Chicago Cubs 21-year-old infielder is off to a hot start in High-A South Bend

The Chicago Cubs are off to a 17-12 start in the 2025 season while being dealt a tough schedule with no division games until Tuesday night’s showdown in Pittsburgh. The team has weathered the storm of a tough schedule to begin the year, as they have faced the Dodgers seven times and the Padres and Diamondbacks six times each. In these 20 games, Chicago managed to finish above .500 with an 11-9 record.

With plenty attention focused on the big league club, the farm system hasn’t had as much light shined on it as it has in previous years. A few big name prospects in the Cubs’ pipeline are now in the show and others are right on the cusp in Triple-A, but there are still guys making names for themselves elsewhere in the system.

One infielder that the Cubs have had for quite some time in their prospect pool has emerged as a legitimate player early on this season. Even though the team has a plethora of infield prospects at all levels, each prospect they have in these spots need to be looked at seriously for the future.

Cristian Hernandez is off to a strong start on the Chicago Cubs farm

Cristian Hernandez signed with the Cubs on January 15, 2021 and was instantly put toward the top of the organization’s prospect rankings. He offered plenty of offensive upside coming out of the Dominican Republic with a smooth defensive touch on the left side of the diamond. Many referred to Hernandez as “baby A-Rod” with him drawing comparisons to Alex Rodriguez as an international free agent.

Things did not start off smoothly for Hernandez once he got to the states in 2022. His season in rookie ball that year was fine, but he struggled mightily at the dish when he joined the Myrtle Beach Pelicans at the A-Ball level in 2023. Despite driving in 40 runs in 106 games, Hernandez had an OPS with the Pelicans that was just above .600 in a year he would like to forget in the box.

Hernandez was much better at the plate last year in his time split between Myrtle Beach and South Bend. He hit .261 while driving in 59 runs and collecting 27 doubles. Many were hoping he would use this as positive momentum entering 2025, and it looks good so far.

The 21-year-old has spent all of the current season with South Bend and has been fantastic in 20 games. Hernandez is slashing .296/.356/.457 with an .813 OPS in 81 at-bats. Despite this not being the biggest sample size in the world, the young infielder is continually showing signs of growth in the box. It has been noted that he is looking more and more comfortable everyday.

The Chicago Cubs could have a future piece in Cristian Hernandez

While Hernandez still needs to conquer two more levels of Minor League Baseball, he could be well on his way to being a solid big league ball player. He has cleared a hurdle at the plate and it would be great to see him at Double-A at some point this season if all goes well.

Even though the Cubs are locked into their middle infield for the next handful of seasons, third base remains an issue for them right now. Hernandez can work at the hot corner and certainly has the arm for it. Matt Shaw will continue to receive opportunities at the position, but Hernandez is worth considering there down the road if things don’t work out for the organization’s 2023 first-round draft choice.