Prospect Update: Jake Slaughter Takes the Time to Mature and It’s Paying Off

One of the most pleasant surprises for the month of July was the maturation of Jake Slaughter. The corner infielder for the Eugene Emeralds, and now South Bend Cubs, looks to be finally relaxed and beginning to tap into his rather large frame. While he’s not hitting a lot of dingers, he is driving the ball with authority, hitting for average, and being a key cog in whomever’s lineup. 

Basic Info
Height 6’3”
Weight 210 lbs.
Bats Right
Throws Right
Drafted 2016 out of HS and again 2018 out of LSU
Age 22
ETA 2022

The Cubs first drafted Slaughter out of high school in 2016 and he instead chose to go to LSU. They took them again last summer as a draft eligible sophomore and placed him in Eugene. Slaughter looked overmatched at times in the Northwest League. It was not the best experience, but it was one in which you could see some potential from Slaughter. He struggled to play, but he also showed the potential for power and the ability to play two positions.

It was no surprise to see him back in Eugene this year. The first thing I noticed this year was that he looks to have added on just a few pounds from last year. More importantly, it’s quite evident that he has matured in how he plays the game. While Slaughter does swing very hard at the ball at times, he’s also shown the ability to put the ball in play all over the field. It’s nothing for him to pull the ball down the left-field line as well as drive the ball deep into the right center field gap and along the right field line 

In July, Slaughter was one of the best hitters in the entire system as he hit .330 with a .394 OBP and 14 RBIs. For the year, he has an impressive wRC+ of 134. It is easy to see why he was promoted. 

What Changed

In talking with Ems’ road play-by-play announcer Pat Zajak, a lot of Slaughter’s maturation starts in his head. Slaughter was a 2 sport athlete in high school and had several offers for both football and baseball. He chose baseball. When he came to the Ems from LSU, Slaughter might have been pressing and trying to do too much. Zajak said the noticeable difference this year is, “Jake is having a better approach at the plate. He has a very violent swing. It’s noticeable.” But that this year Slaughter has “a much more refined approach” according to Zajak. 

Pic by Rebecca Snyder

Cutting down on the strikeouts helped, but Zajak said that Slaughter’s two-strike approach is a huge factor. “He stopped trying to chase” after pitches and “trying to do too much.” At one point in July, Slaughter reached base in 10 straight games.

Another factor that helped Slaughter take off this year was the influx of draft picks. Zajac said, “He’s dropped down in the lineup,” and that helped “take the pressure off of him and he now he had a lighter load offensively.” Well that lighter load created a boat load of RBIs and an All-Star nod.

So far in South Bend, he went 3-for-6 in his first two games and made a couple of nice plays at third. It’s a little too early to start worrying or wondering where he’s going to be come the spring of 2020. I’m still interested in seeing how Slaughter does the rest of this year, especially now that he’s at South Bend. It’s quite clear that he is seeing the ball very well and able to recognize pitches. Things are looking up.

Sometimes, it just takes some time.