Alc¨¢ntara? -- ¡®The Jaguar¡¯ -- is clawing for Cubs roster spot

This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian¡¯s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MESA, Ariz. -- As part of a five-run outburst by the Cubs¡¯ offense in the second inning on Saturday afternoon, Kevin Alcántara ripped a pitch through the infield and into left for an RBI single. When the Cubs¡¯ outfield prospect reached first base, he looked at the dugout and clawed at the air with his right hand.

It was a glimpse into how ¡°The Jaguar¡± likes to play the game with flair.

¡°Kevin wants to be great,¡± Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. ¡°He¡¯s a young man. That¡¯s the biggest thing. He¡¯s a very young player. And that¡¯s the thing you really have to keep in mind. He¡¯s still very young.¡±

The 22-year-old Alc¨¢ntara is ranked No. 90 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100 list -- one of seven Cubs prospects in the rankings -- and is in camp trying to convince Counsell that he can be a part of the Opening Day bench.

Alc¨¢ntara got a taste of the Majors down the stretch last year and will be in Chicago this summer as one of the next-man-up candidates for the outfield. What the team has to weigh is whether regular at-bats in Triple-A Iowa is the best approach to the start of his season, as opposed to a sporadic bench role.

¡°I hope I stay in the big leagues this year,¡± Alc¨¢ntara said. ¡°I¡¯m working a lot and working hard with the Cubs staff. I¡¯ll continue to keep working, because that decision is coming. I¡¯m focusing on what I need to do right here. Prepare my body and everything. The older guys here have good advice for me.

¡°I think I¡¯m prepared for playing in the big leagues for a lot of years. I¡¯ll continue working hard.¡±

Last year, Alc¨¢ntara hit .278/.353/.428 with 14 home runs, 21 doubles, 61 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in his 111 games spent between Double-A and Triple-A. Following a 35-game stint with Iowa, during which the outfielder hit at a .292 clip with an .848 OPS, he appeared in three games as part of a season-ending stop with the Cubs.

Alc¨¢ntara said his biggest takeaway from that brief stint in the big leagues was watching the routines behind the scenes of veterans like Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger. The prospect said he has also spent time this spring learning from how Seiya Suzuki goes about his daily work.

Through his first three Cactus League games, Alc¨¢ntara has gone 5-for-8 with one double, one stolen base, three RBIs and three runs scored. When his helmet flies off on the basepaths, his animal-print headband is revealed (another nod to his nickname).

¡°So much happens from just another year of Kevin having experiences,¡± Counsell said. ¡°Yeah, the week in the big leagues was an experience for Kevin that we hope helped him. I think he comes in here in a second big league camp just more experienced from that end, too.

¡°And hopefully that all makes him just able to focus on, ¡®Just go get better. And then good things will happen.¡¯¡±