Owen Caissie providing Cubs fans with an important message during Spring Training

Outfielder Owen Caissie is the prized prospect from the lottery ticket trade that saw the Chicago Cubs trade Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres after the 2020 season.

The move to deal with Darvish has been revealed to be a mandate from ownership, and regardless of what Cubs' president Jed Hoyer said about the prospects at the time of the trade, they were nothing more than fliers.

Fortunately for the Cubs, Caissie has become a power-hitting prospect that could reach Wrigley Field by the end of the 2024 season.

Caissie spent the entire 2023 season at Double-A Tennessee, compiling a slash line of .289/.398/.519 with 22 home runs. It was a season that earned Caissie the honor of being named the Cubs' minor league player of the year last season.

Caissie's 144 wRC+ with the Tennessee Smokies last season was proof that he dominated the level and could be what leads to him beginning the 2024 season with Triple-A Iowa.

Caissie has also been furthering his case with a tremendous start to Cactus League play. Caissie has seven hits through his first 11 at-bats in Spring Training, including a home run against the Chicago White Sox on Friday.

For all the talk that has been centered around top prospects Pete Crow-Armstrong and Matt Shaw, Caissie is reminding Cubs fans that he should very much be a name to keep in mind.

Caissie has been a popular name in trade rumors considering the abundance of outfield prospects that the Cubs have but reports this off-season were that he was beginning to take reps at first base. Assuming Caissie remains with the Cubs' organization, first base could be the path that allows him to reach the Major League level quicker than the outfield. Though, with Craig Counsell planning on using the designated hitter's role on a rotation of players, that could be where the Cubs' prospect finds his plate appearances this season if he is in a position to make his Major League debut.

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