Cubs Minor League Hitter of the Month - July 2024

[Seth Stohs]

There were some really strong hitting performances up and down the Cubs organization in July. Some of the names are quite familiar. Others might surprise you. 

Image courtesy of Larry Kave, Myrtle Beach Pelicans

What a great month for hitters in the Cubs minor leagues! There were several players that had good months that didn't even get onto the Honorable Mention grouping. Let's get right to it! 

HONORABLE MENTION

• 1B Jonathon Long - South Bend Cubs/Tennessee Smokies - 18 G, 19-61, .312/.411/.525 (.936), 4 doubles, 3 home runs, 12 R, 7 RBI, 10 BB, 16 K. 

• 1B/OF Felix Stevens - Tennessee Smokies - 23 G, 23-78, .295/.378/.590 (.968) with 7 doubles, 2 triples, 4 home runs, 14 R, 18 RBI, 10 BB, 36 K. 

• IF Brian Kalmer - South Bend Cubs - 20 G, 17-67, .254/.378/.612 (.990) with 5 doubles, 2 triples, 5 home runs, 17 R, 16 RBI, 13 BB, 30 K. 

• IF B.J. Murray - Iowa Cubs - 15 G, 15-52, .289/.393/.519 (.913) with 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 10 R, 8 RBI, 8 BB, 14 K. 

• IF Angel Cepeda - ACL Cubs - 16 G, 21-63, .333/.449/.413 (.861) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 14 R, 15 RBI, 13 BB, 14 K. 

THE TOP FIVE HITTERS
Number 5 - Tennessee Smokies - IF Matt Shaw - 14 G, 19-51 .373/.414/.647 (1.061), 2 doubles, 4 home runs, 14 R, 13 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K.
The Cubs top pick from 2023 started this season slowly, but he’s been playing quite well of late. Shaw had a really good month in July despite losing time to the Futures Game and the All Star break. I think a lot of people assumed it would happen sooner, but Shaw has been promoted to Triple-A Iowa and finds himself one step from the big leagues. 

In his 86 games for Tennessee this year, he hit .279/.373/.468 (.841) with 11 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs. He also had 25 stolen bases. After posting an .810 OPS in April, it dropped to just .683 in May. In June, it bumped up to .901 and then 1.061 in July. 

He began the month of July on the Injured List, but he returned and jumped into a groove. After an 0-for-4 in his first game back, he had multi-hit games in three of the next four games. He ended the month on a five-game hitting streak and had three homers in that time. His final two games of July included a 3-for-4 and a 4-for-5 (and on August 1, he went 3-for-5.  

 

 

Number 4 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans - OF Jacob Wetzel - 19 G, 19-64, .297/.425/.609 (1.034), 5 doubles, 3 triples, 3 home runs, 16 R, 12 RBI, 15 BB, 16 K.
Wetzel put together a really solid month. He’s always had a lot of talent and a lot of swing and miss. He got on base with nearly as many walks to strikeouts. He crushed the ball with 11 extra base hits, showing some speed with the triples. It was a solid all-around month for the slugger. 

Wetzel is an interesting story. After high school, he went to Frederick Community College in Maryland. He was eligible for the 2020 draft, but with just five rounds, he went undrafted. The Cubs were very interested and were able to get him signed. 

 

In 2021, he jumped to Myrtle Beach and hit .229 with a .690 OPS. He stayed there in 2022 and hit just .211 with a .692 OPS. In 2023, he moved up to High-A South Bend but hit just .211 with a .608 OPS. He has spent the 2024 season back in Myrtle Beach. However, this year, he is hitting .261/.382/.479 (.860) with 15 doubles, 11 triples and eight home runs. He also has stolen 17 bases in 19 attempts. 

Number 3 - Tennessee Smokies - OF Kevin Alcantara 19 G - 27-74, .365/.417/.581 (0.998), 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 11 R, 20 RBI, 8 BB, 15 K.
It is very fair to say that Alcantara didn’t find success right away at Double-A this year. In fact, through his first seven games, he was 0-for-26. Then he responded with an eight-game hitting streak which included hitting .457 with a 1.329 OPS, two doubles and four home runs. After posting a .709 OPS in April, and a .733 OPS in May, Alcantara got hurt in June and in 11 games, his OPS plummeted to just .494. 

So being healthy again in July and contributing the above numbers had to feel good to Alcantara. It was also noticed by the front office, and he (along with Shaw and James Triantos) have been promoted to Triple-A Iowa.  

 

 

Alcantara has always been very young for his league. He’s an incredible athlete with size, speed and power. He doesn’t steal a lot of bases, but probably could. He can play center field with his range, but he’s also got a strong arm. His power potential is tremendous. 

Number 2 - IF Jose Escobar - ACL Cubs - 14 G, 20-46, .435/.550/.696 (1.246) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 17 R, 8 RBI, 12 BB, 6 K.
The Cubs signed Escobar in early 2022 from Venezuela, about a month after the signing period started. He split that summer between the two Cubs Dominican Summer League teams. In 2023, he came to the States. In 26 games in the ACL, he hit .333/.413/.395 (.808) with two doubles and a  home run. In 47 games in the ACL this year, he is hitting .303/.435/.465 (.900) with four doubles, five triples, and three home runs. 

 

In July, his month (and season) ended with a nine-game hitting streak. In that stretch, he hit .471 with all six of his extra base hits. He had five multi-hit games in that stretch as well. In his first two seasons as a pro, he spent time moving around the infield. He has played 24 games at second base, but he’s also played all around the outfield.                                                                                             

#1 - Eriandys Ramon - 30-73, .411/.419/.644 (1.063), 8 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run, 27 R, 11 RBI, 1 BB, 12 K.
Eriandys Ramon signed with the Cubs just over a year ago, an international free agent from Cuba, for $90,000. He played in 31 games in the DSL that year and hit .222/.355/.356 (.711) with five doubles, two triples and one home run. 

He began the 2024 season with 47 games in the ACL. He hit .340/.367/.566 (.933) with 12 doubles, six triples, and four home runs. He ended the month with a promotion to Myrtle Beach. In four games, he went 8-for-16 (.500) with three doubles and two home runs.  

 

 

Ramon signed when he was 20, so he’s a little older than the typical international signing at 16 or 17. While he’s got a lot of development work ahead of him, he’s already got good size. At 6-3, power could come later. 

 

We want to congratulate Pelicans infielder Eriandys Ramon, North Side Baseball’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for July 2024. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. 

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