Spring Training has finally come.
Players all over baseball who have yet to officially join their club’s roster are headed south for their chance to prove that they have what it takes to step onto a major league field this season. The Chicago Cubs extended invites to 18 non-roster players, a handful of whom are some of their best prospects.
The Cubs are one of the best teams in either the National or American League at developing their own, so it will be more than exciting to see what they do, especially with three of their best.
These three are leading the charge as some of the most prominent in the Cubs pipeline right now and are inching closer to their inevitable debuts.
Jaxon Wiggins
Jaxon Wiggins | IMAGO / Newscom World
After pitching two years at Arkansas, the now 24-year-old was drafted by Chicago in the 2023 Amateur Draft. He is now entering his third year of minor league baseball and is creeping up on his chance to take on hitters in the majors.
Most of his time in the pipeline has been in the role of a starter, and in that stretch, he has posted a 3.14 ERA in 37 games. In the past two years, he has pitched in nearly 138 innings and has retired 168 batters.
Jefferson Rojas
Smokies Jefferson Rojas | Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Rojas is one of those players who went straight from high school to professional baseball. At just 17 years old, he was playing for Cubs Blue, and three years later, he had climbed the ranks into Double-A.
One thing that is going to keep Rojas from his unavoidable chance at playing for the Cubs is the stacked infield that they have right now. Rojas suits up at either shortstop or second base, which is currently not available with both Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner holding it down for Chicago.
#Cubs No. 6 prospect Jefferson Rojas is batting .405 with four homers, 15 RBIs and nine runs scored in his last 11 games.@USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/HRt4521VdG
— South Bend Cubs (@SBCubs) May 13, 2025
However, his progress in the minor leagues is nothing to overlook. Rojas was rightfully upgraded to Double-A after posting a slash line in Single-A+ of .278/.379/.492. He batted in 44 runs, hit 11 long balls, and stole 14 bases in 67 games.
Jonothan Long
Long finds himself in the same position as Rojas, as he has primarily been a first and third baseman. Those spots are filled by Michael Busch and Alex Bregman, both whom were listed in this year’s top-100 players.
Long has also suited up in left field, which could easily be a spot that needs to be filled with the lack of depth in the Cubs’ outfield right now, as both Kyle Tucker and Owen Caissie will be playing for different organizations this year.
Iowa Cubs’ Jonathon Long (27) throws the ball to second on Friday, March 28, 2025, at Principal Park in Des Moines. | Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The 24-year-old spent the entirety of 2025 in Triple-A, where he batted .305 while slugging .479. In the 140 games he played in, he batted in 91 runners to complement 20 long balls and 79 drawn walks.
It is clear that Chicago has a strong system for their prospects. The invitation to training for all three is significant as they get closer to their first appearance in the majors.
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