The Chicago Cubs have a lot of young players on their organizational depth chart who are creating a lot of excitement and optimism for 2025 and their long-term future.
At the Major League level, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has blossomed into a legitimate two-way superstar and thrust himself into the National League MVP conversation entering June.
At third base, the Cubs can rest a little easier knowing that Matt Shaw looks to have acclimated himself and gotten things figured out. After a brutal start to the 2025 campaign led to a demotion, he has been excellent since his promotion.
The future of the Chicago pitching rotation is also on display in the Big Leagues, with Cade Horton helping compensate for the losses of Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.
All three of them are playing out their age-23 seasons, providing what can be a strong foundation for the franchise to build around for years to come.
A glimpse of another top prospect, cacher/first baseman Moises Ballesteros, was also had during the 2025 campaign.
Who could be the next prospect that gets a look on the Major League roster?
Keep an eye on outfielder Kevin Alcantara, who made another small move up the most recent prospect rankings shared by Keith Law of The Athletic (subscription required).
In the preseason, the Cubs’ youngster was ranked No. 33 by the insider. He was moved up a few spots in the newest edition, ranked No. 31 and showcasing the incredible power potential he possesses.
“The enormous upside is still here, as he’s a center fielder with a hard-hit rate of 52.6 percent and 90th percentile EV of 109.3 mph this year,” Law wrote.
Alcantara certainly has a future in the Big Leagues, as his ability to hit the ball consistently hard will translate to a lot of production.
However, there are some holes in his game that need to still be addressed, namely his ability to handle breaking pitches.
Opposing pitchers are finding success attacking him with sliders and sweepers, both inside and outside of the strike zone. Until he can start recognizing those pitches and lay off of them more effectively, he will remain in the minor leagues.
Once he gets that figured out, which should result in also cutting down on his 31.4% strike out rate, a promotion to the Major Leagues shouldn’t be too far behind.
This season, Alcantara has a .246/.330/.431 slash line with seven home runs, 10 doubles and 31 RBI to go along with six stolen bases.
