PHILADELPHIA — The Chicago Cubs called up outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara on Wednesday and optioned infielder Miles Mastrobuoni to the Arizona Complex League. The move comes after Seiya Suzuki exited Tuesday night’s 10-4 win over the Philadelphia Phillies with a sprained right ankle.
Alcántara was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline from the New York Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade. At the time he was an extremely talented but equally raw 18-year-old who hadn’t played above the complex level. Cubs president Jed Hoyer knew it would take time for Alcántara to arrive, but it actually may have been a little quicker than expected.
“You make a trade three years ago for a young kid, you realize it takes time,” Hoyer said. “His development path has not been slow. Kid in A-ball that is really talented. He’s gotten physically more mature, he’s continued to get better. It’s fun to give him a reward at the end of the year.”
With the team eliminated from postseason contention last weekend, many were wondering whether the Cubs would call up any of their top prospects. The Cubs have numerous top-100 talents at the Triple-A level, but only Alcántara is on the 40-man roster. That’s what made him the choice over left-handed slugging outfielder Owen Caissie, who will need to be added this winter to avoid the Rule 5 draft and has spent the entire season with Iowa, unlike Alcántara, who started at Double A.
“We talked about (calling Alcántara up) a little bit,” Hoyer said. “Do we call him up? He’s on the roster and finished strong. But calling someone up to not play didn’t make a lot of sense. He wasn’t going to get playing time. But obviously, with Seiya getting hurt it looks like there’s playing time, so it made sense to do it.”
Suzuki was not in the lineup on Wednesday, with Alcántara starting, batting ninth and playing right field. The Cubs ultimately decided not to put Suzuki on the injured list for now and manager Craig Counsell said he’s day to day. In the Cubs’ 9-6 loss on Wednesday night, Alcántara went 1-for-4 with an infield single, showing off his impressive speed with his long, graceful strides as he easily scored from first on a double in the gap.
“I wanted to (get a hit) in the first AB, but in the last AB I ran so fast and made a hit,” Alcántara said. “It felt so awesome. I’m so grateful they gave me the opportunity to be here.”
In Keith Law’s midseason top 60 prospect list, Alcántara came in at 27. The lithe right-hander is viewed as a strong defender at all three outfield spots and is believed to have advanced enough to be a plus defender in center.
Kevin Alcantara is not sorry about taking this hit away! pic.twitter.com/CLFSIQzQYt
— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) August 15, 2024
“What Kevin’s done this year, I feel like he can do a lot in a lot of areas,” Counsell said. “Good defensive outfielder, definitely speed on the bases. Got off to a little bit of a slow start and since then he’s had a great offensive season as well. He’s earned his way up here and I’m happy for him. This is kind of the icing on the cake of a really nice season.”
At 6-foot-6 and 188 pounds, Alcántara still has room to fill out and grow into more power. Right now he’s viewed as just scratching the surface of his offensive potential. The Cubs were impressed that for a player with such long levers, Alcántara was able to control the top of the zone and not have extreme swing-and-miss.
Alcántara finished the Double-A season with a 124 wRC+ in 76 games. But if you eliminate the slow start Counsell spoke of (an 0-for-27 stretch to open his season at Double A), it’s a 142 wRC+ over 296 plate appearances. At Triple A, Alcántara never had much of a slow start and posted a 123 wRC+ in 130 plate appearances. The strikeouts did jump at that level, but his poise and ability to handle the level at such a young age impressed.
The Cubs believe that Alcántara has some of the best upside of any of their prospects. There could be a next level to his game as he learns how to really drive the ball to the pull side and leverage his swing in order to elevate the ball more often. That, along with consistent performance — he had stretches where he looked like the best prospect in baseball and others where he struggled — are what’s needed to really tap into his vast potential.
“You’ve gotten your debut out of the way and you’ve experienced it,” Hoyer said. “Maybe next year when you’re up, you have a little less butterflies and a little more understanding what it’s all about.”
(Photo of Kevin Alcántara: Cody Scanlan / The Register / USA Today Network / Imagn Images)
