The Chicago Cubs have plenty of young talent in the minor leagues. Whether it’s Jaxon Wiggins or Kevin Alcantara, fans are always hearing about how talented their farm system is. Here is a look at the season’s progress. We will examine each Minor League affiliate at the start of the season.
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Iowa Cubs Triple-A
The Iowa Cubs have started their season with a 6-3 record. They have a six-game series starting Tuesday night at home. They will be playing against the Omaha Storm Chasers, who are the Kansas City Royals‘ Triple-A affiliate.
James Triantos
Triantos is a second baseman for the Cubs who has played in all nine games for Iowa this season. Traintos has started the year off red hot. He leads Iowa with 14 hits on the season. Triantos receives less attention because of Matt Shaw. Additionally, Nico Hoerner, who just signed a six-year extension, contributes to this. He has one double, two home runs, and eight RBI with a .412/.44/.618 slash line. Triantos is a fun bat to watch play. However, he faces competition from Hoerner, Shaw, and Dansby Swanson. Swanson plays Hoerner’s natural position at shortstop. I hate saying it, but if he continues to hit at this rate, the Cubs will be fielding plenty of calls for his future services, unless they have a way to work him into the big league rotation, barring an injury
Pedro Ramirez
I had mentioned Ramirez as a player to watch at the end of Spring Training this year. He has continued to hit in Iowa. He is second on the team in hits with 12 this season. His biggest improvement this season is the power he is hitting with. He has three home runs and eight RBI already this season to go with his three doubles. Nico Hoerner and manager Craig Counsell praised Ramirez in camp. They commended his work ethic and maturity. Counsell even hinted at Ramirez helping the big league club out as early as this season. Ramirez has a .333/.400/.667 slash line through nine games this season. While others are talking about Alcantara and Jonathan Long, I have my eyes on Ramirez this season.
Big Two: Alcantara and Wiggins
Kevin Alcantara is a talented player, but right now he needs to play every day. He has played in eight games this season and slashed .233/.324/.700 with four home runs and eight RBI. Alcantara is still chasing and has nine strikeouts already this season. He can play all three outfield spots. However, with Seiya Suzuki returning this Friday, his everyday at-bats aren’t guaranteed. Iowa will remain his home. He needs a clear path to play four out of six games in Chicago for that to change.
Jaxon Wiggins has made two starts and has yet to factor into a decision. He has a 5.63 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP in eight innings of work. He has ten strikeouts and issued five walks this season. Wiggins has held opponents to a .226 average against. Wiggins needs more time in Triple-A before he is a regular in Wrigley.
Knoxville Smokies Double-A
Knoxville started their season last weekend and has a 1-2 record. They have a six-game series with the Rocket City Trash Pandas starting Tuesday night.
Jordan Nwogu
The 27-year-old outfielder is off to a hot start after the Smokies first three games. He leads the team in hits with five. He has slashed .417/.385/.417 in the Smokies first three games. It’s early, but a good start for Nwogu and worth keeping an eye on.
Jefferson Rojas
The 20-year-old shortstop played in all three games for the Smokies this past weekend. Rojas hit one double, one home run, had three RBI, and slashed .308/.357/.615 over the weekend. Rojas had a good spring training and is looking to build off that momentum to work his way toward Iowa. This kid can hit and is well worth the watch!
Luis Martinez-Gomez
One of the three names I mentioned in an article before the season started to watch closely. He made one start and suffered the loss over the weekend. Martinez-Gomes pitched four innings, gave up four hits, two earned runs, one home run, two walks, and struck out four. The 22-year-old right-handed pitcher will be interesting to watch over his next few starts. Last season, the team used him out of the bullpen. It will be interesting to see how Knoville utilizes him this season.
Myrtle Beach Pelicans Single-A
The Pelicans swept the River Dogs to open their season. They now have a 3-0 record heading into their next series. Myrtle Beach will be on the road, taking on the Columbia Fireflies the Single-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
Alexey Lumpuy
The 22-year-old left-handed-hitting outfielder has started his season with a bang. Lumpuy has six hits in 12 at-bats. He has four RBI and four steals to start his season. Lumpuy is trying to improve from his first full season with the Pelicans, when he slashed .209/.294/.364 with 14 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, and 46 RBI. Lumpuy stole 30 bases last season for Myrtle Beach.
Cole Mathis
Cole Mathis has three hits this season, and two of them left the yard! He has six RBI and is slashing .273/.500/.818 to start the new year. Mathis is the third name I had on my list to watch before the year. Last season, he played in 29 games. It was his first taste of pro ball. He had just three home runs and 14 RBI. This season will give Cubs fans a much better feel for what the young power hitter is capable of.
Summary
The South Bend Cubs in High-A were not mentioned as they will finally get their season underway this week. It’s early in the season. This Cubs franchise has plenty to be excited about, regardless. Watching minor league games has become easier with the MLB.TV package. If you have it and do not watch the Minor League teams play, I highly recommend it.
