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3 Chicago Cubs prospects who deserve a September call-up
It's time for the Chicago Cubs to start considering which prospects in their farm will give them the boost they need down the stretch to reach the postseason.
With the trade deadline come and gone, there's only one way left for the Chicago Cubs to add talent to the big league roster - the farm system. As it is every year, they'll get a prime opportunity to do that in the coming weeks as rosters expand and September call-ups begin.
Even as they've managed to survive the deadline and play remarkably well, there are still some notable holes on this team that need to be filled. Their main concern right now is the pitching staff where, thanks to a mix of injuries and poor performance, they now sit at 16th overall in team ERA with a 4.19 mark. Another lefty reliever would be especially nice, but any extra depth to help them get by down the stretch would be golden. It can never hurt to add another bat either.
There are plenty of players you could make arguments for. Matt Mervis, for one, could certainly use another look to get a better feel for where he stands within the organization. The same goes for Yonathan Perlaza who has been crushing the ball in Iowa. On the pitching end, a guy like Bailey Horn could potentially be useful as depth for the bullpen. Here are three names in particular that I personally would like to see given the call-up come September.
#3: Luke Little
The Cubs desperately need some help in the bullpen. While they've built up a solid core of Michael Fulmer, Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr., and Adbert Alzolay while Jose Cuas has been a surprisingly solid addition so far, it's clear they needed to go out and acquire some extra firepower at the deadline. Their core four have all been leaned on a ton - in Alzolay and Merryweather's case, at a career-high level - and a little rest would do them all some good.
One exciting prospect who could spell those four and add a lefty presence to the 'pen is fireballer Luke Little. When he was drafted, Little was already leaving fans salivating with his wicked fastball. In the minors this year, he's been solid with a 3.12 ERA in Double-A before making the jump to Triple-A Iowa very recently. His walk rate is high, but he pairs it with an eye-popping 16.4 strikeout rate while limiting homers and hits in general at an elite rate.
There's a bit of a dual purpose in bringing up Little. On the one hand, he has the potential to be a high-powered addition to the Cubs in an area where they could really use it. On the other, it's critical that the team get a feel for which of the arms in their system have the best chance to help them in the future. Little's ceiling is sky-high and if he looks good in his last few Triple-A appearances, he could be Northside bound to close out the year.
#2: Ben Brown
Another pitcher with a big arm that's been on the radar for a while now is Ben Brown. Acquired from the Phillies last year for David Robertson, he has proven himself as one of the Cubs' best pitching prospects complete with an upper-90s fastball of his own and a curveball/slider that ranks among the hardest to hit in the minors. As of MLB Pipeline's most recent re-ranking, he sits as the team's fifth-best prospect and lands at #91 overall across the sport.
Brown has been a favorite for a call-up this year and for good reason. Even if it's been an up-and-down season for the 23-year-old righty at Triple-A, he's looked solid in the month of July, limiting hitters to a .167 batting average and a .591 OPS. Over his past three starts, he's thrown 15 innings with a 1.80 ERA. Thanks to his pitch mix, it's easy to see him getting a look out of the bullpen in order to limit his innings, but with Marcus Stroman suffering an injury setback with rib discomfort, there's at least a possibility he could slot in for a spot start.
The one rub with Brown right now is that he's currently on the injured list, though that isn't expected to be a particularly long stay. As soon as he's back in play, he'll be back on the radar and a likely candidate to bolster a Cubs pitching staff that could absolutely use the reinforcement.
#1: Pete Crow-Armstrong
If the Cubs' top prospect wasn't already on the team's radar for September call-ups, he sure is now. Pete Crow-Armstrong has been flying through the minors and seemingly taking to every step of his journey like a duck to water. His incredible performance has made him a consensus top 20 prospect in the game with the highest ranking, MLB Pipeline, throwing him at #7 overall. Even though he was expected to arrive in 2024, his recent performance has only further increased the chance he'll get a cup of coffee here in 2023.
PCA recently made the jump to Triple-A and hasn't missed much of a beat since his arrival. In 49 plate appearances so far in Iowa, he's sporting a stellar .275/.408/.575 slash line with eight walks and three home runs so far. That's a small sample size, but it speaks to the mix of discipline and solid power he brings to the table. It's also a continuation of what he's done throughout the minors this year. Across both Double and Triple-A, his line goes to .287/.376/.533 line with 17 homers across 493 plate appearances.
Offense isn't even PCA's greatest tool. That, of course, is his 80-grade glove which is the highest rating a prospect can possibly achieve. We've seen plenty of examples of the center fielder making some mind-boggling plays in the outfield grass and it's hard not to grow excited about seeing that kind of play at Wrigley Field. The Cubs would have a bit more roster flexibility with him around, giving them another elite defender to spell Cody Bellinger in the outfield.
Next. Emotional Ride. Chicago Cubs fans, get ready for an emotional ride. dark
In all reality, PCA was always going to be at least floated as a possibility for a call-up this year thanks to his all-world defense. Thanks to the strides he's taken in Triple-A, and in the minors in general though, he feels like a very strong candidate at this point to make his big league debut when September rolls around, especially with Carter Hawkins even acknowledging he's on the radar. There's still time for him to hit a roadblock, but he's simply too talented to keep down much longer.