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Three Cubs Prospects to Watch in 2026

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After a fantastic offseason, it’s easy to get distracted with the Chicago Cubs and how well they should play in 2026. The team’s playoff window is wide open for the foreseeable future. Excitement is as heightened as it’s been in the last decade. Not to be forgotten are the team’s core group of prospects. They are those who will look to keep the big league team’s playoff window open as they debut one by one.

The Cubs have made some moves in the past two seasons, but still boast two top-100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline. All three of these players will start in the minor leagues and look to climb their way up the ladder to the show. Some will have an opportunity to debut in the majors this coming season. One we get to see fully healthy in his first year of minor league action. A lot to unpack ahead, so let’s jump into three Cubs prospects you should keep an eye on in 2026.

Cubs No. 6 Prospect – 1B Jonathan Long

Jonathan Long is a 23-year-old first baseman who had a monster season with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs in 2025. Before becoming a former ninth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Long nearly set the school record at Long Beach State for home runs. His right-handed bat has played and adjusted well at every level. In Double-A Tennessee in 2024, Long slashed .340/.455/.528 with a .983 OPS. He spent the entire season there and was promoted to Triple-A this past season, where he hit .305/.404/.479 with 20 home runs and 91 RBIs.

Long took 504 at-bats at the highest level of the minors last year and managed to lower his K rate against tougher competition to 19.1%. His walk rate remained excellent at 13%, earning him a top-90th percentile ranking in on-base percentage across the minor leagues.

Where things become tricky for Long is finding him a permanent roster spot with the big league team. The Cubs signed Tyler Austin out of Japan this winter, a right-handed first baseman, with the intention of having him come off the bench. Long, however, isn’t someone you want coming off the bench here and there, as he needs to get his daily reps in at the plate. What will be interesting to see will be if he gets a shot in the event of injury. Long’s bat appears MLB-ready, as he doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors. At some point in 2026, he should debut.

 

Cubs No. 5 Prospect – OF Ethan Conrad

Drafted in the first round of the 2025 MLB Draft, Ethan Conrad did enough for the Cubs to roll the dice. Conrad slashed .372/.495/.744 at Wake Forest in just 71 at-bats before a shoulder injury ended his season prematurely. Those numbers, however, were more of the same from a hitter who has established himself as elite everywhere he’s played.

In 2024 at Marist, Conrad posted a .389/.467/.704 line with nine homers and 52 RBIs. He followed that up by putting his elite contact skills on full display in the wooden-bat Cape Cod League, where he recorded a .385/.433/.486 slash line across 109 at-bats.

Conrad did not play in the minors in 2025 due to the surgery but was working out at the Cubs’ spring complex in Arizona toward the end of the year. If he’s ready to go without any setbacks, he’ll be a key prospect to watch in the Cubs’ organization. After the Cubs traded Owen Caissie, their outfield prospect depth thinned, and Conrad represents a strong opportunity for the organization to continue producing high-end talent.

 

Cubs No. 2 Prospect, MLB No. 67 – RHP Jaxon Wiggins

Standing 6’6”, right-hander Jaxon Wiggins put on a masterclass in 2025. Drafted in the supplemental second round in 2023, Wiggins posted a 2.19 ERA across three minor league levels last season. After making the jump to Triple-A in early September, he struggled in his three starts, primarily due to an elevated walk rate.

Wiggins has otherworldly stuff, but harnessing his control will be what takes him from good to elite. You can get away with overpowering hitters at the lower levels, but refining command becomes critical at this stage. Fortunately, the Cubs’ pitching infrastructure is among the best in baseball. Wiggins possesses the kind of arsenal that profiles well at the highest level.

In 2025, former Cubs top prospect Cade Horton added an extra pitch, a changeup, during his rookie season. It proved effective by keeping hitters off balance, thanks to the relatively low usage of each of his pitches. Up to this point, Wiggins has primarily relied on a three-pitch mix consisting of a fastball, slider, and changeup. It will be interesting to see if he can add a fourth pitch to his repertoire for similar reasons.

The hope is that the Cubs can eventually feature a dynamic one-two punch with Wiggins and Horton. A 4.15 BB/9 won’t play in the majors, but once that number comes down, true ace potential emerges. All eyes will be on his command this season. If things go smoothly, a 2026 call-up feels like a no-brainer.

 

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