Jonathon Long has never been the most heralded prospect.
Long was a ninth-round draft out of Long Beach State in 2023, after clubbing 26 homers in three seasons with the Dirtbags and entered this season ranked No.12 on Lance Brozdowski’s list of top Cubs prospects.
Ninth-round draft picks rarely end up as top prospects and even more infrequently play in the majors. The last Cubs ninth-round pick to play in the majors was 2008 selection Jay Jackson. The right handed reliever appeared in 104 MLB games across six seasons but never played for the Cubs.
To find the last Cubs ninth-round pick to appear in a game with the North Siders, you have to go all the way back to 2002, when the team selected Adam Greenberg out of the University of North Carolina. Greenberg has one of the most unique stories in baseball history, being hit in the head in his only plate appearance with the Cubs. He didn’t return to the major league stage until 2012, when the Marlins signed him to a one day contract and allowed him the opportunity to take a second plate appearance.
So to say history is not on Long’s side would be an understatement.
And yet, Long leads Triple-A Iowa in hits and total bases and holds an impressive slash line of .323/.401/.514 (.914 OPS). After an impressive showing in the prospect-laden Arizona Fall League, where he finished Top 5 in the circuit in homers (six in 18 games) and slugging (.662), Long appears to be knocking on the doorstep of a major-league callup.
Brozdowski traveled to Iowa recently and talked to Long and I-Cubs hitting coach Rachel Folden to discuss how Long’s approach at the dish has allowed him to be so successful.
“It is pretty simple,” Folden told Brozdowski on the “Road to Wrigley: Farm Report.” “He puts the barrel on the baseball a lot, and he picks out good pitches to hit. He never looks sped up. The move is really simple and you can tell he’s really committed to executing his plan. It’s been fun to watch.”
Long has pounded out 105 hits in 88 games in his first taste of Triple-A baseball in Iowa this season, and Folden credits his ability to keep the barrel in the zone for a long time.
“So if he gets beat a little bit, he can shoot the ball that way [opposite field],” Folden said. “And if he hits out in front, he is still in the zone long enough that he can still clip some doubles and homers on the pull side.”
[Watch the entire hitting breakdown with Long and Folden on the Marquee Sports Network app]
Long added that since he has been drafted, he has worked on keeping his bat path in the zone longer.
“After I got drafted, I wanted to improve my distance in zone,” Long said on “Road to Wrigley.” “So I figured out staying through the zone longer, it helps with your bat path but you also find more hits in the outfield.”
Long’s career trajectory changed with a July 20 call-up to Double-A Tennessee last season. In the 152 games since then, the first baseman has 27 home runs, 109 RBIs and a .329 batting average for Tennessee, Iowa and Mesa (Arizona Fall League). Folden says she simply tries to let Long be himself.
“Most of the time I try to stay out of his way,” Folden told Brozdowski with a laugh. “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Johnny the second half of last year when he was on the heaters of all heaters in Double-A and it just hasn’t slowed down.”
The odds have been stacked against Long since his draft day, but Cubs fans will hope the right-handed bat’s approach will help the big-league club soon.