All 8 Cubs who will play in Arizona Fall League this year

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On Saturday, Meghan Monetemurro of the Chicago Tribune reported that the Chicago Cubs are sending eight prospects to compete in the Arizona Fall League (AFL).

Cubs are planning to send 8 players to the Arizona Fall League:

OF Kevin Alcantara, IF James Triantos, OF Alexander Canario, RHP Nick Hull, RHP Tyler Santana, LHP Adam Laskey, RHP Adam Kachmar and RHP José Romero.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) September 16, 2023

The AFL begins the day after the 2023 regular season starts on October 2nd. The month-long season will finish with a Championship on Saturday, Nov. 11. Here is a breakdown of each Cubs player set to appear.

1. OF Kevin Alcantara

Probably the most prominent Cubs prospect heading to the Arizona Fall League is outfielder Kevin Alcantara. The 21-year-old is currently ranked the Cubs' no. 4 prospect according to MLB. With a 6'6 frame, Alcantara is projected to be a solid power hitter but the 21-year-old will have to fill out his large frame since he's listed at only 188 pounds.

Alcantara was acquired by the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline in the Anthony Rizzo trade. This year, he made his way to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies and his estimated time of arrival in MLB is 2024. Across three levels in 2023, Alcantara has a .284/.345/.465 slash line with 13 home runs and 71 RBIs.

2. IF James Triantos

Another Double-A Tennessee Smokies farmhand playing in the AFL is James Triantos, a second-round draft pick from 2021. Triantos has an uncertain path to the majors since he is a natural shortstop who struggled to transition to third base. Although he has been fine a second base, there isn't really a positional need there at the big league level. There are also major disagreements on whether Triantos can handle playing anywhere but first base in the long term.

Even though his bat is thought to be his strongest weapon, Triantos sports marginal power numbers with just four home runs and 15 doubles this year. But MLB ranks him as the Cubs' no. 9 prospect in the system so maybe he can be packaged in a trade in the future.

3. OF Alexander Canario

2023 has been a wild ride for Alexander Canario, as he spent most of the year recovering from two injuries he sustained at the end of last year. The 23-year-old had surgery to repair his ankle after fracturing it on the first base bag in the Dominican Winter League last year. When he fell to the ground, Canario also dislocated his shoulder.

But Canario returned in June and made his way back to Triple-A Iowa in July. And he picked up right where he left off in 2022, where he smacked 37 home runs. In 36 games, Canario slashed .276/.342/.524 with 8 home runs and 12 doubles and earned a promotion to the Majors on September 1st.

This is where Canario's season has become a bit stagnant until recently, as Manager David Ross has used Canario's bat very sparingly with the outfield covered by Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Mike Tauchman, and Cody Bellinger. But Canario made his way to the starting lineup on Tuesday night, where he started at DH and collected his first two MLB hits, which were an RBI double and a grand slam. Hopefully, Canario can continue to carve out a path for himself since he was the main component of the Kris Bryant trade in 2021.

4. RHP Nick Hull

Nick Hull is a 24-year-old pitcher whom the Cubs took in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. In 2023, Hull 16 starts between the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelican and the High-A South Bend Cubs with a 4.11 ERA. The AFL could give Hull a chance to showcase himself for a start with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies next year.

5. RHP Jose Romero

Jose Romero was an international free agent who signed with the Cubs in 2020. He has been a successful reliever for the Myrtle Beach Pelicans this year, with a 2.77 ERA over 48.2 innings pitched. He's also struck 68 batters and limited opponents to a .193 batting average.

6. RHP Tyler Santana

Tyler Santana is another South Bend pitcher who came to the Cubs as an undrafted free agent in 2021. Over nine starts this year, Santana has a 4.07 ERA in 90.2 innings.

7. LHP Adam Laskey

Adam Laskey is a lefty reliever that the Cubs took in the 19th round of the 2019 draft. He had major success with Myrtle Beach, posting a 3.14 ERA in 48.2 innings. However, after getting promoted to Double-A, Laskey has given up nine earned runs in just 5.1 innings.

8. RHP Chris Kachmar

Chris Kachmar is a 27-year-old reliever who played at the Double-A level with little success this year. In 25 appearances, Kachmar has a 4.84 ERA in 67 innings with 75 strikeouts. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 28th round of the 2019 draft.

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