Cubs On Deck

Welcome into another edition of the Chicago Cubs Prospects Award Show! This year, Greg Huss, Greg Zumach, and Bryan Smith hand out 20 awards and superlatives. Whether you are looking for the Hitter of the Year or the best fastball in the system, you can find it in this episode!

Greg Huss and Bryan Smith recap the seasons of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, Knoxville Smokies, and Iowa Cubs by handing out an MVP, Cy Young, and Most Improved Player award at each of the affiliates that wrapped up or are wrapping up their seasons. Like last week with South Bend, the guys dig into plenty of players, with multiple guys making their case to bring home some hardware.

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss:

• Running through the 7 players reportedly being assigned to the Arizona Fall League
• Recapping the South Bend Cubs season by handing out MVP, Cy Young, and Most Improved Player awards (and the runners-up)
• Now that he has made it to Triple-A, how likely is it we see Jaxon Wiggins in Chicago this season?

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss and Greg Zumach:

• Kane Kepley's outrageously hot stretch
• Just how impressive is Myrtle Beach's 2nd half?
• Cristian Hernandez stolen bases compared to John Andreoli and Tony Campana
• Brandon Birdsell's elbow surgery
• Who are the prospects we are glad the Cubs didn't trade?
• Comparing Cubs prospect rankings from preseason 2024 to now to explain why the system is down so much

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss and Iowa Cubs broadcaster Jason Kempf:

• Iowa having a dedicated beat writer
• Biggest differences between working in Single-A vs. Triple-A
• The vibes in the Iowa clubhouse during the trade deadline
• This season's progression of James Triantos and Kevin Alcantara
• Who should win this year's Cubs minor league hitter of the year award? Moises Ballesteros, Owen Caissie, or Jonathon Long?
• The revolving door that is a Triple-A pitching staff
• Similarities between Connor Noland and Will Sanders
• Impact of veteran guys in the clubhouse like Carlos Perez, Dixon Machado, and Caleb Knight

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss and Bryan Smith:

• Owen Caissie made his MLB debut. What does this stint in the bigs look like?
• Prospects that are most likely to be next up on an MLB Top 100 list
• Listener questions about the pitchers that could help the MLB team next year, lower level pitching prospects, and hitters that could jump up multiple levels in the next year.

Topics on this week's episode with Greg Huss and Bryan Smith:

• Ariel Armas is hotter than any hitter in affiliated baseball
• First impressions of Kade Snell in South Bend and Kane Kepley in Myrtle Beach
• Five hot Birds: Ty Southisene, Angel Cepeda, Matt Halbach, Alexey Lumpuy, and Christian Olivo
• What prospects should be promoted to end the season?
• A three-way battle between Owen Caissie, Jonathon Long, and Moises Ballesteros for Cubs minor league hitter of the year

Greg Huss goes solo immediately following the conclusion of the MLB Trade Deadline to react to the Cubs moves from a prospect perspective. He breaks down the four Cubs trades and analyzes the state of the system now that they are complete.

• Christian Franklin and Ronny Cruz for Mike Soroka
• Wilfri de la Cruz for Andrew Kittredge
• Ivan Brethowr for Taylor Rogers
• Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong for Willi Castro

Greg Huss recently updated his Cubs Top 30 Prospects List, and Brendan Miller joins him on this episode to walk through the rankings, starting with Owen Caissie and Moises Ballesteros at the top.

Find the full rankings here: https://outofthevines.wordpress.com/2025/07/17/updating-my-prospect-list-ahead-of-the-mlb-trade-deadline/

Join Greg Huss, Greg Zumach, and Bryan Smith as they run through each and every one of the Cubs' 20 draft picks from the 2025 MLB Draft and what they liked and disliked about the team's draft strategy.