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Chicago Cubs: Miguel Amaya dominating in Arizona Fall League
The continued development of Chicago Cubs prospect Miguel Amaya takes on new importance this offseason as the organization looks to get back on track.
During much of the Joe Maddon era, really since the likes of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and Kyle Schwarber arrived at Wrigley Field, we’ve seen less and less focus on the farm system. You can’t really blame fans for that – the Chicago Cubs have been tremendously exciting over the last five years. We had seemingly graduated from the life of waiting for the next prospect to save our team.
While those days certainly aren’t over (believe it or not, the Cubs have a lot of talent on their major league roster) – it’s time to start shifting that focus back to the farm system. We’ve heard about the front office overhaul Theo Epstein is focused on and I wouldn’t be shocked to see some major organizational changes when it comes to player development and the farm system, as a whole.
Knowing we could see Chicago part ways with big league assets this offseason in hopes of breathing life into the roster ahead of 2020, it’s time to check in on some of the team’s brightest young talents. One of those talents? Young catcher Miguel Amaya.
Chicago Cubs: Amaya turning heads in the Arizona Fall League
Somehow, Amaya is just 20 years old. It seems like we’ve been talking about this kid for years (which, we have – he entered the system at 17 years old) – but he’s far from reaching his ceiling.
Physically, he’s going to continue to develop. But with more and more young 20-somethings stealing the show across Major League Baseball, you’d really like to see him take that next step in his development – and we might be witnessing that in the Arizona Fall League.
Through October 6, Amaya is doing a lot of good things at the plate with a .321/.424/.393 across 28 at-bats. He’s drawn five walk to just seven strikeouts and with runners on, he’s hitting .438. Granted, this is a small sample size – but you love to see him putting up these kind of numbers after another fairly lackluster offensive campaign in the minors.
Regardless of his so-so showing this year with High-A Myrtle Beach, Amaya ranked as the Cubs’ second-best prospect, according to Baseball America (subscription required), who had this to say about the young backstop in their latest organizational Top 30 rankings.
Amaya’s development has been a slow burn, but he’s continued to gain strength in an effort to prove he’ll have what it takes to be an asset on both offense and defense. He’s also been of the Cubs’ representative at the last two Futures Games.
A slow burn is the perfect way to describe what we’ve gotten to this point. But we could be reaching a critical turning point for the 20-year-old talent.
Chicago Cubs: If the team moves off a catcher, Amaya becomes key
Would I prefer the Chicago Cubs were playing in the postseason? Of course. But I have to say, I’m more excited for the months to come than I’ve been for any offseason in recent memory. We’re going to see substantive change on the big league roster for the first time in years.
If nothing else, the 2019 campaign showed there are fundamental flaws in regards to how this team is constructed. The Cubs trended in the wrong direction in countless statistics – namely on defense and the base paths. Two spots on the diamond – second base and center field – were major drags on the team and the starting rotation showed its age in big ways.
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The good news? Epstein seems to know the task at hand – and he has a roster loaded with quality pieces, either to build around or turn into valuable trade chips. I recently broke down the three big-name guys the Cubs could move off in hopes of shoring up the roster, as a whole. Of course, one of those players is Willson Contreras.
If Chicago decided to roll with Victor Caratini as their starting catcher and complimented him with one of the many veteran backstops set to hit free agency this winter, Amaya becomes even more critical to the team’s long-term plans.
I’m not saying he’d be at Wrigley Field in 2020 because, barring something tremendous, that’s not happening.
But for a few years, we’ve looked at Contreras as the team’s long-term answer behind the plate, which has allowed us to be somewhat complacent when it comes to Amaya taking that next step in his game.
dark. Next. Three players the Cubs could move in a blockbuster
Without Contreras, though, that safety net is gone – and the Cubs will need Miguel Amaya to become the catcher we’ve all long-expected him to turn into. The only question is whether or not he’ll finally make the jump to that next level.