Cubs Prospective: Checking in on Owen Caissie

In 2024, the Chicago Cubs are more or less replaying the 2023 season. They're a middling team that seems like it should be playing better than the results to date. Entering Sunday with a 34-37 record, the Cubs are 7.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and just half a game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates for last place in the NL Central. If their non-existent offense doesn't pick up, that gap will only grow. As such, the Cubs are already seeking solutions through the trade market and their farm system.

Chicago recalled Pete Crow-Armstrong again at the end of May to try to infuse some offensive spark without sacrificing defense. However, the exciting young outfielder is slashing .129/.182/.129 in June while striking out at a 33.3% rate. He has four hits, all singles, and one RBI. They brought back David Bote in early June after he hit seven home runs in 28 games with the Iowa Cubs. He's only had six games with plate appearances, but the small sample size shows Bote slashing .333/.333/.400, helped tremendously by a 3-for-4 performance against the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month.

All this to say: the Cubs still need offensive help. They're a bottom-tier offensive team thus far in 2024, ranking 19th in runs scored and home runs, 21st in OPS, 25th in hits, and 26th in batting average. Don't worry, though, the North Siders are a top-10 team in one offensive category. It just happens to be strikeouts (eighth). The lack of offensive firepower could mean it's time for the Cubs to give No. 2 prospect Owen Caissie a chance.

Owen Caissie Could Be Ready

Owen Caissie, still just 21, is lighting it up thus far for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. The 47th-ranked prospect in baseball , a rating I suspect will go up the next time top-100 prospect lists are released, has picked up right where he left off with the Double-A Tennessee Smokies in 2023.

Through 60 games, Caissie is slashing .284/.408/.456. The left-handed hitter has 14 doubles, seven home runs, and 36 RBIs. He's walking at a team-high 16.2% rate, though he's also striking out at a team-high 28.5%. Swing-and-miss is going to be a part of Caissie's game as a power hitter, but he smacks the ball as hard as anyone in professional baseball.

Moreover, Caissie spreads the ball around the field from the plate. He goes opposite field (34.8%) almost as frequently as he pulls the ball (36.9%). Caissie also hits line drives (30.2%) as much as he hits fly balls (30.2%).

Fielding is where a lot of scouts have had pause with Caissie. Traditionally an outfielder, scouts hypothesized he may have to move to first base or primarily play as a DH due to defensive deficiencies. I mean, here at On Tap Sports Net, we knew better .

So far on the season, Caissie has played 215.1 innings in right field, posting a .983 fielding percentage with one error. In left field, where he's played 203.1 innings, he sports a 1.000 fielding percentage with two assists. He even has 17 innings in center field, where he's also posted a perfect fielding percentage. Caissie has a cannon for an arm and is moving around in the outfield better than most expected.

Potential Issues with Promoting Owen Caissie

While the Cubs desperately need offensive firepower, promoting Owen Caissie from Triple-A is not just some miracle solution. Otherwise, Chicago would have done it already. There are obviously drawbacks to making a move like this.

For instance, Caissie is not currently on the Cubs' 40-man roster, and that roster is completely full. Of course, there are easy fixes to this (ahem, get rid of Miles Mastrobuoni forever). Still, it isn't easy to give up on MLB or fringe MLB players to add a player who doesn't need to be on the 40-man roster yet.

Also, you don't really see players who struggle with strikeouts in the minor leagues get promoted to the majors and get better at not swinging and missing. It's certainly likely that Caissie would see his already-high strikeout rate increase. Given the Cubs are already among the worst teams in the league when it comes to striking out, it may be unwise for Chicago to add another high-strikeout player.

Finally, you have the circumstances that led to Alexander Canario being demoted to Triple-A back in May despite slashing .273/.360/.455 in 13 games. With Cody Bellinger, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mike Tauchman, Seiya Suzuki, and Ian Happ all healthy and competing for time in the outfield and at the DH spot, there just are not enough at-bats for Caissie to get consistent run and continue the development needed for a young prospect.

While having another left-handed power option for the lineup is certainly appealing, it probably makes more sense to let Caissie continue cooking in Triple-A. That being said, if he continues crushing it and the Cubs' offense continues to flounder, Caissie could certainly be a spark.

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