Chicago Cubs Outfielder ‘Not Ready for Majors Yet’ but Carries Immense Upside

A Chicago Cubs star prospect has some work to do before becoming a Major League contributor.

Sep 25, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kevin Alcantara (13) hits an infield single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. / Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

There weren’t many teams in baseball who had a better offseason than the Chicago Cubs.

They made one of the most impactful acquisitions, acquiring right fielder Kyle Tucker from the Houston Astros as their splash of the winter. They are hopeful that he will be more than a one-year rental, as he could be their long-term answer in right field.

That would be an ideal outcome for the franchise, who look to have found their center fielder of the future as well with Pete Crow-Armstrong. After a slow start to his rookie campaign in 2024, he closed the season on a high note, putting things together at the plate while providing Gold Glove-caliber defense.

In left field, the team has veteran Ian Happ, the longest-tenured player on the squad who will be relied upon for his leadership and steady production on the field.

Don’t forget about Seiya Suzuki as well, who will handle most of the designated hitter’s at-bats but can fill in at right field too.

While things are loaded in the outfield right now, the team will eventually have to find space for one of their top prospects, Kevin Alcantara.

He made his MLB debut on Sept. 25 of last year and received 10 at-bats. It was a cup of coffee he earned after tearing things up in Double-A and Triple-A despite suffering an injury to his left shoulder in June.

The Cubs’ second-highest-rated prospect, behind only infielder Matt Shaw, has been ranked No. 33 overall by Keith Law of The Athletic. Shaw is No. 14.

He has worked hard at improving aspects of his game, such as his defense, but there is still some work to do before he can officially graduate from the Minor Leagues.

“Alcántara has worked his way up to become a plus defender in center as he’s improved his focus and his reads on balls off the bat. He’s not ready for the majors yet, between the tendency to get on top of the ball and some real trouble with sliders once he reached Triple A (he whiffed at just over half of the ones he swung at there)...” Law wrote.

Staying on top of the ball is something Alcantara is still working on as well, which will lead to more lift on the ball. Last season, he had a groundball rate of 51.4%, a number that has to decrease.

Smart money would be betting that the percentage will decrease.

Measured at 6-6 and already possessing incredible power, making hard contact on nearly half of his swings in 2024, he has all of the tools to develop into a star player.

Still only 22 years old, he is just scratching the surface of his potential. An outfield group of him, Crow-Armstrong and Tucker has to have fans excited about what the future could hold for the franchise.