Chicago Cubs draft flamethrowing lefty Burl Carraway in second round

In the second round of the MLB Draft, the Cubs selected pitcher Burl Carraway.

An overpowering left-handed reliever who could make an impact on a big league bullpen sooner rather than later? Yeah, I think Cubs fans can get behind the team’s second-round pick, Burl Carraway and what he brings to the table.

The 6’0″ southpaw features a plus fastball and curveball – and could ascend prospect rankings list quickly.  MLB Pipeline pegged him as the 49th-ranked prospect in the 2020 MLB Draft – and it’s pretty easy to see why.

More from Cubbies Crib

• Cubs should keep close eye on non-tender candidate Cody Bellinger
• Cubs starting pitching has been thriving on the North Side
• Make no mistake: the Cubs are very much about power hitters
• Cubs are giving pitcher Javier Assad a deserved shot
• Cubs: It’s time to start thinking about potential September call-ups

Here’s what they had to say about Carraway in their pre-draft profile:

Carraway has a pair of overpowering pitches in his fastball and curveball. His heater sits at 93-96 mph and touches 98 with riding action, while his downer curve usually parks in the upper 70s. His pitches play up because they have high spin rates and he gets good extension in his delivery, and both can grade as well above average when at their best.

Given his stature and max-effort delivery, don’t start thinking about this kid in the rotation. He’s going to be groomed as a late-inning weapon, perhaps even the closer of the future. In his sophomore year at DBU, Carraway racked up 15.6 strikeouts per nine – a staggering number.

MLB Pipeline went on to say that this guy projects as one of the first draftees from this year’s class to make it to the bigs. Per Baseball America, scouts ranked Carrraway’s fastball as the third-best in this year’s draft. Seriously, what’s not to like about that? Especially when you consider he’s more than capable of mixing in a knee-buckler of a breaking ball, it’s enough to make you weak in the knees.

By almost any measure, Carraway was considered the top college reliever in the 2020 draft. Looking at this year’s Cubs team – if he could, as many suggest, break the big league roster as soon as this summer, he could pair well at the back end with the likes of Rowan Wick and Kyle Ryan as a bridge to closer Craig Kimbrel.

Time will tell. We know Theo Epstein and his front office like to let their guys get their feet wet in professional ball before immersing them in The Show – but with the window closing on this core, could we see a different course of action this summer? Just maybe.