The South Bend Cubs were unfortunately eliminated from the Midwest League playoffs this week, but top Chicago Cubs prospect Josiah Hartshorn’s year isn’t quite over yet. The 19-year-old has been promoted to Double-A to end the 2026 season.
It has been an unbelievable year for Hartshorn, who, as a reminder, is making his pro debut in 2026 after he was drafted out of high school in the sixth round in 2025. The Cubs waited until this year to unleash Hartshorn in the minor leagues, and his rise in their farm system has truly been rare.
You have to go back to 1970, 56 years ago, to find the last Cubs prospect who was promoted to Double-A in their debut season in the minors after being a high school draft pick.
Unreal. The switch-hitting first baseman/outfielder has taken the reins as the No. 1 prospect in the Cubs farm system this year, just a few months after beginning his pro career. He was in Low-A Ball with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans to start the 2026 season before his first promotion to South Bend in May. Incredibly, his numbers were even better against tougher competition, leading to a record-setting year at South Bend, and now Hartshorn will join the Knoxville Smokies, who begin the playoffs next week.
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In the two playoff games with South Bend, Hartshorn went 3-for-8, including a home run and a walk.
An amazing year for Hartshorn, who gets rewarded with another promotion to Double-A. At 19-years-old in his debut season. Wow. We’re entering special territory here, and at this pace, Cubs fans may end up seeing Hartshorn up at Wrigley Field by next September.
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Josiah Hartshorn jumped into the No. 1 spot in the Chicago Cubs minor league system during the middle of the 2026 season, and the 19-year-old rising star ended his regular season by setting a new record at South Bend. The switch-hitter became the first Cubs prospect since Corey Patterson to reach 100 RBI in a season as a teenager in the minor leagues, and earlier in September, Hartshorn set the new record for RBI with the South Bend Cubs at High-A Ball.
The feat becomes much more incredible when you factor in Hartshorn’s playing time at the higher level in A-Ball, as he wasn’t promoted to South Bend until the final week of May. Last week, Hartshorn recorded his 82nd RBI of the season with the South Bend Cubs, a new club record, and he did it in only 79 games.
Oh, and Hartshorn set the record in style, blasting a mammoth home run to right field, his 18th at South Bend.
Since then, Hartshorn and the South Bend Cubs have wrapped up their regular season. Hartshorn ended his season with a slash line of .289/.411/.528 with 23 home runs, 110 RBI, 89 runs scored, and a 143 wRC+ in 122 games.
Those are great numbers, but Hartshorn has become a legit top-30 prospect in MLB thanks to his even better numbers against tougher competition at High-A Ball. He made his South Bend debut on May 26, and in 83 games, Hartshorn posted a slash line of .297/.405/.560, while crushing 18 home runs, 17 doubles, and four triples.
And again, Hartshorn did this in his age-19 season! Not only that, but after being drafted in the sixth round out of high school in 2025, Hartshorn didn’t make his pro debut until this year. He dominated with Myrtle Beach for the first eight weeks of the year, and then the No. 1 Cubs prospect became the best player in the Midwest League.
The South Bend Cubs begin postseason play on Tuesday night against Quad Cities in the Division Series.
