It won’t be news to you at this point that Chicago Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara is destroying Low-A. The 19-year-old who came to the organization in last year’s Anthony Rizzo trade was hitting .273/.362/.481/132 wRC+ coming into today, including a whopping .356/.429/.610/179 wRC+ over the past three weeks.
That was coming INTO today … when Alcántara set a Myrtle Beach Pelicans record, thanks to his four-hit day today, including a triple and two homers:
Alcantara crushes his eighth home run of the season for his third hit of the day.
A three run-shot puts the Pelicans up 10-2 after three. #MBPelicans pic.twitter.com/adAw9WpvU7
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) June 12, 2022
The Kevin Alcantara game.
His second home run of the game is a three-run homer to set a new single-game franchise record with EIGHT RBI.
Pelicans 13, Mudcats 2 in the bottom of the seventh. pic.twitter.com/DeWqNGoiyc
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) June 12, 2022
I really just love watching Alcántara swing, and knowing that even with all that present power, he’s got even more coming.
I can’t imagine Alcántara is long for Low-A at this point. I know it’s tough to figure out the playing time in the crowded High-A outfield, but Alcántara – despite his youth – is Rule 5 eligible after this season. I think the Cubs are going to have to protect him, even if you think it’s nuts that he could come all the way up to MLB from A-ball (some rebuilding team would definitely try to stash him). So, if he’s gonna go on the 40-man after this season anyway, and if he’s crushing Low-A anyway, might as well go ahead and give him that High-A challenge sooner rather than later.