Three Cubs Breakout Candidates Who Could Take the Team to the Next Level in 2026
The Chicago Cubs have a healthy number of young, exciting, developing players on their roster in 2026. Last year, 23-year-old outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong took the baseball world by storm with his electric 2025 breakout campaign, drawing national media attention and powering the team to a 90-win season. In the upcoming season, it feels like multiple players on the team are itching to find their own success story like Crow-Armstrong’s. So, who could be the successor? Who could be the one to add that spark to the team that PCA did last season?
Matt Shaw
The first name that comes to mind is almost too obvious: Matt Shaw. The 24-year-old first baseman is entering his second year with the Cubs and showed some real flashes in the pan during his rookie campaign. In 126 games played, Shaw racked up 89 hits with 44 RBIs and 13 home runs. While the 24-year-old has some clear-cut competition for playtime after the team signed veteran third baseman Alex Bregman, he should still have plenty of chances to prove himself in 2026.
Kevin Alcantara
Another young player who seems primed for a big step is Kevin Alcantara, a 23-year-old outfielder. Alcantara has spent the past three seasons moving up and down the Cubs’ Minor League affiliates, with a few brief stints on the Major League roster. In 2025, he played in 10 games and hit .364 with four hits and an RBI. So far in 2026 Spring Training, he has five hits with only one strikeout in 21 at-bats. The 23-year-old is a player who’s been patiently waiting for his shot, and 2026 could be his time to shine.
Moisés Ballesteros
Our third player to look at is catcher and designated hitter Moisés Ballesteros. Another player that has come and gone throughout the Cubs’ Major and Minor League programs, the 22-year-old currently finds himself at the top of the depth chart for DH going into 2026. After a quiet 2025 in which he only made it into 20 games, Ballesteros is batting quite well in 2026 Spring Training, currently having six RBIs in 21 at-bats. If Ballesteros can find a more consistent plate presence, he could be a huge difference-maker for Chicago this year.
