Chicago Cubs: Carlos Sepulveda is catching fire at the perfect time
Since his arrival from Rookie-level to Class-A Advanced Myrtle Beach in 2017, Carlos Sepulveda has not been one to turn heads. The luck seems to be changing, however, as he is starting to find his bat at the perfect time.
Reigning as part of the 2014 international free agent class for the Chicago Cubs, Carlos Sepulveda has yet to put together a quality season for the Pelicans. It is not entirely his fault as Sepulveda has dealt with injuries in each of the past two seasons, which had derailed his production. He missed all of 2018 due to injury.
Now in 2019, fully healthy, Sepulveda has been one of the better players for the Pelicans over the past few weeks. If he continues to stay healthy and keep on his current track, Sepulveda could turn into an underrated prospect in the pipeline.
A left-handed second baseman, it would be great if Sepulveda morphed into what the Cubs had hoped when they signed him out of Mexico. When healthy, Sepulveda has shown glimpses of high production. Let us hope he can continue putting it all together.
Chicago Cubs: A rollercoaster start to his career
Following his signing with Chicago, Sepulveda was sent to the Rookie league to hone his skills. While there, the left-hander slashed an impressive .281/.351/.308 in 47 games. Sepulveda drove in 25 runs and swiped six bags while posting a .324 wOBA and league-average 100 wRC+.
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His second year in professional baseball has been his best yet. In 2016, Sepulveda played 80 games at South Bend, slashing an improved .310/.366/.373 with a home run and 24 RBI. The strikeout rate also saw a dip from 14.1% to 11.2% and Sepulveda finished the campaign with a 122 wRC+.
Sepulveda’s 2017 season started right where he left off the year before. Back in the Rookie league, Sepulveda slashed .324/.390/.378 through nine games. Unfortunately, that would be the start to a disappointing season after Sepulveda received his call to Myrtle Beach. A shoulder injury derailed his season, and in 28 games for the Pelicans, Sepulveda slashed a balmy .196/.272/.214.
He received surgery for his ailing shoulder in 2018 which shelved Sepulveda for the entire season. It all seems to be in the rearview mirror for Sepulveda, however, as he has managed to return to full health and is maintaining a quality year so far for the Pelicans.
Chicago Cubs: Producing on both sides of the ball
Looking at his line in 2019, you would fathom to assume that Sepulveda is having a mediocre season. While that may be true on paper as he carries a .244/.337/.290 line through 96 games, Sepulveda has stepped up his game over the previous three weeks bring him to the forefront of discussion.
Since July 26th, Sepulveda is slashing .302/.327/.434 with a .348 wOBA and 117 wRC+, respectively. Throughout that time, he has a whopping six multi-hit games, to include an impressive performance a couple of days ago in which the young second baseman drove in two runs in a 2-for-4 effort. He also scored two runs himself.
If the bat hasn’t been hot enough for fans, Sepulveda’s glove has also caught fire. Of all minor league second basemen, Sepulveda carries a .994 fielding percentage, which is good enough for second overall in the league. Thus far in 2019 through 685 innings, Sepulveda has committed only two errors. Seeing this stat line should give fans hope that the 22-year-old is holding his own.
Chicago Cubs: Time for the next step
There is a multitude of solid infield prospects ranked in the Cubs’ pipeline. For him to earn the call to Double-A Tennessee, Sepulveda needs to stay healthy and continue to rake. Seems easy enough, right?
It is great what can happen when a player is entirely and unequivocally healthy throughout the entirety of a season and Sepulveda, with how well he is driving the ball, is embracing each moment. He has set career highs in both RBI (32), and stolen bases (11).
The pipeline is muddled with infield talent as previously mentioned, but that should not stop Chicago from watching how he produces moving forward. The hope is that of which Sepulveda can one day turn into a starter. However, even as a left-handed bench bat, Sepulveda can be a solid bench piece who the Cubs could efficiently utilize in a righty-lefty matchup. Hopefully, Sepulveda continues on the right path.
*Editors Note: Stats are correct as of 8/15