Well, we knew this move was eventually coming in September and that time has arrived. Left-handed pitching prospect Luke Little posted a picture of himself at the Des Moines airport early Wednesday morning and then Iowa Cubs beat reporter Tommy Birch confirmed the promotion to the Chicago Cubs.
Little, 23, was taken in the fourth round of 2020 draft by the Cubs.
We have seen the Cubs top relievers running on fumes for a few weeks and even after calling up veteran Shane Greene last week, it’s been obvious the team needs a boost in the bullpen.
The Cubs could use another shutdown-type reliever and that’s where left-hander Little comes in. It seems like the organization has been preparing the 2020 draft pick to eventually come up and be a weapon out of the bullpen since they transitioned him to a full-time reliever earlier this season.
The Cubs tested the young pitcher last week at Triple-A, having the left-hander throw in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Little responded well, first recording 1.1 scoreless innings and then getting two outs in his second appearance, getting the win last Thursday.
Overall this season, Little has recorded a 2.12 ERA in 63.2 innings, striking out 105 batters across three levels in the minor leagues. Since his promotion to the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A, Little has posted a 1.54 ERA, with 21 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He’s given up a total of 8 hits at the Triple-A level.
What’s been even more impressive is that Little has consistently shown the ability to pitch multiple innings while maintaining his effectiveness on the mound. Dating back to July 6, Little has recorded 4+ outs in 10 of 16 appearances. During that period of time, Little has a 1.16 ERA in 23.1 innings, with 46 strikeouts. He only allowed runs in 2 of his 16 outings during the past two months.
As of now, the Cubs have not officially made the roster move, but fingers crossed that it isn’t one of the top leverage arms. You hate to speculate, but closer Adbert Alzolay has not pitched since Friday night’s blown save against the Cincinnati Reds. Mark Leiter Jr. has also had a rough time in his recent outings.
