Kevin

Alcantara

Alcántara is considered one of the top hitting prospects in the Chicago system, and one of the best outfield prospects in baseball regardless of organization. The 22-year-old will get a chance to show his talent over the final few games, and good results — or at least looking competent — will at least help a smidgen ir not more in his chances of being a regular for the Cubs in 2025. There’s loads of fantasy upside in his bat.

There are a ton of notable prospects in the latest batch of cuts from Cubs camp, including Shaw, Caissie, Brown and Alcántara. However, the headliner here is Crow-Armstrong, who figured to open the season as Chicago’s starting center fielder. The 21-year-old defensive virtuoso figures to be up shortly, but his roster spot will likely go to Mike Tauchman, who is out of options this spring. Shaw and Caissie are among the top prospects in the organization and figure to make an impact for fantasy managers once they get a shot, which could happen in a few months.

Alcántara is now up to four home runs in the Arizona Fall League while slashing .246/.343/.509 with 16 RBI and two steals in 14 games. He does have 18 strikeouts over that span and swing-and-miss will always be part of his game, but the power upside is immense and Alcántara is a prospect on the rise. He could force his way into the Cubs’ lineup by the 2024 summer.

Alcántara finished 2-for-4 with four RBI and also added a trio of highlight-reel worthy catches in center field. The 21-year-old is universally-regarded as one of the top prospects in the fall showcase and has gone deep three times so far in the AFL campaign. He finished this season at Double-A Tennessee and might have a shot to reach the majors at some point during the 2024 campaign.

These moves were part of 10 cuts in camp on Friday. Canario is listed as the Cubs’ No. 11 prospect on MLB Pipeline after hitting 37 homers and 23 steals with a .252/.343/.556 batting line over 125 games last season between three different levels in the minors. He’s on the verge of his major league debut. Alcantara is one of the best prospects in the system and Brown is one of the better arms in the pipeline.

The 20-year-old outfielder is a dynamic talent and had a strong debut in his first full season of minor league ball -- slashing .273/.360/.451 with 15 homers, 85 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 112 games at Low-A Myrtle Beach. He’s now safely protected from the Rule 5 draft. It’s expected that Alcantara will begin the 2023 season at Double-A Tennessee.

Alcantara ended up driving in eight in the contest, and he also added a triple. Acquired from the Yankees in the deal from Anthony Rizzo, the 19-year-old has looked the part for the Pelicans in 2022, and he now has nine homers on the season to go with an .899 OPS over an even 50 games. The 6-foot-6 outfielder has easy plus power potential in his right-handed bat, and he also has above-average speed; the kind that could give Alcantara 20 or so stolen bases in his best years. There’s a great deal of swing-and-miss here, but this is a player that can contribute in a few categories. It’s just going to be a couple of years at least until Alcantara is ready to contribute at the highest level.

Alcantara just turned 19, and unsurprisingly, has a long way to go before he’s ready to help. That being said, this is a prospect with four plus tools including speed and power, and he should make enough hard contact to help in that category, as well. Fantasy managers will have to be patient, but if he reaches his full potential, he’s a potential star.