Cubs Short Season Minor League Hitter of the Year - 2024

The first awards we are going to hand out are the short-season minor-league awards. These awards go to players for their statistics in the Dominican Summer League (DSL) or the Arizona Complex League (ACL). 

NorthSide Baseball writers voted for these awards using only ACL or DSL stats. It does not include full-season stats. We will highlight the top vote getters, but first we'll note a few hitters who received votes and deserve to be recognized. 

Others Receiving Votes

• Alexey Lumpuy, 20 - DSL Cubs Blue - 45 G, .257/.397/.534, 5 2B, 12 3B, 4 HR, 40 R, 19 RBI, 26 BB, 42 K

• Derik Alcantara, 19 - ACL Cubs, DSL Cubs Blue - 27 G, .344/.418/.462, 5 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 17 R, 26 RBI, 13 BB, 9 K

• Darlyn De Leon, 19 - DSL Cubs Blue - 41 G, .307/.428/.395, 6 2B, 2 3B, 0 HR, 29 R, 7 RBI, 22 BB, 25 K

Honorable Mention
Edgardo De Leon, 17 - DSL Cubs Red - 48 G, .277/.431/.433, 7 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 31 R, 27 RBI, 32 BB, 44 K
After signing with the Cubs as an international free agent this past winter, De Leon flashed a good eye at the plate with a 17.7 percent walk rate. He flashed some positional versatility as well, appearing at first base, third base, and in the outfield in the Dominican Summer League. He was second on the team in OPS, which is impressive for someone that is just 17 years of age. Given his performance in his first season in professional baseball, De Leon has established himself as someone to watch going forward. 

Jose Escobar, 19 - ACL Cubs - 47 G, .303/.435/.465, 4 2B, 5 3B, 3 HR, 35 R, 19 RBI, 30 BB, 23 K
Unlike De Leon, this is Jose Escobar’s third year in professional baseball, but his first year as a breakout player. After spending the 2022 season in the Dominican Summer League and the 2023 season in the Arizona Complex League, Escobar impressed about in his 47 games in the ACL this year to get the call up to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, where he proceeded to hit an impressive .209/.357/.478. Given his age, don’t be surprised to see the young second baseman on some Cubs prospect boards for the 2025 season. 

Joan Delgado, 19 - ACL Cubs - 53 G, .281/.364/.538, 7 2B, 8 3B, 6 HR, 45 R, 29 RBI, 19 BB, 65 K
Delgado, an outfielder from Venezuela, impressed in his first season stateside. An international free agent signee in 2022, Delgado spent his first two seasons in the Dominican Summer League before coming over to the Arizona Complex League for this summer. He’ll have to trim his strikeout rate, which has been well above 30 percent in each of his three professional seasons, but a high strikeout rate is a bit more palatable when it comes with a 10.2 percent walk rate and .538 slugging percentage. I’d look for Delgado to make his debut for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans next summer. 

Second Place
Eriandys Ramon, 21 - ACL Cubs - 47 G, .340/.368/.566, 12 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 31 R, 23 RBI, 7 BB, 33 K

After posting a .710 OPS in the Dominican Summer League last season, Ramon impressed enough in his 47 games with the ACL Cubs that he was ranked 30th on FanGraphs’ midseason Cubs top prospect list, and also earned himself a promotion to Myrtle Beach to play with the Pelicans. The outfielder posted a .184/.273/.306 line in 110 plate appearances there. At 21, he’s still a little old for A ball, but given that the Cubs only signed him last June, and that he can play shortstop, I’d expect him to remain around the fringes of prospect lists until we see what he can do in a full season in Myrtle Beach next season.   

Winner
Anderson Suriel, 21 - ACL Cubs - 38 G, .344/.416/.680, 12 2B, 3 3B, 8 HR, 26 R, 38 RBI, 13 BB, 30 K

Suriel, like Ramon, is old for a short season team. He made his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2021 before heading to Arizona for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, where he posted a .619 and .672 OPS, respectively. In 2024, however, it all seemed to click, leading to eight home runs, which led the team, in just 143 plate appearances. His .680 slugging percentage also led the team, and his 1.096 OPS was the best on the team by .141 points. 

He finally got the call to Myrtle Beach where he proceeded to hit a less gaudy .245/.351/.367, however, given the less hitter friendly environment of the Carolina League, that was still a line that was 18 percent above league average. As someone that will play first base or corner outfield in the big leagues, Suriel will have to hit, so 2024 was a huge development for him. 

How do you feel about our selection for Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year? How would you rank them? Leave your thoughts below. 

Interested in learning more about the Chicago Cubs' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!