"You already know the story by now with Ballesteros, who'd be much higher on a list like this if the evaluator believed he was a future big-league-caliber catcher. The bat is legit. The ability to play even a couple times a week behind the plate remains the question."
"Wiggins has had a pretty similar walk rate - between four and six per nine innings - going back to his time at Arkansas, after which the Cubs took Wiggins as the 68th pick in 2023. He didn't pitch in 2023 as he was recovering from elbow surgery, and he has been ramping up his innings the past two years as his stuff has returned."
"He sits 95-99 and hits 101 mph with huge extension from a very high arm slot; it's a plus pitch and he throws it about 70% of the time. His cutter/slider hybrid (25% usage) is above average while his curveball and changeup are each used under 5% but both flash above-average potential. That said, the command questions have continued."
Two Chicago Cubs prospects appear in a top-100 ranking: Moises Ballesteros at 51 and Jaxon Wiggins at 83. Ballesteros offers a legitimate bat but faces uncertainty about his ability to reliably handle catching duties, which limits his projection. Wiggins carries command-related risk, with a walk rate around four-to-six per nine dating to his Arkansas days. He missed 2023 recovering from elbow surgery and has been ramping innings as his stuff returned. He sits 95–99 mph and touches 101, relies heavily on his fastball and a cutter/slider hybrid, flashes above-average secondary pitches, and profiles as a multi-inning reliever with starter upside if he improves command and trusts his offspeed offerings. His strikeout rate declined from 14.2% to 11.5% while advancing levels, which is viewed as encouraging.
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