Chicago Cubs Breakout MLB Prospects For 2025

Entering 2025, we’re projecting a number of Cubs prospects to have the potential for a breakout season.

To qualify, a player must rank outside the organization’s Top 10 prospects entering the year. All scouting reports are from Baseball America’s 2025 Prospect handbook, which you can purchase here.

You can find Top 10 prospect rankings for all teams here and all breakout candidates here.

Cole Mathis, 3B

Preseason Rank: 11
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: Mathis broke out with College of Charleston in 2023, when he led the team in most offensive categories and also had a team-best 3.45 ERA and 1.28 WHIP on the mound. He then carried it over to the Cape Cod League that summer. Mathis didn’t pitch at all in 2024 and started slow at the plate, but ended the year on a hot streak. The Cubs selected Mathis in the second round and signed him for just under $1.7 million. He announced on Instagram in August that he had Tommy John surgery and would miss the remainder of 2024.

Scouting Report: Mathis stands 6-foot-1 with a muscular and athletic frame that allows him to hit for power while showing good velocity from the mound. Mathis is done pitching, but could blossom into a power-hitting third baseman with more work on the defensive side of the ball. At the plate, he shows above-average bat-to-ball skills with hyper-aggressive plate approach akin to Reds infielder Christian Encarnacion-Strand. Mathis’ above-average game power drives his profile. He shows the ability to consistently hit the ball in the air hard to all parts of the park, but optimizes for pullside launch. He’s a below-average straight-line runner and has been a fringe-average defender at third base. His plus arm might give him some leeway to stick at third and improve his footwork.

The Future: Mathis should debut some time in the first half of 2025 and look to prove himself as a position-only player.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 55. RUN: 40. FLD: 45. ARM: 60.

Jonathon Long, 1B/OF

Preseason Rank: 12
BA Grade/Risk: 45/High

Track Record: A three-year starter at Long Beach State, Long’s career year in 2023 earned him second team All-Big West honors. The Cubs drafted him in the ninth round that year and signed him for $179,400. Long opened 2024 with High-A South Bend before a July 20 promotion to Double-A Tennessee. Long took off after reaching the Southern League, hitting .340/.455/.528 with seven home runs over 46 games to end his season. He participated in the Arizona Fall league following the season.

Scouting Report: Long is a bat-first corner prospect who will likely end up at first base. He has the requisite plate skills and power to profile long-term at the position, and showed off his advanced hitting acumen in 2024. Long’s swing path is conducive for power, with a natural loft and uppercut finish. Despite a power-hitter’s stroke, Long shows above-average bat-to-ball skills against all pitch types. He’s an aggressive swinger against fastballs but rarely chases breaking balls out of the zone. In 2024, Long had a 16% chase rate against spin of all types. Long is a fringe-average runner who can handle an outfield corner when called upon. Ideally, he’s an everyday starter at first base where he is an average defender. Long played eight games at third base in 2024 and is unlikely to see much time there moving forward.

The Future: Long broke out showing the combination of plate skills and power that can profile at first base. He should spend a majority of 2025 with Triple-A Iowa.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 55. POW: 55. RUN: 40. FLD: 50. ARM: 45.

Angel Cepeda, SS

Preseason Rank: 13
BA Grade/Risk: 50/Extreme

Track Record: Cepeda grew up in New Jersey but moved to the Dominican Republic as a 17-year-old prior to signing with the Cubs for $1 million in January 2023. Cepeda debuted in the Dominican Summer League that year hitting .286/.427/.429 with a 15.4% walk rate and made the 2023 DSL all-star game. He hit .298/.383/.428 with three homers and an 11.3% walk rate over 56 games in his stateside Arizona Complex League debut in 2024.

Scouting Report: Cepeda is an athletic righthanded-hitting middle infielder with a well-rounded offensive skillset. He shows above-average bat-to-ball skills with a moderately aggressive approach. Cepeda will expand the zone against spin and offspeed, but not at an alarming rate. His exit velocity data is above-average for an 18-year-old with a 102.2 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and a 108.8 mph max exit velocity. He already shows the ability to put the ball in the air by catching consistent flush contact and projects for average home run totals. Cepeda is a plus runner who’s likely to steal 15 or more bases per season. He’s an average defender at multiple positions in the infield, seeing time at shortstop, second base and third base in 2024. Scouts feel his above-average arm has enough strength to stick on the left side of the infield, even if there’s some effort.

The Future: Cepeda should make his full-season debut in 2025 with Low-A Myrtle Beach.

Scouting Grades: HIT: 50. POW: 50. RUN: 60. FLD: 55. ARM: 55.