Top Cubs Prospect James Triantos Taking Inspiration From Former Franchise Legend
With less than two weeks remaining in the Arizona Fall League, Chicago Cubs prospect James Triantos has emerged as a breakout star.
Through 19 games, Triantos leads the Fall League in OPS (1.264) and is second among hitters in Batting Average (.437) and On Base Percentage (.518).
Triantos graduated high school a year early in 2021, reclassifying himself for the 2021 MLB Draft. With the 56th overall pick, the Cubs selected him in the second round.
He spent the majority of 2023 playing at High-A South Bend. Over 80 games with the South Bend Cubs, he slashed .285/.363/.753. Now, he has a good chance of winning MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League.
The 20-year-old grew up admiring 2008 American League MVP Dustin Pedroia. Like Pedroia, Triantos was undersized growing up, but had a knack for spraying the ball all over the field.
In his final year of high school, Triantos found another All-Star player to look up to after he was introduced to Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber
At the time, Schwarber was playing for the Washington Nationals. During the 2021 season, some Nats players needed a place to practice and Triantos' house in Fairfax, Virginia, roughly 20 miles from Nationals Park in Washington D.C., had batting cages.
Triantos was like a kid in the candy store watching those players work out at his own home. He tried to soak up as much information from them as he could during this experience.
Drafted as a third baseman, Triantos has bounced around the diamond quite a bit. He primarily played second base in 2023, but has taken some reps in the outfield during the Fall League.
I recently sat down with Triantos for a longform conversation about his success in the AFL, his relationship with Schwarber, the Major League pitcher he would most like to face, his favorite movies, his favorite position to play and much, much more!
Jack: I asked DJ Herz this the other day. What was your favorite Nickelodeon show, as a kid?
James: Oh man. I know I watched Phineas and Ferb growing up.
Jack: Phineas and Ferb? That’s Disney Channel. Spongebob?
James: I watched Spongebob, for sure.
Jack: Were you too young for Drake and Josh? Was that before your time?
James: I watched it some. It wasn’t my favorite thing. I watched Spongebob when I was younger more than Drake and Josh.
Jack: Victorious?
James: I watched that a little bit. I was big on just getting up and watching SportsCenter with my dad when I was younger, but I’d say if it was cartoons, probably Phineas and Ferb.
Jack: What are some of your favorite movies?
James: Happy Gilmore and Shutter Island are probably my two favorites. Definitely different genres, but those are my two favorite movies of all-time. Happy Gilmore is just hilarious. Shutter Island caught me off guard so much the first time watching it through.
Jack: Happy Gilmore is one of those movies where if it’s on cable, you just gotta turn it on and jump in. It was on after the NLCS game a week ago.
James (laughs): I was watching it then. That’s actually what made me think of it. But yeah, that’s my top-2, probably.
Jack: So you’ve gotten to do quite a bit of traveling as a baseball player. What’s the best food you’ve had on the road?
James: On the road? We went to a couple of hibachi places on the road this year, and I always love that. But the most consistent spot that we went to this year was called “Rohr’s”. I would get steak, mashed potatoes, I got mac and cheese, it was unbelievable. Actually, it was in South Bend. Rohr’s was the consistent spot every off-day for me and my roommate.
Jack: You liked South Bend?
James: Yeah, it was a great spot. The weather was amazing. It was always 85 and sunny every day. It didn’t rain much. Not too humid. It was a lot of fun.
Jack: What’s your favorite thing about being a pro baseball player?
James: That I get to do what I love every single day. I have my dream job, really. I get paid to do what I love and come to the field every single day. That’s it. I get to work on it. I get to study it. It’s my life. That’s what I love to do. So, just being passionate about it, that’s all you can ask for in life.
Jack: You sound very grateful.
James: Yeah. You know, I’m happy. I’m very thankful for all these opportunities that I’ve gotten. It’s just my job to do the best I can and hope.
Jack: Who was your favorite player, as a kid?
James: As a kid, it was Dustin Pedroia, I’d say because I was always small. I didn’t hit the ball as hard as anybody, but I could play baseball. I always knew how to play it the right way. And then, as I grew up, in high school I got to meet Kyle Schwarber and I was really looking up to him for the past couple of years. So those two are probably my top-2, I would say.
Jack: Have you taken anything from either of their swings, or is there anything like that that you’ve tried to emulate?
James: Not necessarily in their swings, just, I’ve gotten a chance to talk to Schwarber about what he thinks about in the box and his approach going in, and his mindset, how he goes about his business in the cage, just get ready and be prepared for the game, so stuff like that, for sure. Not necessarily anything, physically, I’d say.
Jack: How did you get in contact with him?
James: Just worked out. A bunch of the [Washington Nationals] got COVID. They didn’t have a place to hit, and I have a couple cages in my house, so a couple of them came over and swung.
Jack: No way!
James: Yeah, and I got a chance to talk to him for a while. It was really cool.
Jack: So, this was when you were a high schooler?
James: Yeah, I was a senior.
Jack: And the Nationals are working out at your house?!
James: Yeah, it was pretty cool.
Jack: That’s amazing!
James: Yeah, I was just staring there, for hours, just sitting and watching them go through their work, like, “Oh my god! These guys are right in front of me!”
Jack: How often do you talk to Kyle?
James: Not that often. He’s been busy doing his thing, but hopefully I’ll be able to get in touch with him this offseason.
Jack: Is there a Major League pitcher that you’d most like to face?
James: I mean, there are a lot of pitchers that I’d like to face. Facing Shohei would be really cool. I would like to face Chris Sale, just to see what it’s like to be able to compete in there. I want to face Zack Wheeler. Zack Wheeler. That’s who I want to face.
Jack: How have you been enjoying playing out here in the Fall League?
James: It’s so fun. Just being able to learn from all these different guys, coming from different places, different organizations with different philosophies. Get to just soak up information being around all these different people. It’s a lot of fun, going out there, still getting to compete every single day. The weather is great. The ball flies. It’s always fun to hit out here. I can’t really ask for more. This has been a great experience for me and I’m having a lot of fun.
Jack: You are right at the top of the Arizona Fall League in Batting Average, On Base Percentage and OPS. I mean, you have a .513 On Base right now! Are you aware of any of those statistics? Do you pay any attention to that?
James: Yeah, of course I’m aware of them, but like, they don’t mean everything to me. What matters is whether I go up there and execute my plan. And if I execute my plan, it’s pretty hard to be beat. That’s how I think about it. And if I do that every single at-bat, every day, and I get really good at doing that, then good things are going to happen day after day.
Jack: What have been the keys to your success out here?
James: Just keeping it simple. I don’t try to do too much. I just get in the ground and start early. That’s really it. That’s it. Keep it simple, get in the ground, start early. That’s it. Those are my two things that I’ve been saying to myself over and over again. And it works for me because it’s easy. It’s easy to repeat and I don’t really define anything else that I’m doing, so I like it that way.
Jack: Was there anything in particular that you really wanted to work on out here?
James: Nah, I just want to come out here and compete, really. Do what I do. Play as much as I can and do my thing. That was it.
Jack: So, you have played a little bit of outfield out here. How has that been?
James: It’s good. You know, I’m learning. I want to get better. Every chance I have out there is an opportunity to get better. So, [I’m] taking advantage of it as much as I can and just keep rolling with it, because the more positions I can play, the better I can be.
Jack: Is there one position that you enjoy playing the most?
James: I mean, as of right now, I like second a lot. You know, I love playing the infield. I take pride in it. But I played second for the most part this year. So, it’s where I’d say I feel the most comfortable.
