Jonathon Long – A Hitter in Search of a Position

When the Cubs drafted Jonathon Long in 2023, they knew that they were getting a good hitter. As a 19-year old freshman for Long Beach State, Long slashed .341/.410/.591/1.001 with 5 homer and 16 RBI in 27 games. Established as a offensive force, Long hit .311/.411/.454/.865 and .312/.404/.600/.1.004 in 2022 and 2023. The Orange, CA native added another 11 home runs and 89RBI in 105 games over those two seasons.

So, when Chicago found Jonathon Long still available in the ninth round, they pounced.

There was an adjustment period, as the right-handed hitter batted only .260 in 23 games for Single-A Myrtle Beach. It was more of the same the next season for Long, as he scuffled to the tune of .247 through the first three months at Single-A South Bend.

But, as the the calendar turned to July in 2024, things started to click for Long. In 61 July at bats, Long slashed .311/.411/.525/.936 with three homers to go along with 10 walks. That earned him a promotion to Double-A Tennessee.

As a member of the Smokies, Long became one of the hottest hitters in minor league baseball. In 46 games for Tennessee, Long’s numbers were a near identical mirror to the ones he put up in July. Long batted .340/.455/.528/.983 with seven round-trippers and 29 RBI; and also had more walks (35) than strikeouts (33). As a member of the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League, Long added another three hits, including a home run and two RBI in three games.

“It’s kind of cool to see the arc of from where I was to where I am now” said Long recently.

After his mercurial 2024, Long continued to impress as a non-roster invite this past spring training. The showing led to his promotion to Triple-A Iowa.

“I just tried to carry over from what I did last year, riding that success and positive mentality. I tried building off of that. You kind of learn a lot about yourself.”

And carry that success over is exactly what Long has done. Through 128 games at the top minor league level, Long has batted .311/.413/.493/.905 with 22 doubles, 19 home runs and 85 RBI.

The greatest question about Long, going forward, is a position.

At Long Beach State, Long split his time between third and first base. However, as a member of the Cubs organization, Long has played more than four times as much first as third base. Because the Cubs have an established starter in Michael Busch at first base and rookie Matt Shaw turning heads at third, Long may have to look elsewhere for playing time.

When asked about a position, Long said ” wherever they want to fit me in. I’ve never really played outfield until I got to pro ball. So, that’s kind of still what I’m working on to get better at.”

Making his way as a “four corner” player (first, third, left, and right field) may be the way Long finds his niche in the majors. “Everyone’s goal is to get to the big leagues,” Long said. “Everyone has to do their time and work their way through.”

But if he keeps hitting, Long will find a path to the majors.