Alcántara enjoys hit parade for South Bend

Third-ranked Cubs prospect Kevin Alcántara had his first career five-hit game Saturday for High-A South Bend.

In the process, he swatted two home runs in an outing for the first time this season. The first was just two pitches into his first at-bat against Twins No. 29 prospect Jaylen Nowlin. It was a two-run shot to right off of the left-hander, putting the Cubs on the board in the first inning at Cedar Rapids.

His next tater came in the fourth inning, this time off a right-hander. It was another two-run dinger, with this one going out to left. It drove in his fourth and fifth runs of the day.

Run-scoring hits were a theme for Alcántara, who plated two additional runners on a pair of knocks. He collected three opposite-field hits in total.

His last hit of the game didn’t drive anyone in, but it sealed the career high for Alcántara with five base knocks in a game. Not long after, the Cubs closed the book on a 10-2 win over Cedar Rapids.

There was already plenty of triumph for the Cubs’ offense on Saturday, with Chicago’s 2020 first-round pick Ed Howard going long for the first time since April 21, 2022, having missed the majority of last season due to a hip ailment. Scoring three times on the day, Alcántara was the man to drive Howard in during two of his at-bats.

Entering the game slashing .238/.269/.362, a 5-for-5 day will work wonders for Alcántara’s numbers. The No. 70 overall prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline is now up to 34 RBIs in 50 games this season after his six-RBI effort.