Cubs Prospect Notes: Hill, Pagan, Mervis, Zarraga, Slaughter, Estrada, More

I had a bunch of stray Cubs prospect things I wanted to mention, so I threw them together for you bullet-style …

  • Although Narciso Crook got the dedicated write-up today because he’s been doing it at such an extreme level for over a month, another Triple-A outfielder at least merits a prominent note: Darius Hill, 24, is up to .415/.455/.585/180 wRC+ over his first 10 games at Iowa. He has struck out just 9.1% of the time, and although his profile and his swing sure look like a pure “contact” guy, he’s actually put up a .171 ISO so far at Iowa after being at .178 at Double-A. He has primarily played left field with only a taste of center, so there will be a lot of pressure on the bat to keep developing. Like Crook (and oh yeah that Nelson Velazquez guy), it’s gonna be worth following Hill over the coming months.
  • A heads up on yet another young outfield prospect who has really started to hit: Ezequiel Pagan, 21, is hitting .270/.351/.405/113 wRC+ at Low-A Myrtle Beach with an 8.8% BB rate and a 15.3% K rate. But, like so many others this year, he did that “struggled for a while and then exploded thing”: since April 30, he’s hitting .337/.402/.535/159 wRC+, with a 7.0% BB rate and 13.2%(!) K rate. If Kevin Alcántara weren’t so aggressively forcing his way up to High-A South Bend, you might have Pagan on your radar for a promotion soon.
  • Matt Mervis just can’t stop won’t stop never stop: the 24-year-old first base prospect is hitting .330/.388/.693/173 wRC+ at Double-A Tennessee through 98 PAs. Bryan recently discussed Mervis and other first base prospects in the system.
  • I got multiple DMs from folks who happened to be at the Myrtle Beach game where this guy pitched, saying he was looking really impressive. So heads up on Alfredo Zarraga:
  • Through his first week in the ACL, Cristian Hernández is doing just about what you’d expect: he’s crushing the ball and walking a ton (.313/.421/.500/157 wRC+), but he’s also striking out 31.6% of the time. All part of the process. So far, so good.
  • I’m trying to figure out what to make of corner infield prospect Jake Slaughter, who has a whole lotta highlights like this lately, and who also just won player of the week honors in the Southern League:
  • https://twitter.com/CubsCentral08/status/1535083055836459008

  • Slaughter, 25, was the Cubs’ 18th rounder in 2018, and although he got a brief taste of Double-A last year, he mostly has been at High-A the last two years, putting up average-ish numbers. Then he got the surprising bump to Double-A 10 days ago, and he has hit FOUR homers in eight games. Through 36 PAs, he has also walked 5 times and struck out just 3 times, and he’s doubled. So five extra-base hits against just three strikeouts. It’s as good as a week can get, which is just wild to me for a guy who got the surprising bump to Double-A in the first place. Still not sure he’s A Guy – eight games is only eight games, after all – but I do find it to be a very interesting story.
  • Everyone who is into Cubs prospect nerdery is wondering if multi-inning relief prospect Jeremiah Estrada is going to get the bump to Double-A after today’s off-day. He’s just been so over-the-top dominant at High-A that it’s gotta be time soon. Naturally, like so many other guys we love and who haven’t yet reached Double-A … he’s Rule 5 eligible after this season. So, yeah. He’ll need the next challenge soon.
  • Been a good few days for Owen Caissie and game-winners (the homer is 111 mph off the bat):
  • https://twitter.com/SBCubs/status/1535812952225468418
    https://twitter.com/sbcubs/status/1535957388242599938?s=21&t=0Mc0YcILi2O7jclqTEEREg

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    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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