3 reasons to be thankful for Cubs prospects this Thanksgiving

It’s the reason for the season.

On Thursday, folks all across Chicagoland and beyond will gather with plates filled with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes for American Thanksgiving, and with the Bears not playing until the next day, maybe the attention around the dining table turns to another sports fandom.

While the Cubs fell short of their World Series goal this postseason by losing to the Brewers in five games in the NLDS, there’s still hope on the horizon that deeper playoff runs are possible in the years to come with help from a farm system that’s heavy at the top with MLB-ready (or near-MLB-ready) prospect talent.

Between bites this week, here are three reasons Cubs fans can be thankful for the organization’s pipeline:

1. Caissie, Ballesteros ready for bigger roles

Top 100 prospects Owen Caissie (No. 47) and Moisés Ballesteros (No. 53) combined to get 93 plate appearances in the Majors in 2025, and the latter added three more via playoff pinch-hit duty. Neither got an overly large sample size in The Show – they wouldn’t be considered prospects anymore if they had – but both got their feet wet enough to set themselves up for 2026.

The biggest piece of Cubs news is the potential (and perhaps likely) departure of Kyle Tucker via free agency, and that would most directly affect Caissie – a lefty hitter with plus power potential and a strong enough arm to plug nicely into right field in Tucker’s absence. The 23-year-old has played 226 games at Triple-A since 2024, hitting .281/.380/.507 with 41 homers in that span. His 107.9 mph 90th-percentile exit velocity for Iowa was exceptional -- no one had a higher mark among Cubs players in the Majors last season. Caissie's 114 mph double on Aug. 23 was the third-hardest-hit ball by any Cub all year.

But whether he can make enough contact against Major League pitching remains in question. Caissie whiffed on 36.5 percent of his swings against non-fastballs in Triple-A this season, and the MLB average (against better arms) was 32.1. Getting the swing-and-miss in line will be a key focus during Caissie’s time in Mesa next spring, regardless of whether the Cubs bring back Tucker or acquire another option for right field.

The outfield depth chart could also have further ramifications for Ballesteros, despite the fact that he’s only played catcher, first base or designated hitter in his career.

The Cubs could decide to push Seiya Suzuki back into full-time defensive duty in right field, opening up the DH spot for the 22-year-old. Now, it isn’t ideal to be talking about moving such a young player to full-time DH duty so early in his career, but it’s Ballesteros’ best chance at a full-time job, given his own defensive shortcomings behind the plate and Michael Busch locked in at first base.

The lefty slugger certainly made a nice first impression in ‘25 with a .298/.394/.474 line and two homers in 20 regular-season games. His chase and strikeout rates were reasonable in the small sample, and with a 112.8 mph max exit velo (on a Sept. 17 homer), he proved there’s plenty in the tank power-wise in his stout 5-foot-8 frame.

In other words, Chicago has internal, farm-developed options, and that’s how year-over-year contenders are built.

2. Get ready for the Jaxon Wiggins fastball

Wiggins, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, jumped into the MLB Pipeline Top 100 for the first time this year by posting a 2.19 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP with 97 strikeouts in 78 innings across High-A, Double-A and Triple-A. A big reason for that was the quality of his four-seam fastball.

The heater averaged 97.1 mph, per Synergy data, reaching as high as 101. Velo isn’t enough on its own nowadays, of course, so Wiggins’ four-seamer reached plus-plus status with good carry and armside run, as well, averaging 17.1 inches on the former and 10.2 on the latter in his three-start Triple-A stint. Throw in above-average extension (6.7 feet), and it’s easy to see why batters from both sides struggled against it.

Lefties missed on 40 percent of their swings against Wiggins’ fastball, while righties had a better 25 percent whiff rate but still only slugged .282 against it. The pitch's 33 percent overall whiff rate would be fifth-best among four-seamers in the Majors (min. 500 four-seamers thrown), topping offerings from fireballers like Jacob Misiorowski (32.5), Garrett Crochet (30.2) and Paul Skenes (29.0).

Wiggins still has to get his first taste of the Majors and prove he can stay healthy long-term. He underwent Tommy John surgery in his Draft year of 2023 and still hasn’t thrown more than 80 innings in a season since. But the quality and results of the four-seamer are eye-popping and should get him long looks this spring and a debut at some point in the first half of ‘26.

3. A good time to draft a Demon Deacon

The Cubs took an interesting swing in July when they selected Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad with the 17th overall pick.

After two standout seasons at Marist, Conrad transferred to Wake Forest and played only 21 games for the ACC powerhouse before suffering a season-ending left shoulder injury. He hit .372/.495/.744 with seven homers and a 14/18 K/BB ratio before that, though, as a result of his impressive bat-to-ball skills. He also became less swing-happy as a Wake Forest junior, cutting his chase rate from 30 percent as a Marist sophomore to 27 percent this spring.

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That could be a result of overall maturity, but it also didn’t hurt to gain instruction and coaching at Wake, a school that has produced seven first-rounders over the last three Drafts. The most prominent was 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, a true star at first base for the A’s already after his first full season.

Cubs fans shouldn’t expect a similar trajectory from Conrad. Even the organization was quick to downplay his chances of moving quickly toward Wrigley Field so soon after the shoulder issue. But there’s never been a better time to draft someone from the Wake Forest program, and now it’s on Conrad to translate his hitting lessons from Winston-Salem and to South Bend, Knoxville and beyond.