Jonathon Long

Long is a big-league caliber hitter, but since he's a first baseman who isn't on the 40-man roster and the Cubs already have several options ahead of him on the depth chart at 1B/DH, it's unclear when he'll get his first chance. A 5-foot-11 righty hitter who turns 24 this offseason, Long slashed .305/.404/.479 with 20 home runs, a 13.1 percent walk rate and a 19.1 percent strikeout rate in 140 games at Triple-A. He had a 111.6 mph maxEV and 46.4 Statcast HardHit%, which are a good marks for the average prospect but a little light for an age-appropriate first base prospect at Triple-A. Long received a bonus under $200K in the ninth round of the 2023 draft, and is objectively worse than current 1B/DH options Seiya Suzuki, Michael Busch and Moises Ballesteros, so Long may just have to be patient at Triple-A as he awaits an injury or trade. Read Past Outlooks