From red-hot to ice-cold: Pair of former Cubs prospects have hit a wall of late

As the Chicago Cubs' season seemingly went up in flames back in early April, fans took to social media lamenting the fact that Owen Caissie and Cam Smith were off to hot starts with their new clubs.

Caissie, in particular, tore out of the gates with the Marlins, quickly prompting Cubs fans to second-guess the front office's decision to trade him for right-hander Edward Cabrera. Before Cabrera even made his 2026 debut, a chunk of the fanbase was ready to go after Jed Hoyer, calling the deal a 'bust'.

Those folks are singing a very different tune in early May.

After his hot start, Caissie has been near-non-existent at the plate. Since April 10, the former first-rounder has struck out in nearly fifty percent of his plate appearances (48.3 percent, to be exact), while walking just 3.3 percent of the time. That works out to a .125/.150/.161 slash line and a -21 wRC+.

That's not just bad. That's 'go back to Triple-A and work some things out' bad. Again, a few bad weeks isn't an indictment on the player Caissie will eventually be, but his strikeout numbers - which were always the big knock on his gamge and the thing that led evaluators to question how his game would play at the big-league level - are certainly alarming.

Strikeouts are a major problem for Owen Caissie and Cam Smith

Smith, meanwhile, has slashed just .106/.218/.191 since April 16 for the last-place Astros, a team in desperate search of answers. A 35.7 percent strikeout rate is a red flag, well above the 27.8 percent mark he posted last year, his first full MLB season. The former FSU standout found ways to provide value last year, showcasing defensive versatility, but was a below-average bat, finishing the 2025 campaign with a 90 wRC+.

On the year, that's where Smith is netting out right now, but, yeah, the last few weeks haven't been a walk in the park. Given how the Kyle Tucker trade wound up playing out for the Cubs, it feels like this is a trade fans will re-hash for years to come, but the vitriol would be cranked up to 11 if Smith was putting the league on notice at the dish.

We've seen how quickly a season can turn around - a few weeks ago, it felt like the sky was falling in Wrigleyville and, entering Sunday, the Cubs are in first place in the division, winners of 14 of 17. The end of the season might see Smith and Caissie in very different positions, but the early returns have left a lot to be desired if you're in Houston or Miami.

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