Chicago Cubs Minors: Checking in with talent down on the farm

Dylan Cease, RHP

Despite leaving his last start with an ankle injury, Dylan Cease has been lights-out for the Cubs’ Single-A affiliate this year. In eight starts, Cease has allowed just two home runs. Cease has also struck out 54 batters, and walked just 18 in 34 innings pitched.

The righty is sporting a 2.65 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. In addition to his low ERA, Cease is striking out an average of 14.3 batters per nine innings. That is good considering he is averaging 4.8 walks per nine.

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Cease is no stranger to posting great numbers as he recorded ERA’s of 2.62 and 2.22 in 2015 and 2016, respectively. Even though Cease is currently listed on the DL, don’t expect him to stay there long.

When Cease does return from injury, expect him to continue striking out a high volume of hitters while maintaining a fairly low walk rate.

Cease has the stuff to become a front-line starter for the Cubs. His fastball runs close to 100 MPH on occasion, although his secondary pitches leave a lot to be desired, at times.

There is no doubt Cease needs to work on his stuff if he hopes to make it to the majors. Coming into the 2017 season, Cease was ranked number three on the Cubs’ top prospect list by mlbpipeline.com. So far this season Cease has done nothing to decrease his stock, and will likely become a big piece for the Cubs at some point in the future.