Chicago Cubs: Most likely September call-ups who can contribute

Locked in a tight battle for the National League Central crown, the Chicago Cubs’ September call-ups may prove to be a difference-maker in 2017.

When the season dawned, few predicted the Chicago Cubs winning less than 90 ballgames. Yet, here we are. Even after Sunday’s walk-off, extra-inning thriller, the Cubs are on-pace for 87 wins. By contract, the Los Angeles Dodgers have 87 wins – and it’s August 21.

After trading for Alex Avila, Sunday’s hero, and left-hander Justin Wilson, Chicago hoped to shore up the roster. Avila continues to step up in the wake of Willson Contreras‘ hamstring injury – delivering in every way possible. Wilson, however, can’t find the strike zone with GPS and a map – leaving a shaky Cubs’ pen in a precarious position.

Wade Davis is perfect in save situations this season. Left-hander Brian Duensing, a buy-low offseason acquisition, continues to exceed all expectations. Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop have been good more than bad – but have struggled with consistency.

Guys like Carl Edwards Jr., Koji Uehara and Wilson know how to dominate – but, again, it all comes down to consistency and execution. This troubling trend emanates throughout the entire bullpen – so, it makes sense the team might focus its September call-ups on the pitching staff.

Here are five candidates who could play a role down the stretch as the Cubs chase a second-straight division title and another World Series championship.

Chicago Cubs Call-up Candidates: Dylan Maples

Dylan Maples, a former 14th round pick of the the Cubs, has pitched at three different levels this season. The right-hander appeared in games for Myrtle Beach, Tennessee and Iowa in 2017, with varying levels of success.

With Myrtle Beach, he dominated – pitching to a 2.01 ERA and notching 44 strikeouts in just 31 1/3 innings. Although not quite as dominant with Double-A Tennessee, he still caught the attention of fans thanks to an eye-popping strikeout rate. Maples averaged north of 18 strikeouts per nine. He continued that swing-and-miss tendency with Iowa, averaging over 14 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

The downside? In 2017, Maples averaged more than five walks per nine. One might hope that number is an outlier, but it’s in-line with his career average of 5.6 BB/9. Still, he’s got a filthy repertoire.

Maples is throwing better than ever, ranging from 94-100 mph with a fastball that has some run and sink. When it was trying to develop him as a starter, Chicago had him concentrate on improving his fastball command, which cost him some feel for his curveball, his best offering as an amateur. His hard downer curve in the lower 80s is back in his arsenal, and he also has developed an upper-80s slider that’s even more of a wipeout pitch.

Bringing Maples up to Chicago represents a high-risk, high-reward move. He can blow away hitters – but he may get himself into more trouble than opposing hitters cause him, simply by falling behind in the count and walking hitters.

Chicago Cubs Call-up Candidates: Pierce Johnson

Pierce Johnson is a name even casual fans would probably recognize. The Cubs drafted the right-hander back in 2012 in the first round and he’s dealt with high expectations ever since.

He made his big-league debut in May this year against the Brewers, surrendering a pair of unearned runs in a inning of work. But, the bulk of his year was spent with the Iowa Cubs, where he struggled to keep runs off the board.

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Johnson owns a disappointing 4.84 ERA this year with the I-Cubs, making 39 appearances out of the bullpen. Averaging over 12 strikeouts per nine, he is also walking nearly five batters per game, something that, by this point, probably seems like a familiar occurrence amongst most of the names on this list.

Johnson has a long history of injuries, many of which aren’t arm-related, dating back to high school. He also has spotty control and command that have gotten worse since he reached Double-A in 2014. He has the stuff and mentality to thrive in the bullpen, though he’ll have to locate his pitches better before he can help the Cubs.

2016 marked the worst season of his professional career. But now that his starting days are behind him, Chicago hopes the right-hander can stay healthy and finally put together a streak of quality performances before rosters expand next month.

Chicago Cubs Call-up Candidates: Mark Zagunis

Mark Zagunis represents a potential outfield option for Chicago. But the Cubs are loaded with the likes of Jon Jay, Albert Almora Jr., Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ all playing regularly.   He got a brief taste of the big leagues earlier this year – and went hitless in 14 at-bats.

Drafted in the third-round of the 2014 draft, Zagunis is a strong on-base presence in the Chicago farm system. This year with Triple-A Iowa, he boasts an impressive .404 OBP and a .267 average. In his career, he’s got a .402 on-base percentage; he’s done it everywhere he’s been. Now, he needs to bring it to Chicago.

Long-term, it’s hard to see Zagunis getting regular reps with the Cubs, unless he settles into a Matt Szczur-like role. But, even Szczur’s time ended because of the outfield logjam on the North Side.

Zagunis is an on-base machine because he’s a gifted hitter who controls the strike zone and doesn’t try to do too much at the plate. He mostly focuses on stroking line drives from gap to gap but did start attacking more pitches last year. He has average bat speed and his right-handed stroke lacks loft, but he could provide 12-15 homers per year because he barrels so many balls.

At this point, I don’t care about his home-run potential. I care about his ability to play intelligent baseball and work counts. If he can do that, he has value to a Cubs team that can be pretty free-swinging.

Chicago Cubs Call-up Candidates: Jen-Ho Tseng

Between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa this year, Jen-Ho Tseng owns a 12-4 record with a 2.57 ERA. In seven starts with Iowa, Tseng has pitched to a 1.67 ERA and 1.116 WHIP across 43 innings.

He is young, though. He’s only 22 years old – but if recent years have proven anything, Chicago boasts young talent that can handle the spotlight. Tseng could be exactly what the Cubs need – although his role remains unclear.

The right-hander has made just two career relief appearances, but getting a September call-up as a reliever/spot starter isn’t out of the question. Of anyone on this list, he probably deserves a shot at the Show most. If I were a betting man, I’d say he’s the closest thing to a sure-lock here to make the cut in September call-ups.

His tight curveball gives Tseng another solid secondary pitch. He’s not afraid to challenge hitters and generally keeps the ball down in the strike zone, a must for a flyball pitcher with less-than-overpowering stuff. While he doesn’t have a huge ceiling, he’s one of Chicago’s more advanced rotation prospects and has a safe floor as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Next: Duensing proving he belongs with reigning champs