Three Cubs prospects selected to participate in All-Star festivities
A trio of Cubs prospects will be showcased on the national level.
Outfielder Owen Caissie (Triple-A Iowa) and Matt Shaw (Double-A Tennessee) will participate in this year’s Futures Game during All-Star Week festivities in Texas later this month. Additionally, Moisés Ballesteros (Triple-A Iowa) will participate in the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase.
Caissie, 21, ranks as the 35th best prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He’s hitting .283 with 8 home runs, 45 RBI, .842 OPS and a 121 weighted runs-created plus in 73 games.
Acquired in the Yu Darvish trade in 2020, Caissie has performed at every stop in the minor leagues. Last year as a 20-year-old, Caissie clubbed 22 home runs with 84 RBI and a 144 wRC+ in 120 games with Tennessee. He started the year with Iowa and has put himself on the radar for a potential call-up this year.
Shaw, 22, was the Cubs 1st-round pick last season out of Maryland. Known as an advanced hitter, Shaw advanced to Double-A last year after being drafted in July and started the season with the Smokies. He’s ranked as the 30th overall prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
He’s picked up right where he left off — Shaw has 10 home runs, 35 RBI, a .789 OPS and a 135 wRC+ in 68 games this season. Shaw has done all that while manning, primarily, a new position — third base.
Ballesteros, 20, was recently called up to Triple-A after thriving in the Southern League. The catcher hit .299 with 9 home runs in 56 games before getting the bump. The jump in levels hasn’t affected him. In 11 games with the I-Cubs, Ballesteros is hitting .378 with a home run and 3 RBI. He is ranked 61st on MLB Pipeline’s top 100 prospects.
The MLB Futures Skills Showcase will feature three rounds of hitting challenges. The first round will have players hitting targets, the second will highlight a player’s ability to spray the ball around the field and the final round will show the player’s abilities to drive the ball for power.
Outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and infielder BJ Murray Jr. were the two representatives for the Cubs in last season’s Futures Game.