Today we look atthe Cubs young second baseman, who is in the utility infielder derby this spring.
23-year-old James Douglas Triantos has dealt with high expectations since he was drafted by the Cubs in the second round in 2021, and had some immediate success, hitting .327 in the Rookie League and following that up with a .272/.335/.386 campaign in A ball and moving up smoothly through the various minor leagues, ending up in Triple-A last year, where his numbers were a little down. Still, he boasts a lifetime .282/.341/.405 line for his MiLB career so far, with a good number of doubles accounting for his SLG. He’s going to be a 10-15 homer man in MLB if he plays full-time, but his power is probably going to project further.
He’s not likely to average .258 in Triple A this year. He’s a better player than that.
His glove is decent. Good but not great, for sure. Perfectly adequate. He can swipe some bags. He doesn’t make many errors. His tools are good enough that he has played a bit of LF/CF, a lot of third base, and a bit of shortstop.
He’s been a Top 100 prospect for a good bit, though he was off the list this year based on the substandard 2025 results. But writers seem to think he just needs time before he’s a major-league player.
He seems a likable young man with a good eye for a fastball. The Cubs put him on the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, so the organization clearly values the player. 2027 might be the year he breaks into The Show. 95 probably won’t be his number then.