Coming into the year, the Chicago Cubs had one of the highest-ranked farm systems in baseball, overflowing with young talent.
The lofty ranking seems to have been deserved based on how well their rookies have performed this year. They have two players, third baseman Matt Shaw and starting pitcher Cade Horton, who have been integral to the team’s success this season. Horton is viewed by some as the favorite to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award with only a few weeks remaining in the season.
Even with their graduations, there is still a lot of talent in the minor leagues for the Cubs. Owen Caissie, their top ranked prospect, provided a glimpse of what the future holds. Kevin Alcantara is another outfielder with the tools to be an impact performer at the Major League level. Don’t forget about catcher/first baseman Moises Ballesteros either.
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Chicago’s organizational depth is buoyed by a lot of talented positional players. The aforementioned three players all have bright futures, but they are far from the only youngsters people are excited about. A little further down their rankings, another positional player has emerged in 2025.
First baseman Jonathon Long has caught the attention of a lot of people. A ninth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Long Beach State, he had a stellar first full year as a pro in 2024. He has built upon that success, taking his game to another level, being named to the All-Breakout Prospect Team by Jim Callis of MLB.com.
“Long’s 26 career homers rank second all-time at pitcher-friendly Long Beach State, and he has exceeded expectations since the Cubs drafted him in the ninth round two years ago,” Callis wrote.
6. Jonathon Long – 1B – AAA
Long has been very impressive since being a 9th round pick in ’23. A career .887 OPS, the plus hit tool has shown its whole way through the minors. The power has came through too with 43 career HRs in 269 games. pic.twitter.com/ggvxHb0BiF
— Inside The Diamond (@InsideTheDiamnd) September 7, 2025
That power potential has been on full display as a pro. After launching 17 home runs last season, he hit another six during Arizona Fall League play in only 87 games. During the 2025 campaign, he has upped that number again to 19. His slugging percentage has seen a steady increase, going from .461 to .493, with his OPS jumping 54 points as well.
Producing a .311/.413/.493 slash line with Triple-A Iowa, there isn’t much left for Long to prove at this point. Unfortunately, there is a logjam at first base, where Michael Busch is currently entrenched as the starter. That is why it is so important that he is working on his versatility, also logging innings at third base and left field, to improve his odds of making the Major League roster at some point next year.
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