MESA, Ariz. — Kevin Alcántara understands that there is not a starting role for him in the current outfield for the Cubs. Chicago has four-time Gold Glove Award winner Ian Happ in left, a rising star in Pete Crow-Armstrong in center and slugger Seiya Suzuki in right field.
If Alcántara is going to make this Cubs roster for Opening Day, he knows it will be in a part-time role off the bench. The 23-year-old prospect — a former Top 100 prospect now ranked No. 4 on Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the North Siders — has told manager Craig Counsell he is ready for that job.
“This is a family. Counsell is the father over there,” Alcántara said. “I was talking with him [recently]. He said to me, ‘Continue your work. Thank you for helping the team last year.’ I said, ‘I’m here for the team. Whatever opportunity you bring me, I want to approach the opportunity and do my best.’
“I feel so happy that he believes in me. And I’ll continue working to stay in the big leagues for a lot of years.”
The Cubs obtained a fourth Minor League option for Alcántara, so the ballclub can weigh whether the young outfielder is best served by playing regularly with Triple-A Iowa, or by filling a bench role in the Majors. Chicago also has outfielder Justin Dean on the 40-man roster to compete for a backup role, plus veterans Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick in camp as non-roster invitees.
Beyond that group of reserve outfield options, the Cubs are also getting Matt Shaw work in the outfield this spring to prepare him for a super-sub role. It is another piece to the bench puzzle that Counsell is putting together to improve the layer of depth behind his regulars.
“I think we’ve got a good plan there,” Counsell said. “We’ll see kind of how that unfolds, but I like our candidates. I really do.”
Counsell also really liked what Alcántara showed him down the stretch last year.
In 102 games with Iowa last year, Alcántara hit .266/.349/.470 with 17 homers, 26 doubles, 69 RBIs and 10 steals, while dealing with a sports hernia that was surgically repaired in October. Alcántara spent most of September with the Cubs and hit .364 (4-for-11) in his 10 games as a part-time outfielder and pinch-runner.
Alcántara showed Counsell enough to convince the manager to keep the outfielder on the roster for both the Wild Card Series and Division Series in the playoffs. Counsell saw a player focused on getting the most out of each opportunity.
“Kevin did a heck of a job,” Counsell said. “There was not a lot of playing time. It was super sporadic. I thought his preparation was great. In the clubhouse, he was great. When he got chances, he executed what we wanted him to do. And I thought that was really important. And he had success.
“It was a successful month. He was on a playoff roster. I think that tells you how the month went.”
TAILLON TO START SPRING OPENER
Counsell noted that right-hander Jameson Taillon is scheduled to start the Cubs’ Cactus League opener against the White Sox on Friday, and lefty Matthew Boyd is lined up to start the following game on Saturday against the Rangers.
Both Taillon (Team Canada) and Boyd (Team USA) are participating in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Similarly, outfielder Seiya Suzuki (Team Japan) is in the lineup plans for Friday. Counsell said Chicago’s players involved in the Classic will get action in the early slate of games.
“I think you’re more likely to see them than other veteran players that aren’t in the WBC,” Counsell said. “We’re kind of individualizing that a little bit at the beginning. Some guys won’t start for a couple days, because I don’t think they need to. But the WBC guys all definitely have more urgency to getting started.”
MINOR LEAGUE STAFFS ANNOUNCED
The Cubs announced their Minor League coaching staffs on Wednesday. The list of managers at each affiliate include: Marty Pevey (Triple-A Iowa), Lance Rymel (Double-A Knoxville), Daniel Wasinger (High-A South Bend), Yovanny Cuevas (Single-A Myrtle Beach), Dixon Machado (Rookie-level Arizona Complex League), and Jovanny Rosario and Enrique Wilson (Rookie-level Dominican Summer League). Click here for the full list of Minor League coaches.
“The issue is, when you put a good team together, it gets harder to make that team. It gets harder to find at-bats, find plate appearances. He’s young. When your chance or when the runway for opportunity comes, that’s not quite clear yet. But I also think Kevin showed that he can, in a part-time role, be a contributor. And you certainly take note of that.” – Counsell, on Alcántara
