SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Miguel Useche was a first-team All-Southland performer for the University of New Orleans in 2024, having hit .349 with a 1.005 OPS with more walks than strikeouts. He figured that even if he didn't get an opportunity to get his pro career started via the MLB Draft, he could latch on as an nondrafted free agent shortly thereafter.
That call never came.
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When the 2025 season began, Useche found himself playing for the Tri-City ValleyCats in the Frontier League, an independent circuit that serves as an MLB Partner League. He excelled both at the dish (.333 average) and behind the plate (37.5 percent caught-stealing rate) in 14 games, finally leading to an opportunity in pro ball when the Cubs came knocking.
“It was really hard mentally for me to go to independent ball,” Useche said. “I had to kind of swallow my ego a little bit. My faith is a big part of my life, so that kept me grounded. Making that a priority has kind of changed my life -- that was really the biggest holding point for me throughout everything.”
After a brief seven-game stint with High-A South Bend in 2025, this past year marked Useche’s first full foray into pro ball. He provided catching depth for Double-A Knoxville to begin the season before settling back into the South Bend lineup, but coming out of the All-Star break, he was ready for the Southern League full time.
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Across 89 games between the two levels, Useche slashed .281/.372/.468 with 13 homers and a 122 wRC+ that ranked ninth among the 36 Cubs Minor Leaguers who accrued at least 300 plate appearances in 2026. Nearly every major statistical category improved as he pushed into the upper Minors for the first time. So when a need arose for another backstop in the Fall League, Useche got the call -- if not initially the one he expected.
The right-handed hitter’s first two Fall League games came as a member of the Salt River Rafters, who needed an additional backstop. Other Cubs prospects were suited up for the Mesa Solar Sox, who use the club’s Spring Training facility at Sloan Park as their home park. But after a brief stint, Useche was "traded" back to his home complex and reunited with teammates from the organization.
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“It's the best because you always tell guys, ‘Just work hard and be prepared and be ready for your opportunity’ and this guy is that story,” said Mesa manager Daniel Wasinger, who also coached Useche at South Bend in 2025 and ‘26. “He didn't get much opportunity early on in his career with us, and this year he got a lot of it and he was ready for it. He worked hard, and when he got it, he never looked back.”
Useche is quick to credit his parents for making sure he even had that opportunity. He moved with them from Venezuela to Florida at age 5, leaving behind loved ones and his native language. He went on to be a standout performer for Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla., the same program that produced longtime big leaguers J.D. Martinez and Mike Napoli.
So maybe it’s no surprise that a guy who has had to battle for everything in the game plays the ultimate in-the-trenches spot on the diamond.
“Catcher is just a grinding position, you're always working hard. It's a very selfless position,” Useche said. “Just being able to carry that over and just working hard no matter what it is, taking advantage of the opportunity, that's really the biggest mindset that I have and it's been unbelievable so far.”
In addition to his work behind the plate, the Cubs have gotten Useche looks at first base and both corner outfield spots in an effort to give him more of a utilityman vibe as he heads into his age-26 campaign.
He enjoyed his best offensive performance of the campaign on Tuesday afternoon, socking his first homer for Mesa on a two-hit, four-RBI day. Through 10 games, he’s run a 50 percent hard-hit rate with two of three highest exit velocities -- 105 and 100.3 mph -- coming in the club's 11-6 loss to Scottsdale.
“There’s a lot of talent here,” Useche said. “It’s great to be in Arizona during this time. … You get to learn so much and being able to share that with the other guys is unbelievable.”