Over at ESPN, Kiley McDaniel has released his post-draft, post-trade deadline top-100 prospects update, and it’s not a particularly rosy one for the Chicago Cubs.
We know the situation with the farm system right now, so it’s not exactly a surprise to see very little Cubs representation, but it is nevertheless disappointing:
“41. Josiah Hartshorn, RF, Chicago Cubs, Age: 19.5, Level: High-A”
The end. That is the only Cubs mention in the entire thing.
On the one hand, it’s nice to see Hartshorn shooting up another list, and making himself into a consensus top-50 prospect in the game in his first pro season.
On the other hand, it’s a real bummer to see no other Cubs listed, including catcher Owen Ayers.
Unbelievable, Owen Ayers with ANOTHER, his 32nd caught stealing of the year!Ayers delivers a dot from a right-knee down kickstand on a pitch that missed outside, what a throw!pic.twitter.com/YK9LqjsYNG t.co/pjHMXYxrv7
— Nate Roper (@NateRoper_) August 20, 2026Solid all around effort from Owen Ayers ? pic.twitter.com/VJnwFtpVIi
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 20, 2026Ayers, 25, is hitting .276/.394/.391/108 wRC+ in his first go at Triple-A, reaching the level after obliterating High-A and Double-A earlier this year. He’ll need to reincorporate his power in order to really be a productive bat at the highest level, but the year has seen him accelerate so fast that (especially as a good defensive catcher) it’s hardly concerning. Throw in the fact that he has an outstanding 16.3%/22.1% BB/K at the level and frankly he’s only continued to grow in my esteem. There’s a reason the Cubs didn’t want to trade him at the deadline.
The Owen Ayers omission is more than merely an annoying lack of a plaudit: McDaniel’s list is one of three considered for the Prospect Promotion Incentive. So if Ayers were to stay off of this top-100 through the offseason, he would need to make Baseball America’s top-100 (he’s already on MLB Pipeline’s) in order to qualify for the PPI. Maybe it wouldn’t end up mattering, but just in case, you certainly want him to qualify.
And he should. An MLB-ready, high-quality defensive catcher with significant offensive upside? How is that not a top-100 prospect?
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