SOUTH BEND — Josiah Hartshorn proved Tuesday, Aug. 4 that the Chicago Cubs’ front office’s decision not to deal him before Monday’s trade deadline was a wise one by staying hot with a two-run home run.
With the same swing, the organization’s No. 1 prospect also proved South Bend Cubs first-year manager Daniel Wasinger’s decision to bench him midgame two days prior was a wise one.
Given the timing and Hartshorn’s monstrous tenure with South Bend this season, many feared his substitution Sunday, Aug. 2 in Lake County was either due to a looming trade or an injury. It was neither, Hartshorn confirmed to the South Bend Tribune.
“I didn’t run hard; we had an expectation that was set beforehand, and I didn’t follow it, and [Wasinger] made the right decision to take me out of the game,” Hartshorn said. “It scared some people, but at the end of the day, it was my bad and it was performance based. I wouldn’t say I’m a guy who gives anything less than their best, and I gave less than my best on that play, and I can’t do that. For this group of guys and the commitment we’ve all made together, that’s unacceptable.”
Coming into the 2026 season, Hartshorn wasn’t even in Chicago’s top-10 prospect rankings. Less than 100 games into the season, Hartshorn has risen to the very top of the organization’s pipeline and the No. 60 prospect in all of baseball.
In 94 games combined coming into this week at Low-A Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend, Hartshorn has 17 home runs, 88 RBIs, a .278 batting average and a .912 OPS. Hartshorn also represented the National League in MLB’s Futures game during All-Star festivities in Philadelphia, going 0-for-2 as a pinch hitter in a 6-1 loss to the American League.
“Coming into this year, I didn’t have anybody expecting anything out of me, and it was honestly freeing,” Hartshorn said. “I think that was awesome to just feel the weight off my shoulders, and if I do well, I do well; if I do bad, no one cares. It’s a blessing, and it’s a responsibility on my part to keep having fun, showing kids how to play the game and being kind to all the people who take time out of their day to come talk to me.”
Standing in at 6’0” and weighing in at 220 pounds, Hartshorn was a 2025 sixth round draft pick out of high school. Despite already being committed to Texas A&M, Hartshorn chose to sign with the Cubs for a record $2 million.
The switch-hitter plays both the outfield and first base. Although it’s clear most nights he steps onto Four Winds Field that he’s the best player on it, Wasinger said Hartshorn’s physical gifts aren’t what truly make him Chicago’s top prospect.
“He’s a competitor. He loves it,” Wasinger said. “It’s cliche, but he really, really loves this game. When a guy is a number one prospect, he’s had success, he’s got the numbers, and he’s a good player, but he comes in day in and day out truly wanting to get better and trying to elevate his game a little bit every single day, that’s really what makes him special.”
Hartshorn attributes this mindset to growing up with three siblings, all of whom were homeschooled prior to high school by their mother.
“I’ve always loved to compete and make everything a competition. Who can eat their food the fastest? Who can fold their laundry the fastest? I’ve loved having everything be a game,” Hartshorn said. “Even in ping pong, paddles would fly every once in a while.”
Hartshorn’s competitive edge has clearly rubbed off on his teammates in South Bend, as the Cubs were 60-38 heading into the Aug. 4-10 series with Cedar Rapids. This includes going 39-23 in the first half to finish first place in the Midwest League’s West Division and clinch a playoff spot come September.
With about a month before the playoffs begin, Wasinger is confident the Cubs will not take their feet off the gas pedal despite holding a guaranteed spot.
“Just because we won the first half, it doesn’t mean anything, because all of these numbers count,” Wasinger said. “So we cannot coast; we can’t put it on cruise control and just ride our way to the playoffs. We have to teach these guys how to be professionals, and being a professional is showing up to work every single day, giving it your best and trying to get better. When you go out there, you compete.”
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: No. 1 prospect Josiah Hartshorn leading dominant South Bend Cubs
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
