Chicago Cubs Prospect Profile: Kevin Alcantara |
After a successful decade run for former Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein, he decided to step down following the conclusion of the 2020 season, which came as a shock. Epstein orchestrated the organization through some tough times but also delivered the team's first World Series title since 1908 and will go down as one of the best, if not the best, to do it.
Seeing him leave was a kick to the gut, but to see him go before his contract was up was a bit of an eye-raiser, and you could make the case that it was the beginning of what was the end to the best era of Cubs baseball. Everyone knew whoever came in to replace Epstein would have massive shoes to fill, but why not appoint his right-hand man Jed Hoyer to do the job, which was the case prior to the 2021 season? Anytime you take over for a legend, the pressure will be massive, and having the Cubs go through a losing season in 2021 didn't help with that pressure, as Hoyer was faced with some extremely tough decisions. In order to rebuild the team and the farm system at the same time, he was forced to trade away the core group of players that helped the Cubs get where they got, including sending Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees. It was the first of many trades over the next two seasons, and as much as that one hurt, it also kickstarted what would go down as the quickest rebuild to the farm system in recent memory. As part of the Rizzo deal, the Cubs got one of the more highly touted OF prospects to come to Chicago, as Kevin Alcantara was the key piece to that deal. Four years later, Alcantara has risen to top-100 prospect status, is sitting at No. 6 in the Cubs top 30, and even made his MLB debut in September last season. A 2018 International Free agent, Alcantara reminds you a lot of Alfonso Soriano with his slim 6-6 and 185-pound frame. His swing and overall approach at the plate are also very Soriano-esque, and if that is the type of player he can become, this will go down as a great trade when all is said and done. The now 22-year-old was one of the youngest players in his class (16) at the time, but he also had one of the highest, if not the highest, ceilings of them all. Although he had to wait until his 16th birthday to sign with anyone, the Yankees didn't waste any time and gave him a nice one-million-dollar birthday present to be a part of their organization. One year later, Alcantara was getting his first crack at professional baseball, hitting .255 across 41 games for the Yankees Rookie League squad and connecting for just one homer and 19 RBIs. Then came the COVID season, during which no baseball was played, stunting a year of his development. Alcantara didn't let that deter him from his goal, as he got off to a great start in 2021 and was then traded to the Cubs, where he has been ever since. Always seen as a high-level player, Alcantara didn't fully show what he could do until 2022, which was also the first time that he was playing stateside full-time as a member of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. He would play a career-high 112 games that season, hitting .273 and connecting for a career-high 15 homers and 85 RBIs while swiping 14 bases. Since then, Alcantara has gone through each of the remaining Minor League Levels and has put up consistent numbers across the board. He has had at least 13 homers in the past three seasons while adding 61 RBIs. Alcantara has also kept his strikeout rate close to the same, has slightly raised his walk rate, and has been a threat on the bases, even if the stolen base totals don't always show. Organizations look for that type of consistency in a young prospect, and it was enough to get Alcantara a late-season call-up, where he went 1-10 across three games. Looking to build off his MLB debut this season, Alcantara finds himself in a tough spot. He is far too good to remain in the Minors, but he currently has no place on this MLB Roster. Unless Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Cody Bellinger are all moved, Alcantara is nothing more than a fourth OF right now, and that isn't going to help him get on the field every day. As tough as losing him, the best thing for Alcantara to see consistent playing time would be to get traded again to an organization that can play him right away. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen, but one thing is sure. Whoever lands Alcantara (Cubs or not) will get a great player capable of hitting 25-30 homers and adding plenty of excitement to the game.
