'Hungry' Alcántara hoping to pounce on big league prey in '25
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry. So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice. “His
MESA, Ariz. -- The thing about jaguars is, you don’t want to see one when it’s hungry.
So when Cubs legend Sammy Sosa spoke to the organization’s No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline -- and the No. 89 prospect overall -- the former slugger gave him some apt advice.
“His advice for me for hitting,” said Kevin Alcántara, a man they call The Jaguar, “was to stay hungry.”
And stay hungry he did in Saturday night’s 8-3 victory for the Cubs’ top prospects over their counterparts from the Angels in a Spring Breakout showdown at Sloan Park.
Alcántara, wearing a glove in center field that sported a jaguar print to go along with a jaguar-print belt and jaguar-themed headband beneath his cap, demonstrated why the Cubs are envisioning big things ahead for him when he homered in the first inning and then singled in the sixth.
The home run was a two-run shot over the left-center field wall off the Angels’ top pitching prospect, Caden Dana. Alcántara, who stands 6-foot-6, has a naturally long swing that produces high exit velocities. But on this pitch -- a fastball off the plate inside -- he brought his hands in and muscled the ball over the fence.
Therein lies one of the reasons he’s called “The Jaguar” -- the power. Combine that with his speed on the basepaths and intuition in center field, and there you have it.
While Alcántara has yet to truly tap into his power at the plate -- he’s never produced more than 15 home runs in a single Minor League season -- the 22-year-old knows it’s in there, and that’s it’s only a matter of time before it starts appearing more frequently.
“I know I have power,” Alcántara said. “It’s just that you have to control your moves in the box. Because I’m a tall guy. Sometimes it’s difficult for tall guys to hit the ball because sometimes the pitcher likes to throw the ball down. So you need to figure it out with that.
“But now I’m feeling I’m controlling my body. Sometimes you miss because it’s normal, but you want to [have] consistency every single day.”
If Alcántara begins to consistently do what he did on Saturday, there will be a lot of pitchers who experience the specter of a hungry jaguar ready to pounce from 60 feet, 6 inches away.
Kevin Alcántara makes a young fan's day by giving out his batting gloves 🥹 pic.twitter.com/wXvJNrUjqz
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) March 16, 2025
Alcántara said that the key to his homer was staying behind the ball, an element of the body control he mentioned. He said he’s in a good place at the plate, as evidenced by his .280 batting average and three doubles in Cactus League play.
“I continue working,” he said, “so I can have my chance to stay in the big leagues.”
Alcántara made his MLB debut for Chicago on Sept. 25 of last season, going 1-for-10 with a single. Now he’s striving for a callup from which he doesn't return.
To that end, another area in which he’s diligently working is defense in center field. Already a quality outfielder, thanks in part to his instincts when chasing his prey, Alcántara has tremendous potential defensively.
“I’m going to improve my first step,” he said. “I keep working because I know I can be an elite outfielder in the future.”
Beyond his hitting, running and defense, there’s the evident joy with which Alcántara plies his craft.
It’s not really even a craft, if you ask him.
“I enjoy the game with my guys,” he said. “The first thing is to stay happy every single game. Because it’s a game. It’s not a job. It’s a game.”
It’s a game, and games are supposed to be fun. Alcántara brings fun both with his play and with his style.
Once his drive left the ballpark on Saturday, Alcántara made his way around the bases and before reaching home plate, he flashed the “Jaguar claw.”
His nickname was born when Alcántara was with Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2022. At first, “The Panther” was on the table for consideration.
But that didn’t work.
“I was trying to find a nickname for me,” Alcántara said. “Sometimes you see a panther, but the Black Panther is the guy in the movie. I wanted an authentic nickname. I’m trying to make my mark.”
Alcántara certainly made his mark in Spring Breakout. And if his determination to turn his raw ability into stardom in the Majors is any indication, he could be making his mark for years to come.
Toolshed: Recent noteworthy FSL seasons
This space started honoring the short-season leagues after their respective campaigns were delayed in June. Now, following the cancellation of all Minor League Baseball in 2020, we're turning it into an appreciation of the full-season circuits as well. So Toolshed is revisiting the 10 most notable individual seasons put together
Florida State League Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2020
July 22, 2020 Vero Beach, Florida — Florida State League President, Terry Reynolds, has announced the 2020 inductee class for enshrinement into the Florida State League Hall of Fame. “Our 2020 class is one of the most decorated in our Hall of Fame history. The class includes one former and
2020 Minor League Baseball season shelved
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Major League Baseball™ (MLB™) has informed Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) that it will not be providing its affiliated Minor League teams with players for the 2020 season. As a result, there will not be a Minor League Baseball season in 2020. "These are unprecedented times for
Did you know? Florida State League edition
When it comes to size, scope and longevity, few, if any, sporting bodies can rival Minor League Baseball. With 160 teams in nearly as many markets, there are innumerable nooks and crannies to explore. This marks the eighth installment in a 14-part series dedicated to such explorations, providing one unique,
FSL announces Covid-19 relief efforts in all cities
Today the Florida State League announced that all its member teams will be participating in a League wide effort to support Covid-19 relief. The 12 teams have partnered with LiveSource to set up an auction site that will make bidding for auction items a simple and efficient process. The collectible
Mussels come up mighty during COVID-19 testing
FORT MYERS, Florida -- Things were finally starting to get back to a semblance of normal for general manager Judd Loveland and employees of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. After a month of working from home due to the statewide shutdown from the COVID-19 pandemic, Loveland began going back into
Florida State League All-Star Game cancelled
The Florida State League announced today that the 2020 Florida State League All-Star Game, hosted by the Daytona Tortugas and scheduled for June 23 at Historic Jackie Robinson Ballpark has been cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
A message from Pat O'Conner
March 13, 2020Dear Minor League Baseball Fans,As you may be aware, with the closure of Spring Training camps in Arizona and Florida in response to the coronavirus outbreak across the country, the Minor League Baseball season will not start on April 9 as planned.
Florida State League statement on coronavirus outbreak
Florida State League President Terry Reynolds said "The FSL will be following the guidelines as outlined in the statement issued by MiLB and as we receive additional guidance we will provide it to our fans."
Florida State League Hall of Fame Event and Fall Meetings coming to Jupiter in October
The Jupiter Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals will serve as hosts for the 2020 Florida State League Fall Meetings & Hall of Fame Dinner. This will be the first time West Palm Beach hosts the distinguished meetings after Clearwater served as the hosting site since 2015.The League Fall Meetings will
Florida State League launches new logo
Clearwater, Fla. -- On Thursday, the Florida State League released a new look for the circuit as it enters its 101st year.The new Florida State League logo features a baseball sunburst over a silhouette of the Sunshine State in colors that are frequently associated with Florida and was created by
Miracle morph into the Mighty Mussels
After 28 seasons as the Miracle, Fort Myers' Florida State League team is coming out of its shell. The Mighty Mussels have washed ashore. The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels name was unveiled to the public during a ballpark news conference Tuesday morning, alongside a logo set featuring the titular brawny bivalves
Twins' Costello found dead in New Zealand
Minnesota Twins infield prospect Ryan Costello died overnight in Auckland, New Zealand, his Australian Baseball League team announced early Monday. He was 23.
Reynolds named FSL President
CLEARWATER, Fla. -- The Florida State League today announced longtime baseball executive Terry Reynolds will become the league's new president on Jan. 1, 2020. Reynolds will take over for retiring league president Ken Carson, who ran the league for the past five seasons.Reynolds, who has served as special assistant to
Larnach caps season with Twins' honor
Trevor Larnach burned his way through two Minor League levels in his first full professional season, capturing midseason and end-of-season All-Star recognition as well as the Florida State League's MVP award. With the campaign in the books, he added to his haul Sunday.The Twins named MLB.com's No. 78 overall prospect their 2019
FSL announces 2019 executive awards
CLEARWATER, Florida -- Florida State League President Ken Carson and the FSL Awards Committee today announced the winners of the 2019 Florida State League Annual Awards.CHUCK MURPHY EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: Andrew Seymour, General Manager of the Palm Beach Cardinals, has been named the Executive of the Year Award winner
FSL cancels weekend series, 2019 playoffs
Florida State League President Ken Carson announced today that the Florida State League final weekend series and postseason will be canceled because of the threat of Hurricane Dorian's potential impact."This was a tough decision to make," said Carson. "The safety of our players, staff, umpires and fans are top priority
Larnach, Romero grab top FSL awards
The Florida State League may be known as a pitchers' league, but the biggest names on this year's list of honorees are reserved for those on the hitting side.Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach (Fort Myers) and Rays right-hander Tommy Romero (Charlotte) were named Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, as
Balazovic puts up five zeros for Miracle
Jordan Balazovic put an exclamation point on a breakout regular season.The fourth-ranked Twins prospect gave up two hits and struck out nine over five scoreless innings Wednesday, but Class A Advanced Fort Myers dropped a 2-1 decision to Dunedin in the first game of a doubleheader at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium.
Orimoloye Shell-Shocks the Tortugas with Two Home Runs in Win and Jimenez Records Second Save
Clearwater- Maximo Castillo had a strong beginning to the game allowing just two hits through the first two innings. The offense helped out in a big way with a Reggie Pruitt double to begin the game. A walk by Ryan Noda set the table for Demi Orimoloye. For the second
Late comeback falls short in 7-5 loss to Miracle
FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 21, 2019) - Wander Franco reached base four times and the Stone Crabs mounted a late comeback, but the Fort Myers Miracle held on for a 7-5 win at Hammond Stadium.With Charlotte (77-50, 42-19) trailing 7-3 entering the ninth inning, Zac Law singled to start the
Marauders' Swaggerty goes deep twice
Travis Swaggerty is having the best month of his career. The latest proof -- his first multi-homer game as a pro, which pushed Class A Advanced Bradenton past Lakeland, 3-2, on Saturday night at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium -- was the most emphatic power surge he's displayed since
Crabs' Franco posts season-high four hits
The top of the lineup was menacing for the Stone Crabs on Sunday afternoon, and Wander Franco was in the center of it all.MLB.com's top overall prospect notched his first four-hit game of the season and scored three times as Class A Advanced Charlotte romped past Tampa, 9-0, at George
Jays' Woods Richardson makes new home
Simeon Woods Richardson was in the car with his parents on the way to report to the Mets' Class A Advanced affiliate in Port St. Lucie -- ready for his promotion to the Florida State League -- when he got word from his agent that he should stay close to
Rays' Ryan notches career-high 13 K's
Joe Ryan wasn't just good on Wednesday afternoon. He was close to being perfect.The Rays' No. 16 prospect struck out a career-high 13 batters and allowed just one hit over seven innings before Class A Advanced Charlotte bested Bradenton, 2-0, in the eighth frame of a seven-inning game at Charlotte