Jake Cave continues to rake at Triple-A

Jake Cave’s dominance has continued in the Lehigh Valley, with the 30-year-old outfielder proving himself as one of the best hitters in all of Minor League Baseball this season.

While his stint on the Phillies big-league roster to begin 2023 wasn’t that successful, Cave hasn’t stopped producing since his demotion to Triple-A on May 2. In 37 games since joining the IronPigs, the left-handed batter is slashing an eye-popping .391/.466/.762 with 11 home runs and a staggering 23 doubles. Cave is third among all minor-league hitters with at least 100 plate appearances in batting average, and his 1.227 OPS leads the minors (min. 100 PAs).

In 151 at-bats for the IronPigs, Jake Cave is hitting .391 with 11 home runs, 39 RBIs and a 1.228 OPS. pic.twitter.com/GaZqDFwr38

— Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) June 19, 2023

After posting just a .619 OPS in 20 games for the Phillies, Cave found himself locked in immediately for Lehigh Valley. He batted .404 in May at Triple-A, finding the outfield gaps at Coca-Cola Park with ease throughout the month.

A hot start like that is obviously impressive, but not exactly sustainable — at least one would think. For Cave, however, the bat just hasn’t cooled off as he’s barely slowed down heading into late June.

Cave is batting .368/.406/.702 in 14 games this month with four homers and seven doubles. By this point, this is more than just a hot streak; Cave may not have a role on the major-league roster at the moment, but he’s separated himself as more than just a Triple-A hitter.

Cave’s ability to strictly play the outfield is likely what keeps him in the minors at this point as the starting outfield in Philadelphia is set and the team has more versatile bench options. Perhaps if Bryce Harper can return to the field at first base at some point this season, allowing Kyle Schwarber to slide from left field to the DH spot, then Cave could get another look in left at the big-league level. But if Cave’s performance keeps going at this rate, the Phillies may be forced to consider him before that.

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