Giants Baseball Insider

SF Giants: Prospect traded for Kris Bryant hit three home runs in a game

A key piece in the SF Giants trade for Kris Bryant, outfielder prospect Alexander Canario, continued an incredible season with a three-homer game for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate.

Marc Delucchi

SF Giants: Prospect traded for Kris Bryant hit three home runs in a game
SF Giants: Prospect traded for Kris Bryant hit three home runs in a game /
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The SF Giants traded outfielder Alexander Canario alongside Caleb Kilian to the Chicago Cubs for Kris Bryant at the 2021 MLB trade deadline. Bryant helped the Giants finish out their 107-win season before he signed as a free agent with the Colorado Rockies last winter. While Bryant is no longer on the Giants, Canario is making a name for himself in the Cubs farm system. In fact, Canario had arguably the best performance in the minor leagues on Tuesday, blasting three home runs in a game for the Cubs Triple-A affiliate in Iowa.

In a back-and-forth slugfest between the Iowa Cubs and Omaha Storm Chasers (the Royals Triple-A affiliate), which Iowa won 12-11, Canario went 3-for-5 with three home runs, four runs batted in, and a walk. Canario was promoted to Triple-A at the end of August after crushing High-A and Double-A competition throughout the season. The 22-year-old outfielder had been struggling to adjust to Triple-A competition, posting an abysmal .152/.326/.182 triple-slash before his three-homer game on Tuesday.

Former SF Giants prospect Alexander Canario grabs his batting helmet during spring training with the Cubs. (2022)
Bryon Houlgrave/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Giants signed Canario as part of their 2015-16 International Free-Agent Class. Canario was not a highly regarded prospect as an amateur, but he quickly put his name on the map with an excellent pro debut. Canario hit .294/.391/.464 in the Dominican Summer League back in 2017.

Canario continued showcasing his power when he moved stateside in 2018 to the Arizona Rookie League. Then, in 2019, while Canario was still a teenager, he hit .301/.365/.539 at the now defunct short-season level.

The canceled 2020 minor-league season probably played a big role in slowing Canario's development. Instead of making his full-season debut, he was forced to wait a year to return to organized baseball. When he did, Canario struggled a bit at Single-A San Jose, but he still showed off his power, recording 14 doubles, three triples, and nine home runs in 65 games before he was traded to the Cubs.

In his first full year with his new organization, Canario has been a minor-league star. Between three minor-league levels, Canario is hitting .252/.339/.552 with 34 home runs (more than any prospect in the Giants farm system) and 21 stolen bases. While Canario probably profiles best in right field, he has also held his own defensively in center field this year, further improving his prospect stock. Already crushing bombs at Triple-A before his 23rd birthday, it seems like it will not be long before Canario makes his MLB debut.

Alexander Canario was a consensus top-10 prospect in the SF Giants farm system when they traded him to the Cubs last summer for Kris Bryant. Since the deal, Canario has been one of the best performers in the minor leagues. After hitting three homers in a game earlier this week, it seems like he has the signature highlight to cap off a breakout season in 2022.

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Marc Delucchi
MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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