NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs minor league affiliates were off on Monday, so it’s time to take stock of some recent hot (and not-so-hot) performers inside the Cubs Top 25 prospects down on the farm in today’s Cubs Farm Report.
Cubs Farm Report | May 14, 2024
1. Pete Crow-Armstrong | OF | MLB
Pete Crow-Armstrong made a pair of starts and a few appearances off the bench for the Cubs last week, picking up two hits in seven plate appearances and a stolen base. At some point, the Cubs have to consider sending him down to get regular at-bats, right? He’s hitting .244/.286/.356 with an 82 wRC+ in 51 plate appearances in his current stint in Chicago.
2. Cade Horton | RHP | AAA
Horton made his second start with Triple-A Iowa over the weekend and allowed six earned runs on five hits—two of which left the park—in three innings of work. He also walked four hitters in the roughest outing of the season for the Cubs’ top pitching prospect. Horton is 0-1 with a 10.29 ERA, eight walks, and 11 strikeouts in two starts with Iowa. It’s early, but it’s been an adjustment for Horton.
3. Owen Caissie | OF | AAA
Owen Caissie picked up a home run last week against the Columbus Clippers, and it was one of six hits in his last six games (29 plate appearances). Caissie is hitting .277 on the season with three home runs and 21 RBI in 38 games at Triple-A Iowa.
4. Matt Shaw | INF | AA
Matt Shaw continues to ride the struggle bus with four hits in his 31 trips to the plate last week. Shaw’s average is down to .204 on the season, and he hasn’t hit a home run since April 14. Shaw struck out six times last week and is up to 29 in 31 games this season.
5. Kevin Alcántara | OF | AA
Some good news: Kevin Alcántara seems to be coming out of his most recent slump. He picked up seven hits in 21 at-bats last week (.333) and only struck out five times. He didn’t leave the yard and all of his hits were singles, but at least he’s seeing the ball a little better this past week. Hopefully, he can build on that and find that power stroke this week.
6. James Triantos | 2B | AA
It was a little bit of a slower week for James Triantos, comparatively speaking, after his red-hot previous week. Triantos picked up six hits (two doubles) in six games for Tennessee. Triantos is hitting .305 in 31 games with the Smokies this season.
7. Moises Ballesteros | C/1B | AA
Moises Ballesteros’ hot start has moved him into the newest MLB Pipeline Top 100 rankings, and as Michael wrote last week, it’s time to start getting excited about the Cubs’ seventh-ranked prospect. However, it was a slow week for Ballesteros (perhaps his slowest of the season). He had three hits in 26 plate appearances over seven games, although one of those was a home run, and another was a double. He also only struck out three times in that span, so maybe just some unlucky batted ball luck.
8. Jefferson Rojas | SS | A+
Jefferson Rojas was 5-for-22 (.227) in six games for South Bend last week. All five of his hits were singles, and while Rojas has had an all-right season, he’s hitting just .175 with zero extra-base hits through the first two weeks in May.
9. Ben Brown | RHP | MLB
Brown’s lone appearance in the last seven days came on May 10 in a relief appearance against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Brown threw three and two third innings of shutout baseball, allowing two hits while striking out six and walking one. Brown boats a 3.73 ERA in 31.1 innings of work with the Cubs this season.
10. Fernando Cruz | SS | ROK
Cruz (a top-five international prospect signing for the Cubs this winter) has yet to make his rookie league debut with the ACL Cubs.
11. Michael Arias | RHP | AA
Arias made three relief appearances for the Smokies last week, allowing two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two. He’s 3-0 on the season with a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings of work. He has 20 strikeouts to 10 walks for Tennessee.
12. Drew Gray | LHP | A+
Gray allowed two earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out five in four innings of work on May 10 against the Kernels. This is the first time this season that Gray has allowed more than one earned run in a start.
13. BJ Murray | 3B/1B | AAA
Murray picked up one hit in 13 trips to the plate last week and struck out four times. He’s been in an extended funk to open the season at Iowa, hitting just .158 on the season with 41 strikeouts in 33 games for the I-Cubs.
14. Pedro Ramirez | 2B/3B | A+
After winning MiLB Player of the Week honors the week prior with a red-hot 13-for-27 week, Ramirez came back down to earth a bit this week, picking up five hits in 22 at-bats.
15. Luis Vazquez | SS | AAA
Vazquez started the week strong with a 3-for-5 effort against the Columbus Clippers last Tuesday but went hitless the rest of the week with six strikeouts. Insert fart noise.
16. Haydn McGeary | 1B | AA
McGeary was 4-for-17 (.235) last week with a pair of doubles, two runs driven-in, and eight strikeouts. He had a solid week last week but has been pretty bad overall this season, hitting .185 with 30 strikeouts in 27 games with the Smokies.
17. Derniche Valdez | SS | ROK
Valdez went 2-for-9 in three games with the A-Cubs last week and struck out five times.
18. Pablo Aliendo | C | AA
Aliendo picked up three hits in five games for the Smokies last week. He racked up eight strikeouts and three walks and is hitting .250 on the season, with the strikeout remaining a problem (30 in 64 at-bats). That’s a concerning trend, with a handful of Cubs hitting prospects this season.
19. Cristian Hernandez | SS/2B | A
After a strong performance the week prior (8-for-20 in five games), Hernandez was limited to three base hits in 27 plate appearances last week while striking out seven times.
20. Alexis Hernandez | SS | A
Hernandez played in two games last week and was hitless in eight trips to the plate while striking out four times. That extended his hitless steak to 36 plate appearances dating back to April 25. He has struck out 15 times in that span and has 39 strikeouts in 90 at-bats this season and a .144 batting average.
21. Jaxon Wiggins | RHP | ROK
Wiggins allowed one run and one hit and struck out two while walking on in one and two third innings of work for the ACL Cubs last week. That was his first action of the season.
22. Brandon Birdsell | RHP | AA
Birdsell turned in a solid start last week against the Lookouts, allowing one run (on a solo homer) on four hits while striking out six and walking none in five and two third innings of work for the Smokies. He brought his season ERA down to 4.74.
23. Brody McCullough | RHP | AA
McCullough allowed a run on three hits and racked up seven punchouts while walking one in four innings of work in his first Double-A start with the Smokies last week.
24. Porter Hodge | RHP | AAA
Hodge had a mixed bag of a week for Iowa last week, tossing a scoreless inning on May 9 and then giving up two runs in just one inning of work on May 12. This season, he owns a 4.50 ERA in 14.0 innings of work out of the Iowa bullpen.
25. Josh Rivera | SS | AA
Rivera had one base hit in 20 plate appearances for the Smokies last week. He’s hitting .192 on the season.
