Cory Sparks

Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-Imagn Images Kevin Alcántara is, at least superficially, posing a good problem for the Chicago Cubs. He's on a power binge for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs this spring. Let's dig into his numbers, and the choices the Cubs have with him. Background If you've been tracking Alcántara's career closely, you already know what his ceiling looks like, but you also know ho9w stubbornly far beneath it he's remained over the last few years. What was missing, to achieve that metaphorical ascent? A literal one. That's what Alcántara's achieving this spring. He's finally launching the ball. There's no slug on the ground, so he's taken his swing and his batted-ball profile to where there's a ton of it. Season Avg. LA Ground % Line Drive % Fly Ball % Pop Up % Pull % Center % Oppo % 2024 5.3° 51.7 25.3 18.4 4.6 48.3 21.8 29.9 2025 9.5° 46.2 24.9 23.3 6.3 40.3 23.7 36 2026 16.9° 32.8 15.6 39.1 12.5 35.9 39.1 25 Alcántara slugged just over .700 on contact in each of his two previous season stints in Triple-A. This year, that number is a mind-boggling (and, admittedly, unsustainable) 1.078. He's become an elite producer of power, at least at the Triple-A level. There's just one problem, and it's exactly what you'd guess, if you've been tracking Alcántara's career closely. Season O-Swing Z-Swing Z-Contact Whiff Rate 2024 32.1 62 80 31.8 2025 31.7 61.3 82.7 30.5 2026 35.1 61.1 73.6 38.6 To get to his power, Alcántara has sacrificed contact, in a profile that had no room for that tradeoff. He's striking out at a rate that would preclude a player from succeeding in the majors, and he's doing it against worse pitchers than they have in the majors. The implication, then, is that he'd strike out over 40% of the time in the big leagues. That's Brett Jackson territory. Alcántara still has to find the happy medium, where he's lifting the ball but can also control the strike zone and make consistent contact. Still, it's exciting to see just how much power he can generate when things go well. He’s also an absolute ball hawk in the outfield, as his 60-grade fielding tool is the highest on his MLB Pipeline scouting report. So what choices do the Cubs have? Let’s go over them. Promote Alcántara They could promote ‘The Jaguar’, but that comes with some complications. A couple of moves have resulted in a domino effect that makes this guy’s point of entry a little tougher. For one, the team locked down one of the best third basemen in the game, Alex Bregman, for the foreseeable future. That pushes sophomore Matt Shaw into (mostly) a corner outfield role. When Shaw is in right field, Seiya Suzuki takes up the DH spot, and then there’s no room for Alcántara. Of course, Alcántara would be behind Moisés Ballesteros on anyone's DH depth chart, anyway, even if Suzuki weren't in the picture. With Ian Happ, Suzuki, Shaw and Ballesteros all playing reasonably well, there's no short-term path to playing time with the parent club. Have Him Change Positions This is a nice little dream, but not much of a potential reality. Alcántara doesn't have any of the skills to play an infield position other than first base, and all of those spots are locked down, anyway. If he could become a solid first baseman, he would fit neatly with Michael Busch as a platoon partner, but that puts a lot of pressure on him to mash lefties and make more contact. It's also far from a guarantee that he can simply slide to that very different position and be above-average. His best defensive fit could be as a platoon partner for Pete Crow-Armstrong, but Crow-Armstrong is the best defensive center fielder in baseball; you usually don't platoon players with that much value in their glove. Keep Him In Iowa For a Little Longer This is the obvious course of action. Beyond simply keeping their powder dry, letting Alcántara continue amassing playing time in Iowa encourages him to keep developing, and avoids ruffling the feathers of any veterans. Happ and Suzuki are both due to be free agents this fall, and it would be no surprise if both land elsewhere. If even one does, playing time will be available in 2027's Cubs outfield, and if Alcántara keeps fixing holes in his game, he could be a candidate for that job. While the team is healthy, though, keeping him in Iowa lets everyone involved stay in rhythm and play every day, and gives Alcántara time to solve that glaring swing-and-miss problem, if possible. Trade the Surplus The last option is to trade Alcántara. Obviously, it’d be great to have a talent of his caliber at Wrigley, but right now, there's almost no chance he would be better than Happ, Suzuki or even Shaw. Power brings mass appeal in 2026, and this guy has plenty of it. The strikeouts have been an issue, but there are plenty of teams who might give up something to gamble on the power potential in Alcántara's bat, especially given his solid defensive platform. Before dealing him, the team would have to feel some confidence that they could re-sign either Suzuki or Happ, or that Shaw can be a regular in a corner come next season. They can't afford to go spend major free-agent dollars on multiple corner bats this winter, and the class looks thin, anyway. For now, Alcántara is an intriguing, enigmatic piece of the Cubs' organizational puzzle. His prospect stock could still skyrocket or plummet, but at the moment, it's holding in a middle range. The upside has never been more apparent. Neither have the warts ever been more prominently on display. There are a lot of ways to resolve this, but for now, the team's plan seems to be to do the obvious thing: wait and see what comes next, from Alcántara and others. View full article

The Chicago Cubs may have a Kevin Alcantara problem. While it may seem odd to say that about somebody who has paced the International League in home runs, the Cubs essentially have four choices on what to do with their mashing third-ranked prospect. They can promote him, help him transition positions, trade him, or have him ride out some contract situations in Triple-A. View full video

These four Cubs prospects are SURGING in April. Jonathon Long's power is yet again on display, Grant Kipp looks like the steady starting option he gained a reputation as in 2025, Pedro Ramirez could break into the majors any month with his hit ability, and Riley Martin has already made an impact with the big league club, suffering some injuries. View full video

The Cubs extended Nico Hoerner on a 6-year, $141 million deal earlier this season. So far, he's putting together his most impressive season yet. In this video, we'll dive into his whiff rate, strikeout rate, walk rate and discuss how his speed leads to above-average base-running and elite defensive range at the second base position. View full video

Former Cubs top prospect Moises Ballesteros is red-hot out of the gates to start the 2026 season. What is contributing to this prolific stretch, and can Ballesteros take home NL Rookie of the Year honors in a crowded field that includes JJ Wetherholt, Konnor Griffin, and more? We break it all down in this video. Enjoy! View full video

Edward Cabrera has been superb as a bright spot in an otherwise injury-riddled rotation. What is the science behind his 1-0 start with a mid-1s ERA? Today, we dive into his electric changeup, high whiff, and chase rate, and how he can keep this momentum going as the 2026 season progresses. Enjoy! View full video

Cubs' starting first baseman Michael Busch is hitting well below .200 to start the 2026 season. While he had an exciting RBI knock in the Cubs' come-from-behind win to cap off a series with the Pirates, will Busch break out of this dry spell? We dove into his advanced analytics to find out how possible that is. Enjoy! View full video

The Chicago Cubs have signed second baseman Nico Hoerner to a six-year, $141 million extension. In this video, we break down everything from Hoerner's reliability to his Gold Gloves and how 2025 was a career year on multiple fronts. Enjoy! View full video

Seiya Suzuki will start the season on the Cubs' Injured List, Craig Counsell announced. Chicago's veteran slugger is a key piece in their starting lineup, and his injury tips over a few dominoes. Suzuki spent the majority of 2025 as the Cubs' designated hitter, which could open up some availability for the squad's top prospect in Moises Ballesteros. He also spent some time in right field, which means a former first-rounder in Matt Shaw may be in line for some more playing time. View full video

The Chicago Cubs and Pete Crow-Armstrong are both closing in on a long-term extension, per Jeff Passan and other reporters. Is locking down the 30-30 center fielder and Gold Glove honoree a smart move at this point in his career? We dive into everything from PCA's top metrics to the reason he's on the Cubs in the first place and ultimately whether this is a wise decision or not. Enjoy! View full video

The Chicago Cubs are undergoing somewhat of a changing of the guard at the catching position. Carson Kelly, coming off a career year, is a season away from a mutual option. Miguel Amaya showed more pop in 2025, but he lost some playing time to Kelly. Moises Ballesteros, the top prospect and man with the most years of control, passed the eye test in a small sample size this year. What's the future of this position? We dive into that exact question in this video. View full video

Image courtesy of © Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images The catching position is as involved as any in baseball, seeing that whoever is behind the plate factors into every single pitch. The Chicago Cubs’ catching position has everything from a grizzled veteran who is coming off of a career year to up-and-coming talents with varying levels of upside. Here is a full breakdown of the North Siders' backstop situation heading into the 2026 season. Cubs Catchers At A Glance Starter: Carson Kelly Backup: Miguel Amaya Depth: Moises Ballesteros Prospects: Christian Bethancourt, Casey Opitz, Ariel Armas Cubs starting catcher fWAR last year: 11th out of 30 Cubs fWAR ranking projection this year: 16th out of 30 The Good Regardless of what the Cubs were expecting to get out of Carson Kelly in his first season with the team, he exceeded those standards. Chicago’s veteran backstop posted career marks in batting average (.249), hits (92), RBI (50) and runs scored (48), among other statistics. Arguably the most awe-inspiring figure was this: Kelly logged just 4.1 WAR over the first nine years of his career. In 2025 alone, he logged 3.6. One of the reasons Kelly had a breakout season at the plate was his plate discipline. His strikeout rate (19.0) and walk percentage (10.7) both beat the league-average marks, and it allowed him to capitalize in a crucial way: the pull-side air raid. While the majority of Kelly’s balls in play were to left field, he found a way to get out in front of pitches at a remarkable rate this year. The 31-year-old catcher capitalized on a career-high in Pull AIR%. Kelly wasn’t the only player who put up a career year, though. Miguel Amaya hit a personal-best .281 with a .500 slugging percentage that eclipsed his previous career-high of .359. Furthermore, after hitting just eight home runs across 117 contests the year prior, Amaya swatted four long balls in just 28 games. Call it hunger for more playing time if you want, but the 6-foot-1, 230 pound catcher found his power stroke in the 2025 season. Moises Ballesteros, while very young, flexed his hitting abilities as the team’s top prospect in his debut last year. The 22-year-old Venezuelan has always been a standout talent for his elite bat-to-ball skills, and the 60-grade hit tool on his scouting report reinforces that narrative. Very possibly the Cubs catcher of the future if his defense can hold up, Ballesteros registered a .298 batting average with an .868 OPS. He throttled a pair of home runs and served as a shot in the arm for an at-times anemic Cubs offense in the second half. The Bad It’s a rare sighting to see a player on the other end of 30 years old put up career numbers. Even if Kelly were to replicate his incredible 2025 season, he has a year left on his contract before a mutual option kicks in. That places a plethora of pressure on Amaya, who simply didn’t play a ton in 2025. In fact, Amaya’s 96 at-bats were the lowest total of any of his three seasons in the big leagues so far. Take the small sample size with a grain of salt, but his strikeout rate (21.4%), whiff rate (26.0%) and chase rate (36.8%) all left much to be desired in that time. The pop is clearly there. Now, it comes down to pitch identification and plate discipline, something that catchers of all people should have an advantage in. Given that those skills develop with more repetitions, it's a problem that Amaya's injury history is growing concerningly long when factoring in his time in the minors. Ballesteros, on the other hand, gets to swing freely as the projected starting designated hitter. When a 22-year-old is being projected to play at DH, though, that should tell you all you need to know about their defensive skills. The Bottom Line There’s a very clear changing of the guard happening here. With Kelly’s short-term contract nearing its end, it’ll be up to Amaya and Ballesteros/a prospect to slide up a spot in the team’s depth chart. Their power could be the calling card for a lineup that had to say goodbye to Kyle Tucker (22 home runs in 2025) after just one season. If both of these up-and-comers are hits? Chicago may have its answer for the foreseeable future, especially if they can find a veteran replacement for Kelly to pair with Amaya. Those are longer-term problems, though. For 2026, the Cubs are well positioned to run out a competent group of backstops. View full article