Cubs: Prospects who you might not have heard of–but you will

No. 22 – Tyson Miller, RHP

The Cubs took 16 pitchers in their 18 picks in 2016. Tyson Miller went in the fourth round to become the first NCAA Division II selection that June, beating Trevor Oaks, out of Califonia Baptist. He had a great year in 2018, leading the Class-A Advanced League in strikeouts (126), average (.220) and a WHIP (1.09). He continued that in Double-A before getting hustled in Triple-A, allowing 7.58 ERA (July).

He’s had more progress with shelving his two-seam fastball the last two years in favor of the four-seam. He throws in the vicinity of 90-95 mph with high spin raters and natural cutting action. His mid-80s slider works well. But when both those pitches dropped, he got hammered.

He has a changeup–but only in theory. His control is better than his command, equaling more left-hander bats who don’t miss in the strike zone. His ability to maintain his stuff over time will find out if he’s a back-of-the-rotation guy or a reliever.