They also have the second-best record in the NL, sitting just behind the New York Mets. The Cubs also have a solid farm system. One of their top prospects is Kevin Alcantara, and he needs to be called up by the Cubs in the 2025 season.

The Cubs’ outfield has been great this year. This is led by Pete Crow-Armstrong in center field. He is hitting .271 with a .305 on-base percentage. Further, Crow-Armstrong has 17 home runs and 55 RBIs this year. Meanwhile, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker, and Ian Happ have all also played well.

Still, Tucker is a pending free agent, and while he has provided a lot of pop to the lineup for the Cubs, he could leave at the end of the year. With that, the Cubs need to not only prepare for the stretch run this year, but also for the future. The future in the outfield is going to be Alcantara, and the Cubs need to call him up this year to get him ready to be a major leaguer.

Who is Cubs prospect Kevin Alcantara?

Alcantara is the 89th-ranked prospect in the minor leagues right now, according to MLB Pipeline, and sixth in the Cubs’ farm system. The New York Yankees signed him as an international free agent in July of 2018. He spent the 2019 season with the Dominican Summer League and the Gulf Coast League, both in the Yankees’ farm system.

After missing the 2020 season due to COVID-19 canceling the minor-league season, he started the 2021 season in the Florida Complex League.

In July of 2021, the Yankees traded Alcantara as part of the package for Anthony Rizzo. He played rookie ball and then Single-A before being added to the 40-man roster in an effort to protect him from the Rule 5 draft at the end of the 2022 season.

Alcantara made it to the AAA level in the 2024 season, playing 35 games for the Iowa Cubs, hitting .292 with a .378 on-base percentage. He was part of the September call-ups for the Cubs last year, appearing in three games and going 1-for-10 at the plate.

Alcantara returned to the AAA level this past year and has played well. This year, he has hit .242 with a .327 on-base percentage. Furthermore, he is slugging .409 with seven home runs and 33 RBIs.

Alcantara has also been solid on the basepaths, stealing eight bases this year on 10 attempts. Furthermore, he has played all over the outfield. This year, Alcantara has played 29 games in center field while also playing 15 in left and nine in right. Additionally, he has just two errors this year in more than 450 innings in the outfield.

Why should the Cubs call Kevin Alcantara up?

The Cubs have a solid set of four outfielders currently. Still, there are a few reasons to make the call-up for Alcantara. First is the future. Kyle Tucker is set to hit free agency at the end of the season and will be highly sought after. Furthermore, Pete Crow-Armstrong will also need a new contract at the end of the year. He is still under team control through the 2029 season.

Article Continues BelowSecondly, there are injuries. Tucker has also dealt with a jammed finger this year, and it would be reasonable to assume that another one of the outfielders will end up having to spend time on the injured list this year.

Happ has already missed time this year and has never played more than 158 games in a season. Suzuki has never played more than 140 games in a season, so there is a need to have available depth with the inevitable injury that comes for one of the outfielders.

Finally, there is a need for rest. Crow-Armstrong has played in all but one game this year and is on pace to have more than 1,400 innings in center field. In major-league history, just 29 players have played more than 1,400 innings in center field, with six of them doing it multiple times.

The last time a player played more than 1,400 innings in center field was in 2012, when Adam Jones achieved that feat. Alcantara has been primarily in center field in his AAA career and would be able to play the position at the major-league level to give Crow-Armstrong a break.

Why will Cubs prospect Kevin Alcantara be a star?

Alcantara has all the tools to be a star. Since joining the Yankees’ minor-league system in 2019 as a 16-year-old, he has made steady progress. Alcantara has moved up from rookie ball through single-A and double-A, and made it to the majors last year.

Furthermore, throughout this time, his offensive production has stayed consistent. His only offensive hiccup in his career was last season in his three games with the major-league club. Still, it was just three games, and the major-league level takes time to adjust to for the vast majority of players.

Furthermore, Alcantara has shown to be a plus fielder. Only once has he had a fielding percentage under .950 in a season, and that was in rookie ball in 2019. His range factor per game has continued to get better, and he will be a positive addition to an outfield on defense.

Alcantara also has speed and power. He already has eight stolen bases this year on 10 attempts. Only three players on the Cubs currently have more than eight stolen bases.

He has also shown some pop at the plate, having seven home runs in 54 games this year so far. That is a home run every 32 at-bats, an improvement on the every 36.1 at-bats last year. Alcantara has all the tools to become a star. Now, he just needs the chance to develop and prove he belongs in the majors.