A Season to Remember: Looking Back at the 2026 Iowa Cubs

As we wrap up the 2026 season, it feels as good of a time as ever to look back at some of the players and moments that have been at the forefront of this I-Cubs season.

Antoine Kelly, Riley Martin, James Triantos, B.J. Murray and Pedro Ramirez made their Major League debuts this season with Chicago. Murray and Triantos collected their first big league hits, Martin shined in eight big league appearances, posting a 2.16 ERA across 8.1 innings pitched, and Kelly pitched 1.1 scoreless innings and recorded his first Major League strikeout in his lone appearance with Chicago.

Ramirez has gone on to play a central role as Chicago pushes towards the playoffs, slashing .258/.318/.415 with six home runs and 30 RBI in 74 appearances (at the time of this writing). Prior to this year, Ramirez had not played at the Triple-A level. In 43 games with Iowa, he was one of the best hitters in the International League, batting .312 with nine home runs and 40 RBI with an on-base percentage of .395 and an OPS of .512. At the time of his promotion to Chicago, he ranked second in the International League in hits (52), extra-base hits (22) and stolen bases (19), third in RBI (26) and total bases (93), and fourth in doubles (11).

While not with Chicago, we would be remiss if we did not mention Brett Bateman as an I-Cub who has gone on to make his Major League debut this season. Prior to this year, Bateman had not played above the Double-A level. Brett began 2026 in Iowa, batting .176 through his first 11 games of the season. From there, he went on what can be best described as an absolute tear. From April 17 through August 2, he batted .327 with three home runs, 30 RBI, 52 walks, and 18 stolen bases. On August 2, his final game with Iowa, he ranked second in the International League in on-base percentage, (.430) and fourth in batting average (.312). Bateman was traded to Toronto that day in exchange for right-handed pitcher Kevin Gausman. Since making his Major League debut with Toronto, he has propelled the Blue Jays into the Wild Card conversation and been at the forefront to their late season success. Since making his debut on August 7, he is batting .333 with 11 RBI, with an on-base percentage of .400. Since August 7, his batting average is fourth best in Major League Baseball.

Several I-Cubs have gone up and made appearances and contributed to the successes of the big league team this year. Kevin Alcantara, Moises Ballesteros, Dylan Carlson, Justin Dean, Scott Kingery, and Owen Miller were position players who have logged time in 2026 with Chicago. Dean recorded his first career big-league hit in his team debut with Chicago on June 19, a bases-clearing triple. Alcantara recorded his first Major League home run on August 3 versus the Dodgers. On the pitching side, the list of players who have logged time with Iowa and Chicago include Javier Assad, Charlie Barnes, Ty Blach, Tyler Ferguson, Gavin Hollowell, Antoine Kelly, Luke Little, Corbin Martin, Riley Martin, Hoby Milner, Jayden Murray, Drew Pomeranz, Yacksel Rios, Ethan Roberts, Ryan Rolison, Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Andrew Wantz, Jordan Wicks, and Jake Woodford.

With some injuries to account for in Chicago, that has brought us a few players on Major League Rehab Assignments. To this point, Matt Shaw is the lone position player for Chicago who has rehabbed here in Des Moines. On the pitching side, we have seen Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, Gavin Hollowell, Phil Maton, Shelby Miller, Hoby Milner, Daniel Palencia, Ethan Roberts, Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, and Jordan Wicks.

Several current and former I-Cubs find themselves at the top of the International League leader boards as we head into the final two weeks of the season. Owen Miller ranks second in triples (7) third in doubles (30) seventh in batting average (.296), and eighth in hits (120). Triantos ranks fifth in batting average (.304), third in doubles, (30), and seventh in hits (127). Former I-Cub Jonathon Long, who was traded at the deadline to the Miami Marlins in exchange for left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, currently leads the International League in doubles (35), 30 of which came in his time with Iowa. Additionally, Owen Ayers has caught 36 runners stealing between Advanced-A, Double-A and Triple-A, tied for 12th most amongst all levels of the Minor Leagues. 14 of those have come with Iowa since he was promoted on July 17, ranking in the Top 20 amongst all Triple-A catchers.

There have been some great moments that have highlighted this year. Ramirez hit a grand slam on April 22 against Louisville to match the franchise record for most RBI in a single game (8). Alcantara set the new franchise record for the longest on-base streak, reaching base in 42 consecutive games, which is also the longest such streak in the International League this season. Long posted a five-hit game on July 9 versus St. Paul, falling one hit short of matching the single-game franchise record. Iowa has had five walk-off wins this year. Ramirez hit an RBI single on May 6 versus Columbus. Alcantara hit a walk-off on May 20 versus Memphis. Triantos hit a walk-off single on June 14 versus Indianapolis. Fast forward to the most recent homestand versus Omaha, with Ayers and Ben Cowles delivering back-to-back walk-off wins for the I-Cubs on August 27 and 28.

Manager Marty Pevey collected his 1500th career win and has the fifth-most career wins among active MiLB skippers in his 23 seasons as a manager. Pevey joined the Cubs’ organization in 2009 as the manager for the Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. This season marked Pevey’s 44th in professional baseball, having played for 13 and coached for 30 entering 2026.

And of course, the highlight of this season was defeating the St. Paul Saints 6-3 on August 11 in Dyersville, IA at the MiLB at Field of Dreams Game. We were so fortunate to be able to participate in such a special event, one that gave all of us memories that will last a lifetime.

While we are sad to be wrapping up the 2026 season, we know that the 2027 I-Cubs season is just around the corner. For more information regarding next season’s schedule, visit https://www.mlb.com/milb/iowa. The I-Cubs will open their season on the road at Columbus on March 26 before opening their home schedule on March 30 against Toledo.

We thank you for your support all season long. We look forward to seeing you back out at Principal Park next season!