'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.
Keith Johnson Enters Tenth Season as Bees Manager
SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 14, 2025)– The Los Angeles Angels announced today their 2025 Player Development Staff. The Salt Lake Bees coaching staff is headlined by the return of Keith Johnson to the dugout for his tenth season as Bees manager. Returning to the dugout are Coach Jack Santora, Athletic
Salt Lake Bees Introduce New Logos, Uniforms for 2025 Season
SALT LAKE CITY (Nov. 25, 2024) – The Salt Lake Bees released new logos, marks, jerseys and caps today in advance of the 2025 season. “We wanted an evolution of the Bees brand, not a revolution,” said Ashley Havili, vice president of marketing and merchandise for Miller Sports + Entertainment.
The Grass Is Greener At The Ballpark
The grass is always greener at the Ballpark.
Bees Drop Season Finale, Conclude Historic Run at Smith's Ballpark
The Salt Lake Bees fell short in Sunday’s season finale at Smith’s Ballpark, losing by a final score of 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club to close the book on the 2024 season. Hayden Seig made his second career start and his first with the Bees and fired a
Salt Lake Taken Down by Oklahoma City in Penultimate Game of 2024 Season
The Salt Lake Bees were taken down in the penultimate game of the 2024 season on Saturday evening, falling to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club for the third time this week by a final score of 13-2. Fresh off a tough defeat at the hands of the Bees on Friday,
Big First Inning Lifts Salt Lake to Victory Over Oklahoma City
The Salt Lake Bees took home their second win of the week against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club on Friday evening, emerging victorious by a final score of 6-4 to even up the final series of the year at two apiece. After it was Oklahoma City that jumped out to
Bees Drop Second Straight to Oklahoma City on Thursday
The Salt Lake Bees lost to the Oklahoma City Baseball Club for the second straight night on Thursday evening, dropping the third game of the series by a final score of 9-3. After being done in by a pair of crooked numbers in Wednesday’s blowout loss, the Bees once again
Salt Lake Suffers Biggest Loss of Season on Wednesday Against OKC
The Salt Lake Bees took home their biggest loss of the 2024 season on Wednesday night, dropping the second game of their series against the Oklahoma City Baseball Club by a final score of 20-6. One night after the Bees hung a nine-run inning on the board in their win
Bees Celebrate Final Games at Smith’s Ballpark This Week
SALT LAKE CITY (Sept. 16, 2024) – The Salt Lake Bees begin their final homestand at Smith’s Ballpark on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The team will celebrate the 30-year legacy of the ballpark with an array of commemorative giveaways at the gates, ticket giveaways for the 2025 season, discounts and other
Bees Ride Nine-Run Sixth to Blowout Win Over Oklahoma City
The Salt Lake Bees began their final series at Smith’s Ballpark with a bang on Tuesday night, taking down the Oklahoma City Baseball Club by a final score of 11-1 behind the strength of a nine-run offensive explosion in the sixth inning. Contrary to what the final score would indicate,
Bees Fall to Chihuahuas in Final Road Game
The Salt Lake Bees were unable to record a victory in their final road game of the season, extending their streak to five consecutive losses in El Paso by a final score of 6-2 at Southwest University Park on Sunday afternoon. On the pitching side of things, Victor Mederos made
Salt Lake Goes Cold in Fourth Straight Defeat in El Paso
The Salt Lake Bees came up short against the El Paso Chihuahuas for the fourth game in a row on Saturday, falling victim to a lack of offense and taking the loss by a final score of 6-1. After struggling at the plate for the majority of Friday’s contest, the
Bees Blitzed by Chihuahuas, Drop Third Straight Game in El Paso
The Salt Lake Bees lost their third consecutive game to the El Paso Chihuahuas on Friday evening, struggling with the bats for much of the night and getting blitzed by a final score of 13-4 as a result. Friday’s game did not follow the same back-and-forth script from the previous
Bees Late Rally Comes Up Short Against Chihuahuas
The Salt Lake Bees lost their second game in a row to the El Paso Chihuahuas on Thursday evening, battling back from an early deficit but ultimately falling by a final score of 7-5. After scoring seven unanswered runs in the second game of the series on Wednesday, El Paso
Salt Lake Drops Wednesday Matinee in El Paso
The Salt Lake Bees dropped their matinee contest against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Wednesday afternoon, falling by a final score of 8-4 after faltering late in the game. Things started about as well as they could have for the Bees on Wednesday, with the team jumping out to an
Bees Overwhelm Chihuahuas for Series Opening Victory in El Paso
The Salt Lake Bees took care of business in the series opening game against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Tuesday night, scoring seven times to come away victorious at Southwest University Park by a final score of 7-1. Victor Mederos made his 22nd start of the season and his first
Bees Unable to Take Series From River Cats, Settle for Split
The Salt Lake Bees were taken down by the Sacramento River Cats for the series finale at Smith’s Ballpark on Sunday afternoon, losing by a final score 7-5. It was another bullpen day on the pitching side of things for the Bees as five arms were used to get it
Bees Win Streak Snapped in Saturday Loss to River Cats
The Salt Lake Bees dropped their contest against the Sacramento River Cats on Saturday evening, falling by a final score of 8-2 and having their winning streak snapped at three games. After pushing 26 combined runs across the board during their three-game streak, the Bees finally hit a wall at
All-Around Effort Leads Bees to Third Straight Win over River Cats
The Salt Lake Bees picked up their third consecutive victory over the Sacramento River Cats on Friday evening, using an excellent outing from starter Kenny Rosenberg combined with some thunder at the plate to take home the win by a final score of 8-1. After the bats led the way
Bees Explode on Offense in Win Over River Cats
The Salt Lake Bees picked up their second consecutive win over the Sacramento River Cats on Thursday evening, catching fire on offense en route to a victory by the final score of 11-5. The Bees got things going at the plate in record time on Saturday, plating six runs in
Walk-Off Provides Energizing Win for Bees
The Salt Lake Bees pulled off an improbable comeback to defeat the Sacramento River Cats on Wednesday evening at Smith’s Ballpark, using a Chad Wallach walk-off single to win by a final score of 7-6 in 10 innings. Wallach’s bases-loaded walk off single into right field marks the eighth time
Salt Lake Gets Shut Out in Series Opener Against Sacramento
The Salt Lake Bees came back to Smith’s Ballpark with a loss against the Sacramento River Cats on Tuesday evening, falling in the series opener by a final score of 13-0. Despite it being the Bees return to Salt Lake, it was the visitors that came out swinging at the
Bees Conclude Trip to Sugar Land With Loss
The Salt Lake Bees dropped the series finale in Sugar Land to the Space Cowboys on Sunday evening, falling by a final score 6-5 to close out the six-game road trip. The Bees went to the bullpen to get things done on the pitching side of things, starting Corey Knebel
Salt Lake Snaps Losing Streak Against Sugar Land
The Salt Lake Bees were finally able to take down the Sugar Land Space Cowboys on Saturday evening, snapping a 10-game losing streak against their opponents with an emphatic 8-2 victory. After scoring just eight runs combined over their four defeats against the Space Cowboys this week, the Bees got
Bees Come Up Short in Friday Contest Against Space Cowboys
The Salt Lake Bees dropped their 10th consecutive game to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys on Friday evening, falling in an early hole and dropping the contest by a final score of 10-1. In contrast to how the prior two games in the series played out, Friday night’s affair was