Off-days are for the birds, baby.
With no game for the big league Cubs tonight, Marquee Sports Network has decided to cover and broadcast the Triple-A Iowa Cubs game against the Indianapolis Indians. Cory Abbott is taking the mound for the Cubs in this one, marking his Triple-A debut.
Abbott, the Cubs second round pick back in 2017, was Bleacher Nation’s 10th ranked prospect coming into this season, and this is what Bryan had to say about him at the time:
Skill Set: Cubs love the edge he plays with, and he benefits from an attack-attack-attack mentality on the mound. I believe the slider is more plus than it gets credit for, a belief that is backed up by the results (as a reminder, hitters went 25-for-213 in his last 11 AA starts). Can pitch backwards off his two breaking balls, or pitch conventionally, as the command of his fastball is generally above-average.
It’s been kind of a quiet 40-man issue since the start of the season: the Cubs had a freebie spot because pitcher Tyson Miller had been on the COVID-related IL. While on that list, his 40-man roster spot was not counted, which means the Cubs had one extra spot to maneuver at the margins of the roster.
But that couldn’t last forever, because – thankfully! – Miller was going to get well eventually, and thus the Cubs would have to make a move like they did today:
RHP Tyson Miller has been reinstated from the COVID-19 IL.
Miller is assigned to Triple-A Iowa but will remain in Arizona for now and continue to build up.
Brennen Davis isn’t the only Cubs position prospect who is going to get some time at big league camp. Today the Cubs added two infield prospects to the group, and it’s a couple guys who were both getting a lot of positive attention in the fall: Chase Strumpf and Andy Weber (Bastian).
Strumpf, who was recently ranked the 7th best second base prospect in baseball, will be coming to big league camp as a non-roster invitee. The 2019 second rounder crushed it at instructs, but otherwise has only six games played in a full-season league (A-ball at the end of 2019). Strumpf turns 23 next month, and is generally considered one of the top ten or so prospects in the system. Bryan ranked him 9th in the system this offseason, and here’s the write-up:
One thing I’ll say ahead of time: what a big season it is for the 5-9 spots on this list. When we look back on the 2021 season and discuss whether it was successful developmentally, the performance of the five guys in those spots in particular will be a real factor.
Previously: the intro, 40-21 and 20-11. Enjoy, and thanks for reading. And don’t miss out on my live chat with Brennen Davis at 3:30pm CT over at the BN Instagram!
10. Cory Abbott, SP, 25, Iowa (Stats). Acquired: 2nd round, 2017.
Skill Set: Cubs love the edge he plays with, and he benefits from an attack-attack-attack mentality on the mound. I believe the slider is more plus than it gets credit for, a belief that is backed up by the results (as a reminder, hitters went 25-for-213 in his last 11 AA starts). Can pitch backwards off his two breaking balls, or pitch conventionally, as the command of his fastball is generally above-average.
This is going to be a long one, so let’s jump right in. If you’re looking for an introduction, yesterday’s post was it.
On to the rankings of the Chicago Cubs farm system, here before the 2021 season begins. We’ll start with 40 to 21 (ages below are 2021 baseball age) …
40. Luke Little, LHP, 21, Myrtle Beach (JuCo Stats). Acquired: 4th round, 2020.
Skill set: You know, I know, Twitter knows: it’s the fastball. No, I don’t think Luke will ever touch 105 mph, or even 102, in a game (prove me wrong, kid). But even at 97, with a giant body, out of his arm slot, Little’s fastball plays. There were times in junior college where it was the only pitch he needed in an outing, and it’s going to undoubtedly eat A-ball hitters up.