Chicago Cubs: Keep an eye on Duncan Robinson and Dakota Mekkes in 2019

Chicago Cubs: An impressive beginning

Moving into the 2016 season, the Cubs’ system carried impressive talent. However, the pitching talent in itself was few and far between with a few powerful arms sprinkled throughout the top thirty. That year, the team made Robinson and Mekkes two of their selections, and they have not looked back.

Beginning with Robinson first, he played four years at Dartmouth, an exciting venture to say the least. While there, Robinson compiled a 3.07 ERA across 47 games to include 24 starts. Following his selection from the Cubs, Robinson began his career at Rookie ball, pitching all of a single scoreless inning before moving up to Low A.

Surprisingly, Robinson held his own during his stint at Low A. He pitched 19.1 innings across seven games, compiling a 4.19 ERA with a solid 3.10 FIP. Robinson did not concede a home run during this span. The following year, moving his way up to High A, Robinson posted an ERA in the two’s, dropping his FIP to a very solid 2.87 across 49 1/3 innings.

This past season, Robinson took a significant step forward in his development. Robinson began the year in Double-A where he posted an excellent 3.31 ERA over 24 starts. Robinson increased his strikeout rate and lowered his walk rate while at Tennessee. He got promoted to Triple-A Iowa towards the end of the season, pitching 11 innings and posting a ridiculous 0.82 ERA over the two starts.