Zyhir Hope -Picture by Rich Biesterfeld
One of the highlights of the 2024 season could be the outfielders roaming the grass in Myrtle Beach. There’s been no shortage of Pelicans who can go get the ball over the last couple years. Myrtle Beach has seen Pete Crow-Armstrong, Owen Caissie, Kevin, Alcantara. Christian Franklin, and Parker Chavers roll through. Next year, however, it’s going to be a collection of young speedy outfielders, two of which the Cubs took in the 2023 draft.
The Big Name
Zyhir Hope might be the steal of the Cubs 2023 draft class. The young high school outfielder just oozes talent at the plate and in the field. He was signed for a lot more than usual 11th round pick and the young 18-year-old from Stafford, Virginia really has no limits placed on his ceiling. It’s not that it’s limitless, it is just uncertain how good he can be. If everything clicks, could we be looking at a top 100 prospect here within a year or two? It’s not out of the question.
The former North Carolina commit’s best attribute is his pure athleticism. There’s plenty of hype about Hope (that was fun to type) and from what I’ve seen, it’s not unwarranted. Whether it all clicks this year, we are going to find out. In a small sample size after signing, he hit three home runs and drove in 9 runs in 11 games where he got in 35 at-bats. He hit .286 with a .962 OPS. Here is what Arizona Phil sees in Zyhir.
Yeah, there’s a lot of potential there.
The Other Big Name…Maybe
Alfonsin Rosario was taken by Cubs in the seventh round last year. I am wondering if he is going to be ready for Myrtle Beach on opening day. There is a possibility he could be and then there’s a possibility he might not be. Right now, if I had to bet, I would lean that he might be up later in the first half as he probably starts a year in Mesa in EXST. And from video and pictures I’ve seen of him, he is like one giant muscle. That did not translate in his brief stint in Arizona where he hit just .250 in 28 ABs. There’s a lot to work on there, but when that power clicks, it’s going to be awesome!
A Second Time
Three players who should be returning to Myrtle Beach include Cristian More, Jefferson Encarnacion, and Ismael Mena.
All three players have had stints at Myrtle Beach in 2023 but no one tore it up enough to stay or make it to the next level. All three have been fairly successful in rookie league, but have just not made the adjustment to the Carolina League. More and Encarnacion are both 22 while Mena turned 21 yesterday.
The Other Guy
Ke’Shun Collier is a throwback to the 1970s style of leadoff hitter. Collier was taken out of junior college in 2022 and spent all of last summer in Mesa where he hit .260 in limited action.
The New Guy
Leonel Espinoza played one game in the DSL last summer and then got promoted to Mesa. It was a strange thing. The 20-year-old hit .339 in Mesa and then got bumped up to Myrtle Beach at the end of the season. He it just .128, but that had to be a huge jump in competition in one year. I expect to see him start out the year as a Pelican. However, he’s going to have to earn his playing time along with everyone else listed above.
In trying to predict who’s going to be at Low Class-A anymore is a bit of a challenge. The reason for that is we used to get a good look at who is coming via MILB TV in the Eugene Emeralds. It wasn’t that big of a jump for players to go from Eugene to Low-A. But to go from rookie league to the Carolina League is a huge jump.
As a result, one thing we’ve seen is that Myrtle Beach to Mesa shuttle is a busy flight. Players move up and down frequently as they try to develop skills and performance needed to stay at this level and then hopefully advance.
I am excited to see this outfield next season to see which players step up and produce at a high-level in order to get to South Bend.
Zyhir Hope has a beautiful left hand swing. Similar to Moises Ballesteros. One thing not mentioned is that he has a great eye and wonderful base running skills. Raw, but a rare gem. And just a great kid.