By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Cubs catching prospect Owen Ayers spent the final stretch of the 2026 season in the major league clubhouse at Wrigley Field, and the organization believes he could reach Chicago for good in 2027.
Ayers, ranked as the Cubs’ No. 2 prospect and No. 88 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, was not on the active roster but sat in on team meetings and worked alongside veterans as the club prepared for its postseason run, according to a report published Saturday on MLB.com.
“Absolutely. It’s really cool,” Ayers said before the Cubs’ final regular-season game, according to the report. “And you get to see all these guys as people. On TV, it’s not easy to really know what people are like, or even seeing them on social media or whatever it is. But there’s a lot of great people in this clubhouse.”
The 25-year-old switch-hitting catcher produced a breakout season across three levels, beginning at High-A South Bend and advancing through Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa. In 125 games, Ayers posted a .289/.403/.526 slash line and led all Cubs minor leaguers with 25 home runs. He also topped the farm system in OPS (.929) and wRC+ (143) among players with at least 250 plate appearances.
Ayers added 29 doubles, 80 runs scored, 82 RBIs and 82 walks during his three-level climb.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the front office wanted to give Ayers an early introduction to major league operations, particularly the heavy information load catchers handle on a daily basis.
“Catchers have to process more information than anybody on the roster,” Counsell said, according to the report. “You’ve just got to keep hearing it and hearing it, so you can implement things faster, whether it be scouting reports or signs from the bench during the game. We’re just trying to start that process with Owen.”
Counsell acknowledged the speed of the major league game for young catchers.
“At some point, for a young catcher in a Major League game, it goes fast, because they’re like, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got to make a pitch call. I’ve got to pick up a sign for a throw over. I’ve got to block a ball. I’ve got a baserunner that might steal,'” Counsell said. “It just goes fast, so we’re trying to start that process to slow him down.”
The Cubs face a catching decision this offseason. Carson Kelly, who served as the primary catcher for two seasons, holds a mutual option worth $7.5 million for 2027 with a $1.5 million buyout. Miguel Amaya is set to return, and the front office must weigh whether to retain Kelly, find a new partner for Amaya or give Ayers an opportunity.
Ayers traced his development to the 2025 Arizona Fall League, where he hit .379 with 22 walks and a 1.130 OPS in 20 games after his season with Single-A Myrtle Beach.
“That was a big thing for me,” Ayers said, according to the report. “There were definitely some small things with swing mechanics or mental approach that I cleaned up and worked on, especially in that Fall League last year that led me into this year. But I really think it came down to just letting go of the need to control the results and all that, and just going out there and believing in yourself.”
Counsell called Ayers’ 2026 campaign “remarkable” on both sides of the ball.
