Chicago Cubs Dominate Latest Top 100 Prospect Rankings

The Chicago Cubs have one of the richest organizations in baseball, especially when it comes to top-end talent.

Iowa Cubs' Owen Caissie runs toward the dugout during a game against the Toledo Mud Hens at Principal Park on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, in Des Moines. / Lily Smith/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

There is a reason why the Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate in Iowa is worth watching these days.

MLB Pipeline released its new Top 100 prospect rankings on Tuesday and six Cubs prospects made the cut, which is two more than the Cubs had in Baseball America’s Top 100 re-rank last month.

The incredible part is that all six Top 100 Cubs prospects are with Iowa, just one step away from the Majors. They’re part of an organization that has been considered one of the best, in terms of the minor leagues, for the past three ranking cycles.

The group is led by infielder Matt Shaw, who just joined Iowa a couple of weeks ago, who was ranked No. 25. He is followed by pitcher Cade Horton at No. 31, who is out for the rest of the season after an injury.

Outfielder Owen Caissie is at No. 36, followed by catcher Moises Ballesteros at No. 44. Two other recent call-ups round out the half-dozen — infielder James Triantos at No. 60 and outfielder Kevin Alcántara at No. 74.

Ballesteros, who was called up to Iowa before the All-Star break, was the third-highest ranked non-drafted newcomer in the re-rank. He participated in the MLB Futures Skills Challenge during All-Star weekend, while Shaw and Triantos played in the MLB Futures Game.

The Cubs were also tied with four other organizations for the most prospects in the Top 100, joining the Cleveland Guardians, the Seattle Mariners, the Colorado Rockies and the Minnesota Twins.

Chicago also has the most “prospect points” with 336, which is the cumulation of each prospect’s ranking in reverse order (100 points for No. 1, etc…). After the Cubs are the Detroit Tigers (332), the Tampa Bay Rays (325), the Minnesota Twins (321) and the Boston Red Sox (320).

Chicago sacrificed some Top 100 talent at the trade deadline but was able to avoid giving up any highly-coveted talent.

The Cubs also did well in the MLB draft, selected Florida State infielder Cam Smith in the first round and have already dropped him in their system.

Chicago has graduated some of its better prospects in the past 18 months, including outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is considered one of the best defensive prospects in the game, and pitcher Jordan Wicks. He was a late-season addition to the Cubs’ roster last season and is back with Iowa on a rehab assignment as he tries to come back from an injury.