Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara lines a single to right field during a Spring Training game versus the San Francisco Giants at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, AZ. 02-24-2024.
John Antonoff/For the Sun-Times
MESA, Ariz. – Cubs outfield prospect Kevin Alcántara went into the Arizona Fall League this past offseason with an extra goal that had nothing to do with baseball. He told the public relations staff that he wanted to speak English in interviews.
Learning another language to the point of speaking conversationally is hard enough. Doing it in interviews can be downright intimidating. But it was a challenge Alcántara, who grew up in the Dominican Republic, was eager to take on.
“I’m so happy because now I not only talk to Latin guys, but American guys,” he told the Sun-Times at the AFL Fall-Star weekend, in English. “I improved a lot in my English.”
Since entering the organization, as part of the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees, Alcántara has been a connector. His big personality and comedic streak bridged language barriers. And while his commitment to learning a new language was connected to the kind of teammate he wanted to be, it also reflected his approach to baseball.
“He’s not afraid to be challenged, and he’s not afraid to look bad,” said hitting coordinator and Double-A hitting coach Rachel Folden over. the phone.
Folden coached Alcántara in the Arizona Complex League his first year in the organization. And he is set to begin the season with Folden in Double-A Tennessee.
“There’s a vulnerability and a, ‘OK, yeah, I’ll listen to you. I will try this. And if it helps make me better, that’s awesome,'” Folden said. “But also it just shows that he cares.”
When 6-foot-6 Alcántara first joined the Cubs, making his swing more direct to help him get on time with fastballs became a focus.
“He’s probably been the biggest kid on every team he’s ever been on, and probably hasn’t seen a lot of fastballs in his life because of that,” Folden said. “And so he was really really good at sitting on breaking balls, and he knew when they were coming because that’s how people had pitched him.”
He made quick adjustments. He hit the weight room. He climbed to Double-A late last season. He showed an ability to hit high-velocity fastballs and hit the ball really hard.
“If you tell him to do something, he can pretty much execute it because he has really good body control,” Folden said. “He’s an athlete. He’s a really good athlete.”
The next step for Alcántara is honing his approach and pitch selection, a common challenge for prospects in the upper levels of the minor-leagues.
“My goal is to continue working my mind,” Alcántara said. “It’s the most important for me because I know my ability.”
He was in his second big-league camp this year, added to the 40-man roster after the 2022 season. And he said his conversations with new manager Craig Counsell have mostly centered around patience.
“The baseball swing is harder for tall people,” Counsell said earlier this month. “There’s advantages to it, but it also makes it harder. And so there’s a pretty good history of it just taking a little longer.”
For Alcántara, those long-limbed challenges manifested in his timing. On one swing, his stride may be early. On another it might be a little high.
“It’s trying to find the consistency,” he said.
He won’t be making the Opening Day roster this year, optioned to Double-A last week, but the Cubs see a bright future for him, as he continues his fearless approach to development. On Friday, he was penciled in batting cleanup in the “Spring Breakers” prospect showcase between the Cubs and White Sox, which was canceled due to rain.
“He has that Jaguar mentality,” assistant general manager Jared Banner said, referencing Alcántara’s nickname. “… He really believes in himself, he knows how talented he is, and he plans to be a really good baseball player. And he’s getting closer and closer every day.”