Rising Cubs Prospect Quickly Becoming Untouchable

There aren’t many prospects who are untouchable in the Chicago Cubs' farm system. 

The Cubs would probably be hesitant to trade away top prospects like Jefferson Rojas and Jaxon Wiggins, and likely wouldn’t be ready to give up on their 2025 first-round pick Ethan Conrad. 

However, one prospect is emerging as untouchable in the organization. 

Cubs’ No. 7 prospect Josiah Hartshorn has been on another level in his first professional season. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB Draft and has quickly made an impact down in the minors. 

After not appearing in any games once he got drafted last year, Hartshorn started this season with Single-A Myrtle Beach. There, he slashed .273/.424/.460 with five home runs, nine doubles, one triple, 25 RBI, and four stolen bases. 

The 19-year-old really showed his all-around game with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He showed his contact skills with a .273 average, showed his power with a .884 OPS, and showed his elite plate discipline with more walks (34) than strikeouts (27). 

Those strong numbers at Single-A earned Hartshorn a promotion to High-A after just 39 games. He made his High-A South Bend debut on May 26 and simply can’t be stopped at the plate right now. 

The outfielder is slashing an absurd .403/.463/.821 with eight home runs, four doubles, 28 RBI, and one stolen base in his first 19 games with the South Bend Cubs. He has also drawn eight walks and has a 1.284 OPS across 67 at-bats. 

Usually, when prospects are promoted to another level, there’s somewhat of an adjustment period. The talent is better, the pitching gets harder, and the competition intensifies. 

In Hartshorn's case, he has needed no time to adjust. He has been the best hitting prospect in the Cubs’ system this year and continues to display his potential down in the minors. 

The young outfielder has four home runs in his last five contests and five home runs in his last 10 games. He has 15 RBI since June 5 and has tallied a hit in 17 of his first 19 games with the South Bend Cubs. 

Given the way Hartshorn has hit the ball to begin his professional career, he’s approaching untouchable territory in trade talks. The Cubs couldn’t possibly trade away a 19-year-old tearing the cover off the ball at High-A. 

Hartshorn should continue to rise up prospect rankings. He has a chance to be featured on MLB Pipeline’s top-100 prospect ranking very soon and is looking like the next great Cubs prospect in the organization.