Chicago Cubs News: James Triantos wins ACL Player of the Month for September

Infielder James Triantos had a pretty terrific 2021. First, the Vienna, Virginia high school player was not expected to be eligible to be drafted until 2022, but he was reclassified early in the season, making him eligible to be drafted this past July. He was taken in the second round by the Cubs and given an above-slot $2.1 million bonus to give up a scholarship to play at North Carolina.

He didn’t play in the minors until August 9 and he went 0 for his first nine trips to the plate as a professional. Triantos got his first hit in his third game and he hasn’t stopped hitting since. Yesterday, Minor League Baseball recognized Triantos by naming him the Arizona Complex League’s Player of the Month for September.

Triantos played 11 games in September for the ACL Cubs before their season ended and he hit .391 with a .417 on-base percentage. He led the league in home runs for the month with four (two hit on the final day), as well as RBI with 11, hits with 18 and slugging percentage with .783. He also led the league for the month in runs scored and OPS.

Triantos was also honored late last week when Baseball America named him the sixth-best prospect in the ACL. (Two of his teammates, Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara, were named the third- and fourth-best, respectively)

Still just 18 years old, Triantos has a bright future with the Cubs ahead of him. If his 2022 season is anything like what he did in September, Cubs fans will be penciling his name in as part of the “core” of the next Cubs championship team.