Watch Chicago Cubs prospect Caleb Killian make hitters look foolish
Chicago Cubs pitching prospect made his Spring Training debut on Monday as he started in the team's split-squad game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Killian, who entered 2022 as the team's top pitching prospect, wasted little time showing fans that he is healthy as he prepares for the 2023 season.
Killian saw his prospect status take a hit in 2022 after struggling with control issues in the three Major League starts he made with the Cubs at the Major League level last June. The control issues followed Killian in his return to Triple-A Iowa last year. Killian was pitching through a left-knee injury last season and that could have been the trigger for the command issues he saw last season.
The reason why Killian's command issues last season were so surprising last season was that his quick ascension through the minor league was based in large part on his ability to throw strikes frequently. While it is only one start in Spring Training, Killian appears to have returned to that form.
Killian struck out two batters across two innings of work while facing the minimum number of batters. Most impressively for Killian and his start on Monday was the fact that he did not issue a single walk and was touching the upper 90s.
Monday was the best possible start that Killian could have to Spring Training. Killian regaining the form that made him the top pitching prospect in the Cubs' farm system at the beginning of last season would certainly be a great development for the team.