It seems like the Chicago Cubs are extremely comfortable with the way things are going down in their minor league system, especially on the pitching side because they’re now already transitioning one of their dominant starters into relievers. We’ve seen the Cubs, and many other teams across the league, convert starters into bullpen guys, but this situation feels different. It’s not a guy who is struggling or only looks to be strong a few innings at a time. This seems like the Cubs believe Luke Little can help out their MLB bullpen maybe as soon as this season, but definitely be in the mix in 2024.

This got on a lot of Cubs fans’ radar a week ago, when the South Bend Cubs tweeted out an update that included the move of Little from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Again, Little wasn’t struggling, he was dominating hitters at Single-A, posting a 0.57 ERA through his first 15.2 innings.

The left-hander made his reliever debut for South Bend on May 2, when he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings. Then, Little became one of the latest Cubs pitching prospects to get a promotion.

The 6-foot-8, yes, that’s not a typo, lefty made his debut at Double-A with the Tennessee Smokies on Sunday and he did allow a run after letting a couple of batters reach via walks.

However, Little showed why some believe he can eventually become an absolute weapon out of the bullpen for the Cubs. The 22-year-old didn’t give up a hit and he struck out six batters in two innings of work in his Double-A debut. I mean, he really does look like a nightmare for left-handed hitters and the fastball appears to get on righties real fast.

The Cubs picked Little in the fourth round of the 2020 MLB Draft and in 2022, the left-hander got in a groove pitching at low A-Ball with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans. Little made 22 starts and had two more appearances as a reliever that season, ending the 2022 season with a 2.47 ERA in 65.2 innings. The Cubs just don’t have their young starting pitchers go deep in the lower minors.

Anyway, besides the individual success from Little and his rise in the system, you know his development has to feel great for the Cubs front office. Maybe more a sigh of relief. I mean yeah, signing Matt Mervis as an un-drafted free agent and seeing him turn into the starting first baseman is great for the scouting department, but that 2020 draft class hasn’t quite yet generated much excitement.

Little could be a hit from that five-player class that also included Ed Howard, Burl Carraway, Jordan Nwogu and Koen Moreno. But hey, the Cubs might be starting to hit on more of their draft picks because Little was’t the only pitcher to move up this past week.

Cade Horton to South Bend

Cubs 2022 first round pick Cade Horton made his pro debut earlier this season with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and after making four starts in low A-Ball, the 21-year-old was promoted to the South Bend Cubs.

Horton did not allow a run and only surrendered a total of three hits in his first three starts at Myrtle Beach before someone finally got to him. The right-hander gave up two runs in four innings on May 3, but it was still clear that Horton was ready for the next level after recording 21 strikeouts and a .157 batting average against in 14.1 innings in low A-Ball.

Oh by the way, 19-year-old Jackson Ferris, the Cubs second round pick in 2022, made his pro debut with the Pelicans and he struck out seven batters in three no-hit innings.

Yeah, the Cubs have a lot of exciting pitching prospects.