2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Haydn McGeary

The Chicago Cubs are keeping tabs on their latest first base prospect, as Haydn McGeary makes the transition from Division II baseball.

InsidetheCubs.com will review each of the Chicago Cubs’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.

No. 17: 1B Haydn McGeary, Tennessee Smokies (Double-A), South Bend Cubs (High-A)

Statistics for 2023: (124 games) .275/.397/.462/.859 with 65 runs, 23 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs, 88 RBI, seven stolen bases.

For Tennessee (104 games) .255/.382/.435/.817 with 56 runs, 15 doubles, one triple, 16 home runs, 75 RBI, four stolen bases.

For South Bend (20 games) .368/.467/.592/.1/059 with nine runs, eight doubles, three home runs, 13 RBI, three stolen bases.

Season Transactions: McGeary started the season at South Bend and was promoted to Tennessee on May 2.

Season Summary: He basically overpowered High-A pitching for a month with the South Bend Cubs and that forced the organization’s hands as it led to a promotion to Tennessee. There, the returns were solid, with a batting average better than .250, solid power numbers and a few stolen bases. Overall, there was improvement from year to year. His batting average and OPS were slightly higher over 2022, thought he only played 18 games. So his first full season of minor league baseball got him noticed throughout the organization.

Road Through the Organization: The Cubs snagged him in the 15th round but it’s starting to look like a steal. He was the college draft version of ‘cheap power.’ A product of Division II Colorado Mesa, he was a back-to-back D-II player of the year and led the division in hitting (.481), on-base percentage (.579), slugging (1.061), OPS (1.640), hits (103), homers (35), total bases (227) in 2022. Despite the college experience, he needs time to develop because he didn’t play at the game’s highest level before reaching the pros.

What’s next: The Cubs have worked him at designated hitter and first base, and the reality is he may be better suited as a full-time DH or corner infielder after the Cubs tried him at catcher initially. Scouts see him as a plus-batter and a not-so-plus runner and thrower. That’s a better makeup for a first baseman or a full-time hitter. Another season like 2023 and he may find himself at Triple-A Iowa by the end of 2024. His bat is starting to look too good to ignore.

2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30: Christian Franklin | No. 29: Brody McCullough | No. 28: Kohl Franklin | No. 27: Pablo Aliendo | No. 26: Porter Hodge | No. 25: Luke Little | No. 24: Jaxon Wiggins | No. 23: Caleb Kilian | No. 22: Josh Rivera | No. 21: Luis Vazquez | No. 20: Cristian Hernandez | No. 19: Brennen Davis | No. 18: B.J. Murray Jr. |