Chicago Cubs Minor League Recap: Kevin Alcantara isn't the only top prospect mashing

This week saw the affiliate teams of the Chicago Cubs hover right at .500 as they went 12-12 across the four highest levels of the minor leagues. 

Iowa struggled to a 3-4 record for the week and got swept in two separate double-headers, first against the Louisville Bats and then against the Buffalo Bison. They’ll complete their series with the Bison tomorrow and then have a six-game set with the Omaha Storm Chasers who are currently tied with the Cubs and the Toledo Mud Hens for the best record in the Western Division of the International League. 

Tennessee was spectacular this week. They went 4-2 against the Montgomery Biscuits and the Rocket City Trash Pandas. They’ll finish up against Rocket City tomorrow and then open a six-game series with the Biloxi Shuckers. 

South Bend is unfortunately what you get when your top young prospects are moving through the system quickly. The players that, by age, would normally be at High-A find themselves at Double-A or Triple-A, and therefore, South Bend had another week of 2-4 baseball. They technically still have a chance to win the series against the Quad Cities River Bandits, and next week, they’ll start a series with the Lansing Lugnuts. 

This is the first week of the season that Low-A Myrtle Beach had a winning record. This was the first week of the season that the Pelicans kept their opponents in single-digits for runs in every game of the week, even if they only had to play five games (3-2) to do it. They’ll finish their six-game series with the Lynchburg Hillcats tomorrow before starting a series with the Salem Red Sox. 

Hitter of the Week

Kevin Alcantara

OF (Double-A Tennessee Smokies)

.444/.474/1.000 3 HR, 4 R, 4 RBI, 1/3 BB/K, 1/1 SB

You can almost set your calendar with Kevin Alcantara’s performances. Through his first seven games last season he was hitting .154/.185/.143 with seven strikeouts and one extra-base hit. Through his first seven games this season he was hitting .000/.103/.000 with 11 strikeouts and no hits at all.

Alcantara turned it on after that and finished the 2023 season .284/.345/.465. The same thing appears to be true this season as he turned in a week for the ages this week by smashing as many homers as he had strikeouts (3) and stealing a base as well.

Alcantara has the potential to be one of the best outfielders the Cubs have in the minors, and that includes the recently recalled Pete Crow-Armstrong, and recent top prospect of the week Owen Caissie.

If Alcantara continues to hit like this there’s a real possibility that he becomes a part of a team’s present as well as its future very soon, even if that team is not the Chicago Cubs.

Pitcher of the Week

Daniel Palencia 

RHP (Triple-A Iowa Cubs)

2 G, 4.2 IP, 1.93 ERA, 3 H, 0BB, 7 K

Not only is Palencia’s stat line good, but it’s also intriguing. Last season, the Cubs fast-tracked Palencia through the minors to get him to the majors as soon as possible to help a mightily struggling bullpen. 

Prior to last season, Palencia had only been a starter, so the move was a little short-sighted but he pitched well out of the bullpen and looked like a potential late-inning player with a little more seasoning. 

He was sent down to Triple-A Iowa last week and we didn’t expect that demotion to last too long, but considering he started the game in one of his two appearances this week, there’s reason to believe that the Cubs may not have fully let the idea of him as a starter go. 

He pitched very well in his start. He only allowed two hits and no walks over 2.2 innings pitched while striking out six. Unfortunately for him, one of those two hits was a solo homer, so he did allow a run, but if the Cubs can add another valuable starter to their system by stretching Palencia back out that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Honorable Mentions

Brennen Davis

OF (Triple-A Iowa Cubs)

.429/.636/.857 1 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI, 4/2 BB/K

This is the ideal bounce-back week you want to see from Brennen Davis who began the season on the IL after a concussion ended his impressive Spring Training.

Davis is a player that has seen his prospect sheen wear off. He was a top prospect from 2020 until the beginning of last season, and that was primarily coming from his 2018 season, where he hit .305/.381/.525 over 50 games as a 19-year-old. 

He’s now 24, and in 2022, his slash line was .180/.299/.298, and in 2023, it only improved slightly to .201/.297/.307. That’s not good enough. 

However, if Davis is finally healthy then this may be the player he truly is. He was the MVP of the futures game not that long ago, and if he keeps putting weeks together like the one he just had, he could be playing in the majors sooner rather than later since he already has a spot on the 40-man roster. 

Cristian Hernandez

SS (Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans)

.313/.421/.625 1 HR, 2 2B, 5 R, 4 RBI, 3/6 BB/K, 2/2 SB

Hernandez is a similar player to Brennen Davis in the fact that they were once-hyped prospects in this system that have been passed by the other incredibly talented youngsters on the farm.

Much like Davis, Hernandez has experienced a resurgence this season. In his first taste of professional baseball, he came out of the gates hot; he hit .285/.398/.424 but the next two years were a huge struggle. 

This season, he’s back to those old ways with superior numbers across the board. He’s batting .327/.407/.442 with a homer, three doubles and he’s a perfect 7-for-7 when stealing bases. He and his brother Alexis represent an incredibly talented and fun-to-watch double-play combination at Low-A Myrtle Beach for now, but he could find himself in South Bend soon if he keeps up this torrid pace.