It wasn’t long after the Chicago Cubs acquired Kevin Alcántara from the New York Yankees that scouts were buzzing about his potential. For years now, Chicago’s farm system has lacked a slam-dunk superstar. But there were talent evaluators who have felt that if it all came together, perhaps Alcántara could be that guy for the Cubs.

“On the hitting side, we’ve known that it’s going to take a little longer just because he was so raw,” hitting coach Dustin Kelly said. “But those raw skills were what were attractive to us in that trade. He’s starting to come into that, turning into a player who can impact the baseball. Once he starts making better decisions, he can be a superstar.”

That trade was one of many that occurred in the summer of 2021. That July, the Cubs sent Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees for a return that included a then 18-year-old Alcántara. At the time, the toolsy outfielder had no plate appearances above the Complex League and had a long, lanky 6-foot-6 frame that observers believed would take years to fill out.

Tall players like Alcántara can often struggle with swing-and-miss, as long levers usually mean holes in a player’s swing and trouble handling fastballs on the inside part of the plate. It can be hard to fully control one’s body, especially at a younger age.

“It just takes a little while longer,” manager Craig Counsell said of taller prospects. “There’s a reward at the end of that. The swing, it’s harder for taller people. I’m not holding it against him. It’s just you keep that in mind as a guy progresses and realize it’s a more complicated thing.”

Patience is always essential with international signees, but with Alcántara, it was especially so. He was never going to be a fast-rising prospect. Still, many have believed in his skill set and felt that, in time, it could all come together.

Alcántara has had stretches of poor performance in the minors but has consistently produced strong numbers by season’s end. Last year, Alcántara had an incredibly slow start to the season and a shoulder injury in the middle of the summer came right as he was beginning to heat up. Still, he posted a 124 wRC+ across Double A and Triple A.

The performance, along with his strong defensive work in center field, earned him a late-season promotion to the big leagues where he got a very brief taste of the highest level.

“It’s awesome because I see a lot of guys do their routines,” Alcántara said. “I see what you need to do to prepare your body. And I continue working on my body and come in early. The preparation is the first step in your career.”

The Cubs have never doubted Alcántara’s work ethic. A tremendously confident young man, Alcántara seems keenly aware of the opportunity in front of him. This spring, the Cubs are seeing more signs of that work continuing to pay off.

“One thing we’ve noticed with Kevin, he’s put on some weight,” Kelly said. “I think he’s put on 18 pounds. Before, he was long and lanky with those long levers. He wasn’t quite strong enough yet so his swing was kind of long. He’d take out a lot of slack and then try and create more. With the bulkiness he’s put on, his swing has really tightened up. With that, he won’t make decisions as quickly so he’ll be able to let the ball get in deeper. That’s a huge positive for him.”

Shortening up his swing is important as his strikeout rate pushed nearly 30 percent at Triple A last season. Kelly says there are some drills they work on to make sure his swing decisions improve as well.

“There’s a ton of stuff that goes on behind the scenes,” Kelly said. “For the most part, it’s drilling that into them, but we still have to go out and let them do it out in the games. Kevin getting a taste of that in the big leagues last year and starting off to a good spring has been a good confidence boost too.”

Alcántara entered play on Sunday with six hits, including two doubles and two walks in 18 spring plate appearances. He’s a consensus Top 100 prospect, with The Athletic’s Keith Law placing him at No. 33 overall.

Alcántara has long strides that help him get to his plus speed and he’s turned himself into a plus defender at a premium position. The hit tool is still a question mark, but there are signs he could continue to improve there. The raw power is potentially elite, and if he can consistently bring that into games, suddenly the Cubs are looking at a special all-around talent.

“What makes Kevin so interesting is all the tools are available,” Counsell said. “What’s great is he’s got a good foundation for all those tools. Which one takes over? You don’t have to know right now. But they all just keep getting a little better. What kind of offensive player he becomes may be a little bit of a question still.”

Counsell said Alcántara needs stretches this season where he’ll have to play every day purely for his development. Unless there’s an injury to one of the outfielders or the DH spot opens up, those regular at-bats are going to have to come at Triple A. Still, Counsell said that likely won’t be the case for the entire season. At times, he could come up and help the big-league team, even if it meant sporadic playing time for bits and pieces of the year.

Despite a seemingly jam-packed outfield, the Cubs have held back in including Alcántara in any trades this winter. Pete Crow-Armstrong is looked at as the long-term solution in center field, but Kyle Tucker is an impending free agent with the type of price tag that makes a return to Chicago a long shot. With continued development, Alcántara has a good chance to open next season as the team’s starting right fielder.

With all the talent in the world, many, both inside and outside the organization, believe Alcántara can eventually do special things. As one of the more confident players in camp, Alcántara has no doubts about who he can be.

“Superstar,” Alcántara said. “If I’m preparing my body in a good spot, I’m a superstar.”