Cubs Prospect Profile: Jefferson Rojas |
As we get closer to the Cubs' top 10 prospects, according to MLB.com we are getting to the point where these could be the difference makers in the future. This is where you start to see the Cubs' top 100 prospects show up, and where most of these players will be contributing within the next two seasons, if not sooner.
While some may not be on the top 100 list right now, if they go out and have another solid showing, there is a good chance they could crack that list by next season. Jefferson Rojas is one of those guys, as he may go down as the biggest surprise in the entire system. An International free agent in 2022, Rojas was viewed as one of the more advanced hitters in his class, thus making it easy to justify the one million dollar bonus the Cubs gave him. At 5-10 and just 150 pounds, Rojas has a lot of work to do to put on strength, but at 18 years old and coming off the season, he just had the potential to become a special player. Right from the moment Rojas began pro ball, the Cubs knew they had a special player as he tore up the DSL in 2022. He went on to play 45 games that summer and held his own by batting .303. That included 16BB/18K for a .391 OBP while he connected for one homer, drove in 19, and swiped 15 bases. All of that production came as a 17-year-old, so the Cubs had plenty of confidence in him. It wasn't until this summer when the rest of the league found out how good of a player Rojas was, as he needed just one game with the ACL Cubs before advancing to Low-A Myrtle Beach, where he spent the rest of his season. Although not an everyday player at first, Rojas gained more playing time as the season went on and finished with 71 games played. After a bit of a slow start which was to be expected, Rojas went on to hit .265 with the Pelicans and connected for seven homers (two Grand Slams) and 31 RBIs. His plate discipline took a massive hit which shouldn't shock anyone, but his stolen base numbers remained consistent leading scouts to believe he has the ability to be an above-average base stealer. It was one thing for him to dominate at the Rookie League level, but to see him hold his own in Low-A against much older pitching is something to take note of. A big reason for his success is an easy right-handed swing aimed at making contact and producing line drives. Eventually, more power will come from that swing, but for now, Rojas is content with being a line-drive hitter as the overall results have produced. Given his swing, Rojas makes a ton of contact to the point where it seems too easy for him. Eventually, that contact will be much harder as he will be more selective on what pitches to take and which ones to take a rip at. Though he still needs to add significant strength, he already shows some feel for launching balls in the air to his pull side. That is something a lot of younger players struggle with, so that will be one part of his game that he puts a ton of time into. When you talk about defensive shortstops, Kevin Made and Luis Vazquez are by far the best in the system with Rojas right behind them. Now that Made was sent over to the Nationals organization in exchange for Jeimer Candelario, Rojas may be the second best defensive shortstop in the Cubs system and has already surpassed Cristian Hernandez who was formally the Cubs top overall prospect. He has a strong arm and can make accurate throws from a variety of accidents. Although an average runner at best, Rojas did display a bit more speed than many expected last season but could lose a step once his body fills out. That shouldn't be a concern on the defensive side of things, as the Cubs are confident that he'll be an asset at shortstop as he gains more defensive consistency. However, there are still some scouts that feel he may wind up at third base which may not be a bad thing when you look at the Cubs' long-term picture over there.
