Most of this spring at Cubs camp has focused on prospects such as Pete Crow-Armstrong, Michael Busch, Matt Mervis, and Cade Horton. But digging deeper, one of the players who might end up being one of the best of the crop is one who barely can rent a car on his own. Future Cub Jefferson Rojas, the 18-year-old shortstop out of the Dominican Republic, has been turning heads for all the right reasons.
Signed in the 2022 international class, Rojas needed just one game in the Rookie-level Arizona complex to impress the Cubs brass. He was quickly promoted to Low-A Myrtle Beach. Rojas finished the year with a .268 batting average and an OPS of .750. Obviously, it is tough to project whether an 18-year-old will definitely make the major league team eventually. Expectations are that he is still two years away from playing regularly on the major league squad. However, this didn’t stop him from getting at-bats this spring. His lone hit in six at-bats was a double and more opportunities could be coming his way.
A Closer Look at Future Cub Jefferson Rojas
Despite his young age, Rojas has been climbing the Cubs prospect chart from the moment he signed with the team. Most of his playing time in Myrtle Beach has been at shortstop. This is saying something, given that he has somewhat displaced another top prospect, Cristian Hernandez, and forced him to second. Going into this season, Rojas has jumped into the top ten in the Cubs farm system. The Cubs knew they had someone special, signing Rojas for a $1 million bonus out of the Dominican Republic. He has impressed at every level so far and with age and development, the sky is the limit.
“That’s the guy that I want to emulate. That’s the guy I want to look up to.”
No. 10 #Cubs prospect Jefferson Rojas looks to climb prospects lists while trying to be like this former Chicago SS: https://t.co/kk9xIxmb6N pic.twitter.com/FS9r6U3ivj
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 16, 2024
It shouldn’t be surprising that Rojas chose shortstop. When interviewed, he speaks glowingly of former Cub Javier Báez and the style he brought to the team. Rojas has often said that he has tried to emulate “El Mago.” Despite his young age, Rojas still wishes to play alongside him someday. If his improvement continues, he may even exceed expectations and break into the major leagues sometime next season. In just 70 games with Myrtle Beach, Rojas flashed power and speed. His seven home runs, 14 doubles, 31 RBI, 48 runs scored, 73 total hits and 13 stolen bases could not be ignored. The plan is that Rojas will start the year in Myrtle Beach, but this may not be for long.
How Long Until He’s With the Cubs?
The Cubs have thought so highly of Rojas that he was to be featured in their Spring Breakout game. However, Mother Nature had other ideas. The game was rained out against the Chicago White Sox. However, Rojas still had to feel he was making great progress given his teammates in that game. PCA, Horton, Matt Shaw, and several other prospects better known to Cubs fans were also slated to play in this game. Being included with this group should say something about the potential the ballclub thinks Rojas has.
Still, Rojas remains over a year away from the big-league club. He has not fully developed, and adding more muscle should help with his overall power and ability to handle a full 162-game schedule. His strong arm makes him an ideal candidate to possibly even make the move to third base if his hitting continues on this trend. Either way, Cubs fans should be excited that the top prospects are littering their farm system, even as young as 18 years old.
Photo Credit: © Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
