Amaya: Playing in AFL 'a special moment'

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Miguel Amaya prides himself on his abilities behind the plate, and there aren’t many better ways to improve as a catcher than working with various coaches and multiple advanced pitchers in the Arizona Fall League.

The Cubs’ No. 2 prospect is one of the organization's seven prospects playing for the Mesa Solar Sox, and he knows that the six-week season could have a huge impact on his development.

“This is a special moment for me and for my family,” Amaya said. “This is a special league for all these guys. I’m super excited to be here, working with teammates from different teams, different coaches. It’s going to be a really good experience for me. I think it’s going to help me a lot and I’m going to learn a lot from all these guys.”

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Amaya, the No. 91 overall prospect in MLB, has represented the Cubs in the Futures Game in each of the past two seasons and was teammates with Jesus Luzardo and Dustin May in those games.

The 20-year-old was able to glean knowledge from his short interaction with those two and hopes to learn more from the multitude of pitchers from various organizations that he’ll catch in Arizona.

“Those kind of pitchers, you learn a lot from them -- different pitchers, different types of movement,” Amaya said. “That’s going to help my career.”

While Amaya, whom the Cubs signed for $1.25 million in 2015, has impressed defensively, the offensive production took a dip in 2019. Over 99 games with Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, Amaya hit .235/.351/.402 with 11 homers. However, he has the potential to develop into a solid hitter, makes consistent contact and has enhanced his strike-zone recognition.

Those improvements were evident throughout the 2019 season as Amaya rebounded from a slow start to hit .251 over the second half of the season after hitting .217 in the first half.

Cubs hitters in the Fall League

• Zack Short, SS (No. 9): Short was limited to just 63 games in 2019, but he did reach Triple-A Iowa for the first time, where he hit .211 over 41 games. The 24-year-old has quick hands and makes solid contact, but his real value is on the defensive side of the ball. Some within the Cubs’ organization feel Short is the best defensive infielder in the system and he has the ability to play second, third and shortstop.

• Jared Young, 1B: Young, 24, played a career-high 123 games with Double-A Tennessee in what was also his first experience at the level. The 2017 Draft pick (15th round) hit .235 with five homers and 57 RBIs. The jump to Double-A is viewed as one of the tougher adjustments in the Minors, and Young’s numbers certainly dipped. Over two levels of Class A ball in 2018, Young hit .300 and homered 16 times. However, the Fall League will provide Young a chance to face more quality pitching and possibly get back on track for the 2020 campaign.

Cubs pitchers in the Fall League

• Erich Uelmen, RHP (No. 24): The 23-year-old, a 2017 fourth-round Draft pick, reached Double-A for the first time in 2018. While the Cal Poly San Luis Obispo product didn’t fare particularly well (0-3, 7.76 ERA) over six starts, it’s certainly something for him to build on as he faces some top hitters in the Fall League. Prior to his promotion to Tennessee, Uelmen went 5-3 with a 3.05 ERA and 50 strikeouts over 11 starts (62 innings) for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach.

• Scott Effross, RHP: Effross is making up some innings in Arizona after missing roughly six weeks of the regular season. The 25-year-old Indiana product pitched in 17 games (33 2/3 innings) with Double-A Tennessee and gave up 22 earned runs. While the 5.88 ERA isn’t ideal, it is a bit inflated because of one outing where Effross game up six runs over two innings. The right-hander gave up one earned run or fewer in six of seven appearances before he got hurt.

• Jordan Minch, LHP: Minch fared a bit better in the second half of the season, but overall pitched to a 4.58 ERA over 45 games this season. The 26-year-old reliever, a 35th-round pick from the 2014 Draft, made one scoreless appearance with Triple-A Iowa, but spent the rest of the season with Double-A Tennessee, where he struck out 52 over 55 2/3 innings.

• Keegan Thompson, RHP: The 2017 third-round pick is looking to make up for some lost time in Arizona as he spent the bulk of the season on the injured list. Thompson made just one start for Double-A Tennessee this season -- he struck out eight over five no-hit innings -- before hitting the IL in April. The 24-year-old put together a solid 2018 season as he went 9-6 with a 3.61 ERA over 25 starts in his first full season.