Josiah Hartshorn keeps mashing, drives another homer for Cubs High-A South Bend

High-A South Bend’s offense took a hit in the final score, but the Cubs prospect picture offered another clear data point. Josiah Hartshorn homered again Thursday, marking his sixth round-tripper in his first 15 High-A games as South Bend played Peoria in a seven-inning game that ended in a 16-7 loss.

Hartshorn, listed by the Cubs as their No. 7 prospect, added to a growing run of production that has followed him into the summer. In the MLB’s recap of the game, the focus was straightforward: another home run for Hartshorn, who has begun his High-A stint with notable power frequency rather than sporadic spurts.

The context matters because High-A is where many tools are asked to play at a more consistent level, especially with pitchers who can better repeat their deliveries and throw with sharper leverage. When a hitter builds power output quickly at this stage, it is often read by development staffs as an encouraging sign that strength plus timing is translating, even as overall team results can swing from day to day.

For South Bend, the loss highlights the reality of minor league baseball. A single prospect’s blast does not control the game’s wider outcomes, and the matchup against Peoria went the other way in the aggregate. The MLB account describes a seven-inning format, and South Bend fell behind early enough that Hartshorn’s homer could not change the direction of the score.

Even so, the number itself is striking. Six home runs in 15 High-A games suggests Hartshorn is not simply benefiting from one favorable series. It points to repeatable power production across a meaningful sample size for a player in the middle of a seasonal adjustment period.

Hartshorn’s next steps will likely be less about whether he can hit for power and more about how that power shows up alongside the rest of his profile. In developmental terms, that often includes questions about strike-zone judgment, how he responds to better pitch selection as scouting reports spread, and whether he can keep producing as pitchers more aggressively pitch to limit the damage.

The Cubs will also be watching how his overall performance aligns with the organization’s promotion expectations. A prospect can build a strong case at High-A, but the path forward generally depends on how well the player performs against progressively tougher competition, not only on extra-base hits in individual games.

For now, Hartshorn’s home run total is the headline, and it is one the Cubs prospect rankings will not ignore. As the season continues, the key watch is whether the power keeps coming at the same pace, and whether South Bend can turn that individual output into more competitive team performances.