Ahead of this 2025 season, the team here at World Baseball Network put together a list international prospects from each MLB team that could impact their respective teams.
Cubs: OF Owen Caissie
Also added to the Cubs 40-man roster this past November, Canadian-born outfielder Owen Caissie could have a chance to make an impact as early as Opening Day with the Cubbies. Caissie ranks as the 34th best prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects. He also previously represented Canada at the World Baseball Classic in 2023. As for 2024, he spent the entire season with Triple-A, playing in 116 games, hitting .278, with 19 home runs, 75 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases. With the addition of Kyle Tucker and the departure of Cody Bellinger and Pete Crow-Armstrong headed into a starting role, it will be interesting to see where exactly Caissie will fit into the Cubs plans heading into 2025.
Reds: SP Chase Burns
Born in Naples, Italy, 21-year-old Chase Burns was selected by the Cincinnati Reds with the second overall pick of the 2024 MLB Draft. Although he was born in Italy, Burns was raised in Hendersonville, Tennessee; he pitched at the University of Tennessee and Wake Forest University before being drafted in 2024. In his first season at Wake Forest in 2024, Burns threw to a 10-1 record, recording a 2.70 ERA in 16 starts, striking out 191 batters and walking 30 across 100 innings of work. Burns did not throw a pitch in the Reds organization this summer, as he looks to make his Reds organizational debut in 2025, and could be a fast riser to the show like former Wake Forest teammate Rhett Lowder.
Brewers: SP Carlos F. Rodriguez
Born in Rivas, Nicaragua, Carlos F. Rodriguez made three starts for the Brewers in 2024. The 23-year-old starter is currently ranked as the Brewers 22nd-best prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Rodriguez also appeared with Nicaragua during the World Baseball Classic in 2023. In his three starts in the MLB this season, Rodriguez went 0-3 with a 7.30 ERA, striking out nine batters in 12.1 innings. He spent most of the year pitching at the Triple-A level, but it will be intriguing to see how he pitches during Spring Training as he hopes to compete for a spot in the backend of the Brewers rotation.
Pirates: SS Tsung-Che Cheng
The Pirates signed infielder Tsung-Che Cheng in July 2019, where Chen received a $380,000 signing bonus. The 23-year-old was signed out of Taiwan and spent the 2024 season playing between Double-A and Triple-A. Ranking as the 16th-best prospect in the Pirates organization,
Cheng played in 132 games, hitting .225, with 11 home runs, 55 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. While he can also play second and third base, he profiles best as a shortstop, where he could look to bring a battle into Spring Training as Isiah Kiner-Falefa looks to enter 2025 as the Pirates starting shortstop.
Cardinals: 2B Cesar Prieto
Signing with the Orioles out of Cuba in January 2022, the Cardinals acquired second baseman Cesar Prieto in the trade that sent Jack Flaherty to the Orioles in 2023. The 25-year-old spent 2024 playing in Triple-A, where in 129 games, he hit .279, with 14 home runs and 56 RBIs. The Cardinals have a loaded infield with Nolan Gorman at second base, but with a Nolan Arenado trade likely in the cards, it could open up an opportunity for Prieto to land at-bats in what will certainly be a competition entering Spring Training.
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