Cubs' Top 100 prospects pace offense in 8-homer, 20-run Triple-A outburst
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Missing the extra point didn't come back to haunt the Cubs' Triple-A affiliate.
Led by Mois¨¦s Ballesteros and Kevin Alcántara , Iowa rolled to a record-setting 20-6 win over visiting St. Paul at Principal Park on Wednesday afternoon. The 20 runs established a new franchise record while the offense tied a club mark with eight home runs -- four coming off the bats of a trio of Top 100 prospects.
All but one I-Cub notched multihit games and the lineup produced 12 extra-base hits among its 24 knocks.
Ballesteros (CHC No. 4/MLB No. 65) and Alc¨˘ntara (CHC No. 6/MLB No. 86) combined to go 8-for-11 with three roundtrippers, three doubles, eight RBIs and eight runs scored. Owen Caissie (CHC No. 3/MLB No. 50) chipped in a pair of hits, including his second home run of the year.
Iowa jumped ahead early and piled more on often, opening up a 7-1 lead after four innings, capped by Ballesteros' first long ball of the season. Alc¨˘ntara added his first jack of 2025 -- a three-run homer -- in the seventh and Ballesteros put an exclamation point on the biggest offensive day in club history with his second tater of the day in the eighth.
Ben Cowles (CHC No. 22) ripped a three-run homer and Chase Strumpf joined Ballesteros in the multihomer column with his first two of the season. Veteran Carlos P¨¦rez accounted for Iowa's other big fly.
The I-Cubs blew the doors off the game in the seventh when they sent 12 men to the plate and scored nine runs on eight hits, five of which cleared the fences. The Iowa offense saw 37 pitches in the frame, which concluded with Twins infielder Anthony Prato on the mound.
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Ballesteros' second long ball of the game -- and fourth hit -- was the 21-year-old's first multihomer effort since 2022 with the Cubs' Rookie-level Arizona League squad. Coming off a career-best year last season between Double-A Tennessee (now Knoxville) and Iowa, the Venezuela-born prospect is off to a .368/.419/.579 start to 2025.
In contrast, Alc¨˘ntara was off to a slow start, batting just .220 with two extra-base hits and two RBIs coming into the game. The 21-year-old ended the afternoon slashing .277/.375/.426 after he equaled a career high with three extra-base hits among his four knocks.
Loaded with 11 of Chicago's Top 30 prospects, including six members of the Top 100, Iowa is considered to be one of the most stacked rosters in the Minors.