Number 12
Alexander Canario OF
Age: 23 Years Old
Level: AAA Iowa Cubs
Joined the organization via: Kris Bryant Trade with San Francisco Giants
2023 Stats: .244/.359/.346 1 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBI, 13 R
The stats are misleading as Alexander Canario has missed almost all of this season due to a freak injury in the winter leagues. However across three leagues in 2022 Canario hit .252/.343/.556 with 37 homers and another 28 extra-base hits. He’s a legitimate old-school power-hitting corner outfielder in a way that the major league squad desperately needs.
If Canario can be that player again he absolutely projects to be a 30-homer threat at the major league level. He’s only recently turned 23 years old and could push his way onto the roster in Chicago by the end of this season or the start of the 2024 season.
The Cubs obviously believe in Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki enough to have them locked up through the 2026 season so there’s a little bit of a problem with Canario’s defensive positioning, but the bat can carry the DH spot as well with relative ease. If this list had been made at the end of last season Canario could have been a top-five prospect but the injury along with the delayed results returning from that injury are a little scary. Hopefully he finishes the season strong and asuages those fears.