Cubs Prospects: Alexander Canario blasts up to Double-A

While the Chicago Cubs try to get their act together at the big league level, there have been some great stories down on the farm. Even if there is no definitive timeline on the next great Cubs team, the potential pieces are there and one of them just brute-forced his way up to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies.

Alexander Canario, one-half of the Kris Bryant trade last year, has been murdering the baseball this year. He got off to a bit of a low start in South Bend when he came over last year, but his numbers in 2022 removed all doubt that he was ready for Double-A. In just 24 games, he’s already nearly matched his home run total in 42 games with the Cubs last year with seven long balls. He’s sitting with a very impressive .280/.360/.588 slash line, as well.

We got a brief peek at Canario in spring training where hit a couple of bombs in eleven plate appearances, but it’s really good to see it translate over his time in South Bend. He’s coming off a really high note too, winning Midwest League Player of the Week last week for going 13-for-26 in six games against the Quad City River Bandits. The only slightly scary part of his game is a whopping 35 percent strikeout rate, something that you’d like to see come down as he continues onward.

The Kris Bryant trade is shaping up well for the Cubs

Between Canario and Caleb Kilian, there’s a lot to love so far about what the North Siders got back for their former MVP. Both are shooting through the minors and Kilian, in particular, is already knocking on the door of the majors. Given that he’s still mowing down Triple-A batters to the tune of a 1.46 ERA, that call-up is creeping ever closer as we speak.

Canario still has some clear and obvious weaknesses that are going to get exposed in Double-A, namely the strikeouts. What’ll be interesting to watch in the coming weeks is how the slugger adapts to the new environment. He made great strides in jumping more fly balls out of the yard this year and he has the tools to do well beyond South Bend, assuming he continues adjusting. At the rate he’s going, it might only be a year or two before he dons a major league uniform.

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Of all the Cubs prospects currently in the system, I truly hope Canario is among those to become a fixture on the team in years to come. The dude has a destructive swing that’ll be a ton of fun to watch in Wrigley one day. With his insane power, he feels like a good bet to hit some balls out to Waveland. Best of all, Canario was just one part of that loaded South Bend roster.