Checking in on Former Smokies
June 26, 2025 - Southern League (SL)
Knoxville Smokies News Release
Jonathon Long with the Smokies
(, Credit: Lindsay Coward)
Last week, MLB Pipeline announced on X (formerly Twitter) that Jonathon Long entered the Top 10 1B prospect list after A's prospect, Nick Kurtz, was called up to the majors.
Other prospects who have already been called up to the majors have played vital roles in helping the NL Central-leading Cubs maintain their lead. Cade Horton, who made his debut in May, is looking just as important as any call-up so far this season.
Jonathon Long finally cracks the Top 10
Jonathon Long has been playing fantastically this season. The No. 11 prospect in the Cubs' system is slashing .318/.397/.481 this year while playing just about every day at first base.
The 23-year-old out of Long Beach State was drafted in the ninth round of the 2023 MLB Draft, but has quickly made his way through the ranks to become a big part of the Cubs' system.
Long hit the ground running this season for the Iowa Cubs. In April, Long batted .350 with a .904 OPS and hit .351 with a 1.052 OPS in May. After this incredibly hot start and consistent performance, Long finally earned a spot in MLB.com's Top 10 1B prospect list.
After Nick Kurtz was called up to the majors, Long was able to slide into the No. 10 spot. The Royals' Jac Caglione is still on the list at No. 1 although he also got the call to the majors, leaving room for more movement up the list for Long soon.
Through the first half of the season, Long has been one of the best players on the Iowa Cubs. While he may not have much left to prove to the Cubs' front office, he will likely have to wait in Triple-A as the Cubs' offense continues to be one of the best in baseball.
Cade Horton keeps the pitching staff afloat
The Chicago Cubs had a number of injuries plague their team, and more specifically their pitching staff, earlier this season. With two of their best starters, Justin Steele (season-ending UCL surgery in April) and Shota Imanaga (left hamstring strain in May) both losing multiple months of starts, the Cubs had to call on prospects like Cade Horton to fill those gaps.
So far this season, Horton is 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA over seven starts since his MLB debut on May 10. Horton has been a lifeline for the Cubs this year and has allowed the team to stay on track following these injuries.
The former Southern League All-Star and Cubs' No. 2 prospect was likely destined to make his debut at some point this season regardless, but has stepped up in a huge way and has likely earned himself a rotation spot on this playoff-caliber team for the foreseeable future.
With Imanaga expected to make his return tonight against the St. Louis Cardinals and Ben Brown being sent back down to Triple-A, this rotation could look to move up the rankings as one of the elite starting rotations in the league.
Be on the lookout for more updates on your favorite former Smokies, both in the majors and in Triple-A, as they look to aid the first-place Cubs in any way they can. New updates will be out every Thursday/Friday at www.milb.com/knoxville/news.
Images from this story
 Jonathon Long with the Smokies (Lindsay Coward) |
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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
