10 Cubs Prospects To Know Beyond The Top 30 in 2025
Baseball America’s Top 30 Chicago Cubs Prospects entering 2025 are here exclusively for subscribers. The list includes updated scouting reports, BA grades and tool grade projections every player.
Inevitably, there are players every year who barely miss the cut when we narrow down the list. These players are all worth monitoring for various reasons and it’s likely some will either reach the big leagues in 2025 or enjoy breakout seasons lower in the minors.
Here are next 10 players to know in the Cubs system beyond their Top 30. You can find the complete index of players who just missed their teams’ respective lists here.
31. Eli Lovich, OF. The Cubs signed Lovich out of the Kansas prep ranks for $650,000 in the 11th round of the 2024 draft. Lovich is a 6-foot-4, 175-pound outfielder and was a two-way talent as a prep. He was announced as an outfielder but has potential on the mound as well.
32. Drew Gray, LHP. Gray made 22 starts for High-A South Bend in his first year at a full-season level. Gray shows big stuff but has struggled to land his pitches for strikes.
33. Daniel Avitia, RHP. The Cubs twice drafted Avitia, a low-slot lefthander who they selected in the 19th round in 2021 and in the 12th round of the 2024 MLB draft. Avitia’s mix doesn’t feature much power but he creates tremendous deception from his arm slot.
34. JP Wheat, RHP. Chicago drafted Wheat out of Next Level Academy in the 16th round of the 2022 draft. He finally made his professional debut in 2024 after he had Tommy John surgery prior to the draft. Wheat mixes three pitches in a four-seam fastball that sits 95-97 mph, a low-80s slider and a firm changeup.
35. Frankie Scalzo, RHP. Selected out of Grand Canyon in the 14th round of the 2021 draft, Scalzo reached Triple-A in 2024 making 24 appearances out of the pen. His three-pitch mix is led by a mid-80s slider with spin rates in the 2700-2900 rpm range, a low-to-mid-90s fastball with ride and cut and a rarely-thrown changeup.
36. Kenyi Perez, RHP. Despite terrible results in 2024, Perez flashes some of the biggest stuff in the Cubs system. He sits 94-95 mph with heavy cut mixing a mid-80s slider and a changeup. If Perez can clean up his control he has closer-level stuff.
37. BJ Murray, 3B. After a breakout season in 2023 where Murray hit .263/.382/.462 over 124 games, he struggled throughout 2024 hitting just .199 over 103 games primarily at Triple-A. He was left unprotected for the 2024 Rule 5 draft and went unselected.
38. Fernando Cruz, SS. One of the top signees from the 2024 international signing class, Cruz struggled in his professional debut hitting just .215 with a .655 OPS over 79 at-bats in the Dominican Summer League.
39. Andy Garriola, OF. The Cubs signed Garriola for $50,000 in the 17th round of the 2022 out of Old Dominion. Garriola hit .246/.319/.484 with 21 home runs across both Class-A levels in 2024.
40. Ariel Armas, C. Drafted out of San Diego in the fifth round of the 2024 draft, Armas debuted following the draft and showed solid underlying plate skills despite below-average production.
