3 struggling Chicago Cubs prospects who have started the year ice cold

Chicago Cubs: Cory Abbott, RHP – A 6.39 ERA will simply not do

I believe Cory Abbott is one of those guys who has a long-term spot with the major league club. Abbott was valued by many in the 2017 MLB Draft, and the Cubs were studious enough to draft the right-hander.

Abbott has been awful this season. In five starts, he carries a 6.39 ERA along with a much higher FIP. Part of the number is that one bad start a couple of weeks back derailed things. Abbott allowed a couple of home runs and five earned runs with five walks over four innings. Things had not been great to that point, but it did him no favors.

Between 2018 and 2019, Abbott had been stringing together excellent seasons and at different levels, too, as he climbed the ladder. Part of the struggles may be the move from Double-A to Triple-A and the steps of major league talent. On a positive note, Abbott has seen his strikeout rate skyrocket to 34.2 percent — a career-high.

Abbott is still a name to consider for Chicago. It is improbable he does see time in the big leagues this year. However, stranger things have happened. The kid from California can hopefully turn things around sooner rather than later.