By Townhall Chicago News Staff
Cubs catching prospect Miguel Useche continued to capitalize on his Arizona Fall League assignment this week, recording a two-hit, four-RBI performance that included his first homer for the Mesa Solar Sox, according to an MLB.com report published Tuesday.
Through 10 AFL games, the right-handed hitter has posted a 50 percent hard-hit rate, with two of his three highest exit velocities reaching 105 and 100.3 mph.
Useche’s path to organized baseball was unconventional. After going undrafted following a first-team All-Southland season at the University of New Orleans in 2024, where he hit .349 with a 1.005 OPS, the catcher found himself playing independent ball with the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Frontier League to start 2025.
“It was really hard mentally for me to go to independent ball,” Useche said, according to MLB.com. “I had to kind of swallow my ego a little bit. My faith is a big part of my life, so that kept me grounded.”
Useche excelled in 14 games with the ValleyCats, batting .333 with a 37.5 percent caught-stealing rate. The Cubs came calling shortly after.
This past season marked Useche’s first full year in professional baseball. Across 89 games between High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville, he slashed .281/.372/.468 with 13 home runs. His weighted runs created plus of 122 ranked ninth among the 36 Cubs minor leaguers who accumulated at least 300 plate appearances in 2026, according to the report.
When a need arose for an additional catcher in the Fall League, Useche received the assignment. He initially suited up for the Salt River Rafters before being transferred to Mesa, where he reunited with Cubs organizational teammates at the club’s spring training facility at Sloan Park.
“It’s the best because you always tell guys, ‘Just work hard and be prepared and be ready for your opportunity’ and this guy is that story,” Mesa manager Daniel Wasinger said, according to MLB.com. Wasinger also coached Useche at South Bend in 2025 and 2026. “He didn’t get much opportunity early on in his career with us, and this year he got a lot of it and he was ready for it. He worked hard, and when he got it, he never looked back.”
Useche moved from Venezuela to Florida with his parents at age 5. He became a standout at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla., the same program that produced longtime major leaguers J.D. Martinez and Mike Napoli.
“Catcher is just a grinding position, you’re always working hard. It’s a very selfless position,” Useche said. “Just being able to carry that over and just working hard no matter what it is, taking advantage of the opportunity, that’s really the biggest mindset that I have and it’s been unbelievable so far.”
The Cubs have also given Useche looks at first base and both corner outfield spots during the AFL, building his versatility heading into his age-26 season.
The AFL season runs through Nov. 14, with the Fall Stars Game scheduled for Nov. 8 at Salt River Fields.
