Miguel Amaya's latest heroics define career turnaround with the Chicago Cubs

Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya has had quite the journey as a professional ballplayer. Once a top prospect, his minor league career was filled with ups and downs, having experienced some tough injuries. This included needing Tommy John surgery in 2021 and having foot/ankle issues in 2022. These injuries impacted his development, but he worked hard and fought back. Finally making it to the majors, he continued to work, struggled mightily, and adjusted.

Next thing we know, he is hitting a game-tying home run against the Dodgers off Tanner Scott with two outs in the ninth inning, sending Wrigley Field into madness.

Amaya, 26, has 185 MLB games under his belt, and that was his brightest shining moment so far. He has done much growing as a hitter and catcher since mid-last season, but that game-tying shot is the highlight of his young career. A bomb off an elite arm in a playoff-like atmosphere at Wrigley Field down to the last out? It's something a player dreams of doing.

Heading into Wednesday's game, Amaya is hitting .278/.298/.500 with 14 RBI and 120 wRC+ on the season. He might not be at Carson "Johnny Bench" Kelly's level at the moment, but he has been a force at the plate so far this season. Overall, he is hitting .281 since July 7 last year, who entered that game hitting just .186 in his first 63 games in 2024. Quite the turnaround and more of what we hoped to see way back when he was a ranked prospect in the late-2010s/early 2020s. He is a more productive and more confident player. His teammates have recognized it.

"With him [Amaya], there's that expectation that he's going to do well, and so you know he did. He delivered -- It's a great honor to be able to be teammates with such a great player," Shota Imanaga told reporters after the game.

Hopefully there will be more great moments like this for Amaya in the future. It says a lot when teammates like Imanaga say the things they do about their faith in him and the praise they give him as a player and teammate.