Owen Caissie Departure Limits Cubs to Two Top 100 Minor League Prospects

At this time last year, the Chicago Cubs were brimming with Top 100 prospects, five of them in all.

After Baseball America (subscription required) and MLB Pipeline released their updated Top 100 prospects earlier this week, Chicago is down to two of them — catcher Moisés Ballesteros and pitcher Jaxon Wiggins.

Owen Caissie, the former Cubs outfield prospect, is still in the Top 100 even though he’s with the Miami Marlins after the trade to acquire pitcher Edward Cabrera. But if he makes the opening day roster, he’ll graduate soon. The same is true for Ballesteros.

Moises Ballesteros | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs top 100 prospects

Baseball America ranked Ballesteros at No. 36 and Wiggins at No. 78. Pipeline ranked Ballesteros at No. 55 and Wiggins at No. 58.

Ballesteros has already made his Major League debut. Prospects usually graduate from rankings after 130 at-bats. He made 57 at-bats with Chicago last year, mostly as a designated hitter, slashing .298/.394/.474 with two home runs and 11 RBI in 20 MLB games. Meanwhile, he slashed .316/.385/.473 with 13 home runs and 76 RBI at Iowa, indicating that he’s ready to be a full-time MLB player.

Even with the signing of Alex Bregman earlier this month, there is space for Ballesteros in the everyday lineup as a designated hitter, back-up catcher, or back-up first baseman. Barring injury or a significant backslide, he won’t be a prospect come May.

The Cubs took a chance on Wiggins that is starting to pay off. Chicago selected him with a second-round pick in 2023 out of Arkansas, knowing that he would miss that year after Tommy John surgery. When he recovered and returned to the mound in 2024, he got in 18 starts at three different affiliates and went 3-6 with a 4.37 ERA. He struck out 71 and walked 36 in 59.2 innings, with a 1.31 WHIP and a .194 opponent batting average.

He made huge progress in 2025, putting himself on prospect radars across baseball. He started the season at High-A South Bend and finished it at Triple-A Iowa. Combined, he went just 3-4, but he lowered his ERA to 2.19 in 19 games (18 starts). He struck out 97 and walked 36 in 78 innings, as he had a 1.03 WHIP and allowed batters to hit .164 against him. He was also selected to play in the MLB Futures Game.

Last season, pitcher Cade Horton and infielder James Triantos were also among the Top 100 prospects. Horton graduated after he was promoted to the Cubs in May. Triantos is still in the organization, but his play didn’t warrant inclusion in this year’s Top 100.

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