Hello Pablo: How the Pelicans Catcher went from Unknown Player to Top Prospect
by Sam Weiderhaft
With the 2021 Spring Training coming to an end, Pelicans manager Buddy Bailey met in a room with different coaches in the Cubs’ system. The main point of discussion was deciding which players were going to which levels. A catcher from Venezuela came across, and Bailey wasn’t sure if he was fit for Low-A baseball.
Now, four months into the season, Pablo Aliendo has emerged as the starting catcher for the Pelicans, while remaining one of the top hitters all year.
“He’s made us look pretty smart for picking him for Myrtle Beach,” Bailey said.
Aliendo had been a stranger to two things coming into 2021: playing full-season baseball and playing in the United States. The 20-year-old spent two years in the Dominican Summer League after being signed by the Cubs as an international free agent in 2018. Through his two years in rookie ball, Aliendo hit just .197 with one home run. Behind the plate, he caught 33 runners trying to steal in his 70 games.
“I wanted to get better this season,” Aliendo said through acting interpreter, backup catcher Raymond Pena. “My main point was defense, but still trying to get better in every aspect of my career.”
In the offseason, Aliendo called every hitting coach that could help him with his struggles at the plate. He also worked with his dad back in Venezuela to get better.
“My relationship with my dad is really close,” Aliendo said. “Without my dad, I don’t have anything.”
That offseason work showed up in the first month of the year. While most of the young Myrtle Beach lineup struggled at the plate in their first month back on the field since 2019, Aliendo shined with a .294 batting average in May with 15 hits. The hitting numbers carried over into June as the catcher added two home runs with three doubles.
“He’s made some adjustments with Dan [Puente] our hitting coach to use the field more this year,” Bailey said. “He’s been really consistent.”
June also brought the highlight of Aliendo’s career. On June 23rd in Columbia against the Fireflies, the Pelicans used four pitchers to combine for just the second no-hitter in team history with Aliendo calling the game behind the plate.
“I didn’t even notice until the ninth inning with two outs,” Aliendo said, cracking a huge smile. “That was the high point of my season.”
Aliendo has made his name as one of the top defensive catchers in the league this season as he stands in a tie for second with 20 baserunners caught stealing. He’s also fourth on the team among active players in batting average with a .256 clip and five home runs.
Bailey said the plan at the beginning of the season was to alternate Aliendo with fellow catching prospect Ethan Hearn. With Hearn suffering multiple injuries this season, Aliendo has played 52 games at catcher while Hearn has caught 39.
“He’s definitely taken advantage of playing more,” Bailey said.
The stats have been enough to rank him 29th in the latest MLB Pipeline top Cubs prospect rankings, but his success has been measured well beyond the box score.
“He’s a really good teammate,” Pena said. “He wants the other guys to feel what he feels on the field, it’s really nice at this young age.”
Aliendo is known to bring a ton of emotion to each game. Fist pumps after big strikeouts or shuffles around the bases on home runs are commonplace. It’s easy to see that Aliendo loves playing the game.
“That’s just the way I play,” Aliendo said. “I don’t want to show any weakness on the field.”
“He reminds me of [Willson] Contreras,” Pena said, who’s been in the Cubs organization since 2014. “He’s a guy that shows his emotions, can be a captain, he’s going to do it all. Every pitch is going to be important for him.”
Being a former catcher himself, Bailey has worked extensively with the unit this season. The 33-year Minor League Baseball manager said he’s been working with Aliendo on his game-calling and continuing to stick with the program each day.
“I look at a catcher as a second manager and a second pitching coach,” Bailey said. “There’s a lot going on, you have to be mentally tough.”
With his stock continuing to rise, Aliendo has had no shortage of fun in Minor League Baseball’s return this season.
“Even when I commit an error, I can laugh it off,” Aliendo said. “I’m having a lot of fun this year.”
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