CHICAGO -- The Cubs have a track record of focusing on college athletes at the top of the MLB Draft and then reaching for some prep stars with athleticism and upside once Day 2 arrives. This year’s Draft has followed that recent pattern for the North Siders.

• Cubs take

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

CHICAGO -- Cam Smith went on a tour of Wrigley Field with his grandparents when he was a kid. He has pictures of him with his relatives -- big Cubs fans from Indiana -- but he was too young to have held on to the actual memories from that day

With a plus hit tool, solid power, an excellent arm and good fielding instincts at the hot corner, Florida State sophomore Cam Smith is the best true third baseman in the 2024 Draft class. Here’s your guide to the No. 14 overall pick, selected by the Cubs.

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. CHICAGO – The Cubs believed in Moises Ballesteros’ bat when they signed him out of Venezuela as part of their international class ahead of

The way Matt Shaw sees it, getting through the grind of the baseball season is all about building momentum each and every day. Show up to the park, stay focused, and get a little better each time out. If last week is any indication, the rest of the league may

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter, with this edition handled by reporter Tim Stebbins. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Moises Ballesteros has always dreamed about hitting for the cycle. On Friday night, it came to fruition. The Cubs’ No. 6 prospect stepped up to the plate in the top of the ninth inning with a single, double and home run to his name. Down to his last strike, Ballesteros

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

What exactly is a pure hitter? It’s a term that many discuss, but few define. On last week's Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo detailed what a pure hitter is and took it a step further by ranking the top 10 pure-hitting prospects.

There's been a lot of fluctuation on the rookie front in the past 30 days or so. Not all of the Top 100 prospect debuts made some noise, and as a result, some others with more notable performances over the last four weeks played themselves back into contention for the

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox. CHICAGO -- It was not all that long ago that Brennen Davis was topping prospect rankings for the Cubs and looking like a power

CHICAGO -- The Cubs got MLB’s first crack at Paul Skenes when he made his big league debut against them in Pittsburgh last week. And although they had some success against the No. 1 pick in the 2023 Draft, they also acknowledge the obvious. You can see something special in

Just two years ago, Brennen Davis was the star of the Cubs’ farm system and one of the most highly regarded prospects in all of baseball. But it’s been a difficult couple of years for Davis, whose career stalled was slowed by injuries and inconsistencies. That makes his current hot

The Rookie-level Arizona Complex and Florida Complex leagues began play last Saturday, a month earlier than they did a year ago. The changes mean that the circuits will be populated more by players making the jump from the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League the season before and less by guys coming

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

NEW YORK -- Cubs right-hander Ben Brown saw his wish come true on Thursday afternoon. The Long Island native and No. 9 prospect in the organization pitched at Citi Field for the first time in a 7-6 loss to the Mets in 11 innings. Brown, who entered the day having

NEW YORK -- Right-hander Cade Horton, the No. 2 prospect in the Cubs organization according to MLB Pipeline, is a step closer to the big leagues. He was promoted from Double-A Tennessee to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. The news was first reported by the Des Moines Register. Horton, 22, dominated

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.