NEWSLETTER
Three Chicago Cubs prospect home runs last night that all caught my eye for different reasons. Thought you might enjoy seeing.
First, there was Matt Shaw’s blast, which caught my eye mostly because of how freaking fun it looked:
Dude put his big kick into that swing going the other way, as he often does, and sent it out despite what looked to be an extremely high launch angle (especially for an opposite field homer).
Shaw hasn’t quite exploded at Double-A this year like his debut last year suggested he might, but it’s not as if he’s been struggling. On the season, Shaw – who was still a college player one year ago – is hitting .233/.346/.377/119 wRC+, with a 14.0% BB, 20.2% K, and only a .270 BABIP that I suspect should be higher at his true talent level. The wRC+ is 145 since May 25, with exceptional peripherals. So he’s been hot for a while now.
Next up, we have Jefferson Rojas, whose homer caught my eye because it’s been a minute for him:
Rojas has hit to about a league-average line at South Bend this year (.278/.327/.370/97 wRC+, 6.4% BB, 15.1% K, .093 ISO, .314 BABIP), but when you remember that he is a 19-year-old shortstop playing at High-A, that’s pretty darn impressive. For him to take that next step into the super-prospect level, though, he’ll have to get on a heater. The talent is there – he is facing pitchers much older and much more experienced than he is, and he’s just not striking out, while showing flashes of the power – and over the last month he’s hitting .293/.348/.415/114 wRC+.
This video has a side view of Rojas’s homer, by the way, which shows just how calm his swing is, despite producing so much power:
The final homer that caught my eye was that of Alfonsin Rosario, the extremely powerful 6th round pick in 2023 for the Cubs. The soon-to-be 20-year-old is hitting quite well at Myrtle Beach, and this is already homer number eight on the year:
Rosario was an older high school prospect last year in the draft, but it’s still notable that he’s playing in full-season ball in his first full professional season. And he’s hitting: .221/.323/.429/120 wRC+, 11.1% BB, 37.6% K, .209 ISO, .329 BABIP.
Obviously you’ll want to see that strikeout rate come down as he gets more experience, but it’s still pretty impressive to see him accessing so much power at a young age, and also while playing in a home ballpark that is terrible for power. And like the gents before him, it’s been a great past month or so for Rosario. Since May 23: .247/.398/.506/162 wRC+, with the strikeout rate down a few points.
