Heading into the 2021 season, catcher Miguel Amaya was ranked as one of the top-100 prospects in baseball, while being regarded as the top player in the Cubs farm system. It looked like Amaya was poised to climb up the minors and get his first cup of coffee in the majors by 2022, but after a month of action at Double-A in 2021, Amaya went down with an injury and his journey back has been bumpy ever since.
Amaya only played in 23 games during the 2021 season, when he first went on the injured list on June 5, and eventually the catcher was placed on the 60-day injured list in late July. Amaya did not return and during the offseason the Cubs announced that he needed Tommy John surgery. The good news was that Amaya was able to play in 2022, with the caveat that he wouldn’t be able to catch, as he was still recovering from the elbow surgery.
And hey, Amaya looked pretty good at the plate last season, getting back on the field in the Arizona League during the summer before he was assigned to Double-A. In 28 games with the Tennessee Smokies, Amaya slashed .278/.379/.485, with four home runs and a 12% walk rate in 116 plate appearances. But even his success last year came with a couple hiccups, as Amaya missed time because of a dislocated finger and then he wasn’t able to play in the Arizona Fall League because he suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his left foot in September.
As tough as the last few years have been on Amaya, he’s now starting the 2023 season with a clean bill of health and for the first time this year he’s in the starting lineup for the Cubs in the team’s spring training finale against the White Sox.
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The starting lineup is filled with Cubs prospects against right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech. Cubs fans will also get to see Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kevin Alcántara, Owen Caissie, as well as other up and comers like Chase Strumpf, Luis Vazquez and BJ Murray.
One last note regarding the Cubs lineup from today, the Triple-A season is three days away and Tuesday was getaway day for the players on the Iowa Cubs roster. So, guys in the lineup today won’t be starting the year at Triple-A. This is mostly about Amaya and Strumpf, who could have been with the Iowa Cubs to begin the 2023 season.
Anyway, it’s great to see Amaya back. If he remain healthy this year, then there’s no doubt that he can easily find a spot with the Cubs in 2024.
