The Chicago Cubs still have great talent at the top of its prospect pool, according to Baseball America.
The site re-ranked its Top 100 for the first time this season, relying on its own scouting, along with consultations with MLB decision makers, scouts and executives.
The Cubs had four players among the Top 100 prospects in baseball, two of which have received Major League call-ups this year. Third baseman Matt Shaw was No. 33, though he is back at Triple-A Iowa to work on his swing. Pitcher Cade Horton was ranked No. 51, and he was officially placed on the roster on Saturday.
The other two prospects are at Iowa — catcher Moises Ballesteros is ranked No. 37 and outfielder Owen Caissie is ranked No. 69.
But one prospect listed among the Top 100 fell out of the rankings.
At the start of the season, Alcantara, an outfielder, was ranked No. 66 by Baseball America. By falling out of the rankings, he was the highest-ranked preseason prospect to fall completely out of the Top 100.
So, what happened? Baseball America’s editors put it rather simply.
“Alcantara remains a solid prospect, but there are concerns that he has somewhat stagnated at Triple-A,” per the site’s editors.
Stagnant is not a good word to describe a 22-year-old in his sixth year of professional baseball. This is also a prospect regarded well enough by the Cubs to get 10 at-bats at the Major League level last year.
That came after a 2024 in which he slashed .278/.353/.428 with 14 home runs and 61 RBI. It was his third straight minor league season with more than 10 home runs and more than 60 RBI.
This year he’s back at Iowa and through 28 games he’s slashed .257/.333/.400 with two home runs and 16 RBI. Those are solid numbers. But if the perception is that he’s stagnated, then he’ll need to improve.
This loss of luster may have as much to do with Pete Crow-Armstrong. The former No. 1 prospect is an elite defender whose bat has caught up to his glove. He’s playing at an All-Star level. With Ian Happ on one side and Kyle Tucker on the other, plus Seiya Suzuki as a fourth outfielder, it may take an injury to get Alcantara back to the Majors this season.
