI and 31 stolen bases.
Law is also higher than most on Alcantara, who didn’t land in the Top 70 with MLB Pipeline or Baseball America and didn’t even show up on Baseball Prospectus’ Top 100 list at all.
Ballesteros is seen around the game as a consensus Top 100 prospect but his highest ranking comes on Law’s list at No. 46.
Horton ranked 49th on Law’s list a year ago but after he was limited to just 34.1 innings in 2024 due to injury, the young right-hander dropped 25 spots in this year’s ranking.
[The latest on Cubs top pitching prospect Cade Horton]
Other notable non-Cubs players on Law’s rankings include Cam Smith (No. 43) and Zyhir Hope (58).
Smith was the Cubs’ 1st-round pick last summer but the team traded him to Houston as part of the package for Kyle Tucker (along with the aforementioned Paredes).
Hope was the Cubs’ 11th-round pick in 2023 but was dealt to the Dodgers in the Michael Busch trade in January 2024.
MLB Pipeline
19 – Matt Shaw
52 – Cade Horton
54 – Owen Caissie
69 – Moisés Ballesteros
73 – James Triantos
90 – Kevin Alcántara
97 – Jefferson Rojas
The Cubs tied with the Mariners for the most players (7) represented on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list.
Shaw wasn’t quite as high on this list as Law’s, but he still settles in as a Top 20 prospect and easily the highest-ranked Cubs player.
Shaw, Ballesteros and Horton are the 3 Cubs prospects all outlets agree on for Top 100 inclusion. Caissie is also well-represented – landing on both Baseball America’s and Baseball Prospectus’ lists (as seen below).
Triantos and Rojas are the new additions on MLB Pipeline’s list.
Triantos – the Cubs’ 2nd round pick in 2021 – turns 22 this week and reached the Triple-A level last season. The infielder hit .300 with a .773 OPS, 7 homers and 47 stolen bases in 115 games in 2024 between Double-A and Triple-A.
Rojas doesn’t turn 20 until late-April and the young middle infielder spent 2024 with Advanced Class-A South Bend. He hit .245/.310/.336 (.646 OPS) in 96 games with 6 homers, 47 RBI and 21 stolen bases.
Baseball America
35 – Matt Shaw
54 – Cade Horton
62 – Moisés Ballesteros
64 – Owen Caissie
71 – Kevin Alcántara
Once again, Shaw is the leader of the pack but we see a slightly different order with the remaining quartet. Triantos landed on the “just missed” list by Baseball America.
Baseball Prospectus
26 – Matt Shaw
73 – Moisés Ballesteros
77 – Owen Caissie
85 – Cade Horton
Shaw ranks nearly 50 spots ahead of the next-closest Cubs player on BP’s list. Alcantara is a noticeable absence, as he ranked no lower than 90 on the other three lists.
You can see Shaw on that graphic, but you might notice something else – Smith comes in at No. 20.
Smith ranked 43rd on Keith Law’s list and 59th on MLB Pipeline’s list. This ranking further underscores the hefty price the Cubs had to pay to acquire Tucker in that blockbuster trade last month.