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Cubs To Promote Owen Caissie For MLB Debut

By Leo Morgenstern | August 14, 2025 at 12:29am CDT

The Cubs are planning to promote top prospect Owen Caissie, as reported by Kiley McDaniel and Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The young outfielder is already on the 40-man, and he will presumably take Miguel Amaya’s spot on the active roster. Amaya sprained his ankle tonight and will require an IL stint. As for Caissie, the Ontario native is expected to make his MLB debut tomorrow against the Blue Jays.

The Padres selected Caissie in the second round of the 2020 draft, and they flipped him to the Cubs that winter as part of the trade package that brought Yu Darvish to San Diego. He has since worked his way up Chicago’s minor league system, turning into one of the team’s most promising prospects. Baseball America ranked him 21st in the organization in 2021, eighth in 2022, 13th in 2023, fifth in 2024, and second in 2025. He has also ranked among BA’s overall top 100 prospects in each of the past three years. Not every source was quite as high on Caissie entering the 2025 campaign; FanGraphs dropped him off their top 100 list after ranking him 65th in 2024, while The Athletic’s Keith Law has never included Caissie among his top 100 prospects. Yet, none ever doubted Caissie’s huge raw power – the question was whether he could translate that power into success at the highest level.

That question loomed larger than ever after Caissie slashed .278/.375/.472 with a .195 isolated power and a 115 wRC+ in his season at Triple-A in 2024. Those are solid but hardly earth-shattering numbers, especially not for a bat-first corner outfielder. However, the lefty slugger has taken a massive step forward this year, with 22 home runs and 50 extra-base hits in 92 games for the Iowa Cubs. His .281 ISO and 145 wRC+ both rank fifth among qualified hitters in the International League. His strikeout rate is still high – that has always and probably will always be an issue – but a 28.0% K-rate certainly isn’t fatal, at least not if he keeps drawing his walks and crushing home runs.

None of this is to say that Caissie is a sure-thing, middle-of-the-order jolt for the Cubs’ lineup. He’s still just a 23-year-old prospect who has to prove his swing-and-miss issues won’t sink him against MLB pitching and, in particular, left-handed MLB pitching. Still, it’s exciting that he’s joining the team for the stretch run as they look to hold on to the NL’s top Wild Card spot and try to challenge the seemingly unstoppable Brewers for the NL Central crown. Any offensive boost he can provide will be much appreciated. The Cubs rank among the league’s best offensive teams on the season, but they’ve struggled as of late, scoring just 34 runs in 11 games since the trade deadline.

With that said, it’s worth wondering where Caissie would fit into Chicago’s lineup. He can play the corner outfield or DH, and the Cubs are set at those positions with Kyle Tucker, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki. Tucker bats lefty like Caissie, while Happ is a switch-hitter with stronger splits against righty pitching. Suzuki bats right-handed, but he doesn’t have any trouble facing same-handed pitching. Ultimately, as the cliché goes, this is the best kind of problem for manager Craig Counsell to have. He can take advantage of Caissie’s presence on the roster to give his veterans a bit more rest, particularly the slumping Tucker. As long as Caissie hits, it will work out quite nicely. On the other hand, this means there’s quite a bit of pressure on the youngster to perform right away. The Cubs are as competitive as they’ve been in several years, and they can’t afford to take away reps from Tucker, Suzuki, and Happ if Caissie isn’t producing.

The roster fit isn’t perfect, but the Cubs only had four healthy minor leaguers on the 40-man roster to choose from, and it’s hard to argue that Caissie didn’t earn this opportunity over fellow top prospects Kevin Alcántara and Moisés Ballesteros, or the less-heralded Ben Cowles.

Image in post courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, USA TODAY Sports.

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Chicago Cubs Newsstand Transactions Owen Caissie

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117 Comments

  1. sosaspelledbackwardsisasos

    1 month ago

    About dang time! Kid has been taking over the last couple months.

    Hoping he is the spark plug to get this offense going again!

    17
    Reply
    • 99Captain Judge99

      1 month ago

      This is as exciting for me, as Jasson Dominguez(the Martian) making his debut with the Yankees. Caissie is goin be really good!

      4
      Reply
    • rennick

      1 month ago

      I’m surprised they aren’t waiting until Saturday to call him up. If they wait then he retains rookie status next season.

      7
      Reply
      • Logjammer D'Baggagecling

        1 month ago

        At the very least he needs to start tomorrow. If that’s his only start then so be it but it’s a must start for Caissie as much as it’s a must win for the Cubs

        1
        Reply
        • ThatsIT?

          1 month ago

          Definitely not a must win rarely is a game ever a must win in baseball. There has never been a must win baseball game in mlb history in August.

          2
          Reply
      • Spaced-Cowboy

        1 month ago

        He’s playing in the province where he grew up. Classy move. Equally if not more classy was the full hands on deck effort by everyone to attend to Amaya after he was clearly hurt.

        9
        Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          1 month ago

          It’s a god thing Counsell is smarter than a lot of people here. Sure you’re going to ask the kid to fly all night to get here from Iowa and throw him out there for a day game. That’s clever. Plenty of time for him to play in Pittsburgh.

          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          He grew up 30 miles SWest of Toronto.

          1
          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          Nonstop charter flight would take about 2 hours to go from Des Moines to Toronto.

          2
          Reply
        • Logjammer D'Baggagecling

          1 month ago

          The next series is vs Pittsburgh at Wrigley Unc. It’s huge week for for Cubs coming up .

          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          1 month ago

          Caissie barely made it to the park by game time. He arrived at the park around 1:00 PM. I’m sure there are tons of flights between Des Moines and Toronto. He probably had to switch planes 3 times and take a dog sled the rest of the way. And Counsell still has him DHing.

          Reply
        • Fly over fan

          1 month ago

          There is NOT a direct from Des Moines……

          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          Nonsense….Des Moines International is home to plenty of business jets that fly non-stop direct flights.

          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          Actually there were plenty of flights, you can go to FlightAware and track them. He was picked up from his hotel at 5 am by a driver, driven to the airport, got on flight SkyWest 4677 – Republic 3601 and then picked up by another driver in Toronto. He had one stop in Chicago where they sat for about 40 minutes to pick up more passengers – he didn’t even have to deplane. He flew on an Embraer 175.

          1
          Reply
        • JuanUribeJazzHands

          1 month ago

          mrk

          “He was picked up from his hotel at 5 am by a driver, driven to the airport, got on flight SkyWest 4677 – Republic 3601 and then picked up by another driver in Toronto. He had one stop in Chicago where they sat for about 40 minutes to pick up more passengers – he didn’t even have to deplane. He flew on an Embraer 175.”

          Yes. It’s easy enough to track flights. Harder to track people. Why do you think he was on this specific flight?

          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          @Juan His interview today told what times.

          1
          Reply
      • Jcant

        1 month ago

        Why would that matter?

        Rookie status isn’t the same as service time. And I don’t think they care about PPI

        2
        Reply
        • TheOtherMikeD

          1 month ago

          If he retains rookie eligibility and is in the top three of Rookie of the Hear voting, the Cubs would get an extra draft pick in the following draft. That’s why they would be concerned wether his status is intact cor next year since he would most likely not get those votes this year.

          7
          Reply
        • WadeBoggsWildRide

          1 month ago

          If they send him back to AAA will he retain rookie status?

          1
          Reply
        • Jcant

          1 month ago

          No, he has to win rookie of the year

          #2 and #3 get the team an “international draft pick”, but because the international draft doesn’t exist, the team gets nothing.

          The stupidity here is that if the player finishes #2 in voting, he still gets the full Year of service time. MLB unintentionally discourages mid season call ups for players who weren’t MLB ready on opening day

          2
          Reply
        • WadeBoggsWildRide

          1 month ago

          Unintentionally or intentionally and the union didn’t figure it out.

          Reply
        • Bucket Number Six

          1 month ago

          Yes, Wade.

          Reply
        • mrkinsm

          1 month ago

          Yes Wade, if he’s optioned back to the minors before season’s end then he’ll enter 2026 with his ROY status still.

          Reply
    • JScottG

      1 month ago

      Spencer Jones in AA/AAA Yankees has had a much better and bigger season yet he has not been called up.

      Reply
  2. matthew07

    1 month ago

    Counsell won’t play Caissie much. It’s how he rolls.

    3
    Reply
    • kmac 2

      1 month ago

      If Caissie starts crashing home runs all over the place Counsell won’t have a choice!!

      3
      Reply
  3. Bartolo Cologne

    1 month ago

    Can’t be worse than Happ.

    10
    Reply
    • Acoss1331

      1 month ago

      Happ is atrocious. About time they called up Caissie…

      6
      Reply
      • mrkinsm

        1 month ago

        Cubs fans are spoiled….poll results to follow…

        6
        Reply
        • rondon

          1 month ago

          Really? By what? A lousy GM who blew the deadline and a big market owner with a small market mind? Hardly spoiled.

          7
          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          1 month ago

          As I read this article I can’t help but remember about another great Chicago young player- Phil Esposito. Phil Esposito you ask, He didn’t play for Chicago did he? Well he did for about 10 minutes. He got added to the Hawks late in the season and in his first game the Hawks were like down by 5 goals and there were like 5 minutes left in the game and Billy Reay sent him into the game and Phil supposedly turned and said to Reay, ” You want me to win it or just tie it up”? A few days later he was traded to Boston and an MVP career. I’m getting that feeling here.

          3
          Reply
        • Fred K. Burke

          1 month ago

          Uncle, a great story from the past. I remember hearing that one. Remembering about Phil Esposito’s personality and bravado, I believe that story. Unfortunately for Chicago, most of his great HOF NHL career was with Boston. Can you imagine Phil Esposito, Mikita and Hull playing together? Kenny Hodge and Fred Stanfield were also sent to Boston with Phil. They also had solid NHL careers. One of the more lopsided trades in NHL history. See a pattern here in Chicago? Anyway back to baseball.

          1
          Reply
    • Dumpster Divin Theo

      1 month ago

      Is he’s worse than Happ would that make him Happless?

      11
      Reply
      • MLB Top 100 Commenter

        1 month ago

        Theo here is a paradox for you.

        Only if Caissie is good, Cubs might become Happ-less.

        5
        Reply
      • CFS77

        1 month ago

        Unhappy

        Reply
      • Fred K. Burke

        1 month ago

        Sleepy Ian Happ says wake me up when the seasons over.

        2
        Reply
    • Old York

      1 month ago

      @Bartolo Cologne

      It could. That 28% K-rate doesn’t get better as you move up to MLB. I’d be looking at a 32% K-rate for Caissie.

      2
      Reply
    • TMac1950

      1 month ago

      Happ has taken a step back in performance, this year. He was a gold glove LF who hit close to .250 with some pop and speed. But he’s regressed, this year, across the board. Cassie may see some time in LF.

      1
      Reply
      • Chicago Expat

        1 month ago

        It’s been odd. Not sure if it’s really been discussed beyond the occasional “Happ sucks” comments. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Happ over the years. I wasn’t crazy with him when he first came up, swung at too many awful pitches, just wild in general. But over the years, he really developed a nice eye for the ball, started taking walks frequently and just seemed like he was having decent at-bats at a greater clip. And his defense kept improving, too, far beyond what I think most expected (I could be wrong about that; I just don’t recall his defense making an impression on me years ago). Plus, he took a team-friendly contract, trading dollars for stability. He was never going to be a player who could carry the Cubs on his back, but he wasn’t going to be a reason why their offense went cold. Solid player to have. Not all of them are going to be superstars.
        I just can’t explain the dropoff this year. It’s not a contract year. I doubt it’s a confidence thing. I wonder if there’s a personal life thing affecting him, something outside of baseball. Pure conjecture on my part, obviously. Just too bad with the regression.

        5
        Reply
        • Dumpster Divin Theo

          1 month ago

          He seems like a righteous dude into his social justice coffee and kind to kitties and granny’s whos not afraid of a good cry. But he was always overrated, showz you how useless the Gold glove award, perennial winner at LF despite limited range and arm. Sorta Larry Bowa (2 gg) or Derek Jeter (5 gg ) stats, skating by on reputation and fielding %

          1
          Reply
        • Dumpster Divin Theo

          1 month ago

          Think Ian is just…a guy. Nothing wrong with that, more + than – and a generally good guy, but think the regression is just the reality of getting exposed to everyday competition. Similar to Benintendi in many ways – also once a GG whose skills in the field have faded

          1
          Reply
  4. Ray GoCubsGo

    1 month ago

    Please don’t be tomorrow. I’m in Toronto for the first two games, but I’m flying to Chicago tomorrow because it’s a weird start at 3 PM. Then I’m going to Wrigley on Friday. I’ll be bitter. Then again it’ll be pretty cool to see his debut at Wrigley anyway.

    Reply
  5. James Midway

    1 month ago

    Rooting for him, another Preller draftee.

    6
    Reply
  6. Doug Dascenzo's Mob Boss Dad

    1 month ago

    Cool. Let’s see if it was really worth it for Jed to hold onto him. Bench Happ and put Caissie in left field until further notice.

    4
    Reply
  7. swinging wood

    1 month ago

    Let’s go Canadian Killer!

    1
    Reply
    • gbs42

      1 month ago

      He kills Canadians? Keep him out of Toronto!!

      4
      Reply
  8. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    1 month ago

    Love that he’s finally getting the call to the show. I just hate the reason why he’s being called up. To replace an injured player (Miguel Amaya)

    I don’t think he or anyone gets called up if the Amaya injury does happen. Jed would never just call him up because he’s the hottest triple A player in baseball and has been for the last 7 weeks. He went on a tear right before the ASG/break

    4
    Reply
  9. Old York

    1 month ago

    His K-rate is a work in progress. Welcome to the show!

    prospectsavant.com/player/683357

    Looks like a heavy dose of curveballs and splitters on his way.

    4
    Reply
    • Unclemike1526

      1 month ago

      Nobody gives a crap about how often somebody strikes out anymore. Get your mind out of the 60’s. He’s hitting .290. Figuring he hits the ball hard at least 35% of the time because they don’t all fall in obviously it would be good enough for anybody, Well almost anybody I guess.

      4
      Reply
      • Old York

        1 month ago

        @Unclemike1526

        A .290 AAA BA converts to a .246 in the MLB. Add in the K-rate and he’s going to need to be quite productive if he’s staying. I predict he’s still a work in progress and will be humbled during his time in the MLB.

        12
        Reply
        • DonOsbourne

          1 month ago

          @ Old York

          I agree. PCA is finding out the hard way what happens when the league gets a book on you.

          8
          Reply
      • mrkinsm

        1 month ago

        Huh? I’ll trade you Will Benson.

        1
        Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          1 month ago

          I’ve looked everywhere and tried every math principal I can remember but I just can’t find anywhere where .290 =.246. I think we might have to dig up Archimedes on this one. Anyone know where he’s buried?

          Reply
        • JuanUribeJazzHands

          1 month ago

          Um

          “tried every math principal I can remember”

          “MLEs are a translation of minor league statistics to major league ones. In other words, they approximate how well a player would have done if he had been in the major leagues, based on his performance in the minor leagues. It is important to note that MLEs are not projections. You can think of them as exchange rates that only convert minor league statistics into a major league context.”

          share.google/BjCvwTEm8h3obqBwT

          2
          Reply
        • Bucket Number Six

          1 month ago

          Mr. Archimedes was Uncle Mike’s math principal in high school.

          7
          Reply
        • Old York

          1 month ago

          @Unclemike1526

          I like referencing Dan Szymborski’s ZiPS formula that sits around 15% decline but I’ve seen Fangraph say somewhere between 10% and 20%. Again, I’m not saying Caissie won’t be good. All I’m saying is that he has some work to fix that K-rate and bring it down a bit lower to maybe 23% in the majors.

          baseballthinkfactory.org/btf/scholars/czerny/artic…

          Here’s another link:

          thedynastyguru.com/2019/04/02/introducing-the-dyna…

          2
          Reply
        • Unclemike1526

          1 month ago

          I don’t use some dorks made up stats. I use my eyes. I’ve been watching most of the games this kid has played for the last 3 years. He might not start off on fire, But he’s a Major League player. That’s exactly why he should have gotten an opportunity before now. Tossing him to the wolves in a playoff race would intimidate most rookies. Why Hoyer is a clown show.

          1
          Reply
        • JuanUribeJazzHands

          1 month ago

          Um

          “I don’t use some dorks made up stats. I use my eyes”

          LOL

          Muted, dumb[donkey]

          2
          Reply
        • Old York

          1 month ago

          @Unclemike1526

          I don’t use jock stats myself. He’s good because my eyeball says so… LOL!

          2
          Reply
        • Fly over fan

          1 month ago

          Maybe check Grant’s tomb

          Reply
        • Fred K. Burke

          1 month ago

          Uncle, it’s AI at work.

          Reply
        • Alien53

          1 month ago

          Do you really think unclemike made it past 9th grade?

          1
          Reply
  10. HalosHeavenJJ

    1 month ago

    Really intrigued by this kid.

    I’ll be watching him.

    2
    Reply
  11. mrkinsm

    1 month ago

    You lose ROY eligibility if you exceed 45 days on a roster. Counting Thursday August the 14th there are 46 days left.

    Reply
    • DonOsbourne

      1 month ago

      I’m guessing that means this is intended to be a cup of coffee, not a long term promotion. It’s just not a clean roster fit.

      4
      Reply
      • Logjammer D'Baggagecling

        1 month ago

        Unless he tears it up in his cup of coffee. Maybe. He can force his way into the lineup

        Reply
        • CFS77

          1 month ago

          I think that this is fair. I doubt that Caissie will beat up MLB pitching for 45 days.

          The book is out on AAA hitters from advanced scouting. Yes there is a live action factor to consider but advantage to the pitchers as they have a working plan of attack and the kid is looking at the 3rd deck for the first time.

          This is a cup of Joe and unless he pulls a A-Rod that is what it is

          1
          Reply
  12. believeitornot

    1 month ago

    I am Canadian. So is Owen caissie. It says he was born in Burlington, Canada. If you’re American, you’re from San Diego, California to give an example and not san diego, United States. Why is this? Also, our currency is called Canadian money. American money is called united states and not American. Can anyone explain this to me? It should be an adjective and not the name of the country. It does say later on on baseball reference that his high school was in Burlington, Ontario.

    1
    Reply
    • Bucket Number Six

      1 month ago

      We need Jack Palance to finish the segment here.

      1
      Reply
      • Mrmra

        1 month ago

        Cub fans are idiots.
        They can’t stay on point, no matter what.
        Start talking about Owen Cassie.
        Some Cub fan is bound to start talking about Jack Palance, instead.

        1
        Reply
        • Bucket Number Six

          1 month ago

          Lost in translation.

          1
          Reply
    • TheOtherMikeD

      1 month ago

      Because so few players are Canadian. Maybe 70-80% of the league is American so they are the default. I would presume that during hockey games players are described as Americans and not Vermonters or from Manitoba and not even mentioned as Canadian.

      Reply
      • Canuckleball

        1 month ago

        Canadian sports broadcasters don’t do the same.

        Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews is from Phoenix, Arizona (Scottsdale, specifically). I’ve never heard a Canadian broadcaster say he’s from Phoenix, USA, or Phoenix, America. He’s always described as being from Phoenix, Arizona.

        The thing where a broadcaster simplifies places to city-country, rather then city-state/province is, as far as I can tell, an American thing.

        2
        Reply
    • Brew88

      1 month ago

      It’s all in the intended audience. If the readers are primarily from the USA, then naturally the writer must dumb it down, as all writers understand, and say Burlington, Canada, or Burlington, not Vermont but elsewhere on Earth, rather than confuse the reader with abstractions such as “Ontario”.

      As a Canadian, you should take this as a compliment.

      4
      Reply
      • douglasb

        1 month ago

        I think the Average American can name 2-3 provinces. If you can name more than 7 you are on the end of the bell curve or you live in New England.

        2
        Reply
      • Steinbrenner2728

        1 month ago

        I’m pretty sure writers need to “dumb down” things for Canadians too… A Mexican player would probably be written as being from Tijuana, Mexico instead of “Tijuana, Baja California”

        Or a Dominican player is listed, no matter the audience, as being from “Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic” instead of “Santo Domingo, Distrito Nacional”

        Or… Maybe it’s a case of localization? I know the internet makes it easy to bash people from America, but there’s also a thing called ‘prefrences’.

        Heck people in other countries wouldn’t care if it’s “Burlington, ON” they’ll 7 times out of 10 just say “Burlington, Canada”

        Reply
  13. Unclemike1526

    1 month ago

    I think PCA just needs a breather. he’s played more games than he probably ever has. He’s tired and he’s pressing. Might be a good time against Pittsburgh to give him a blow for the Brewers series and give Caissie some AB’s.

    4
    Reply
    • DonOsbourne

      1 month ago

      PCA was due for regression. His underlying metrics never supported his monster first half. He still has some work to do on his approach. Also the league has adjusted they way they pitch him like they do with all young hitters once they’ve been in the majors long enough to show certain tendencies. He in turn will need to make adjustments of his own. I’m confident he will figure it out. I just don’t think he’s going to be quite the hitter he looked like the first three months of the season.

      3
      Reply
  14. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    1 month ago

    Far from overrated. He’s still a top candidate for mvp. Despite his struggles. He might honestly still be the favorite.

    1
    Reply
    • gbs42

      1 month ago

      There’s a two-way player in LA…his name escapes me…who is the MVP favorite.

      6
      Reply
      • Logjammer D'Baggagecling

        1 month ago

        That guy could hit a buck 25 from tomorrow til the end of the season. Including a stretch of 45Ks in a row then go 0-7 with 35ERs allowing 15 homeruns and he woodl still be MVP. He would win the cy Young it Skenes wasn’t in the NL.

        Reply
    • Feury

      1 month ago

      Yeah, and he shouldnt be…. 44% chase rate, 29% whiff rate, 24.3% K rate and a 4.1% walk rate, along with an OBP of otherwordley amazingness at 291!… not too mention he cant remember how many outs there are… He’s an MVP canidate because the media needs to talk about the Cubs, between Dodger and Yankee segements.

      1
      Reply
      • JuanUribeJazzHands

        1 month ago

        Feury

        “Yeah, and he shouldnt be”

        122 wRC+ largely off a massive .263 ISO. 5.3 fWAR. Plus plus defense and base running.

        Ohtani is the obvious MVP, but PCA is in the convo for runner-up.

        Reply
      • Feury

        1 month ago

        Cool story! He’s gotten lucky most of his hits have been for extra bases! He hits the ball hard! He’s having an awesome defensive year! But your numbers dont take onto account the boneheaded plays he misses, and the drops at crucial moments. His ISO doesnt take into account he’s actually a BAD hitter. He chases everything, he never walks, he closes his eyes and prays he makes contact (not really, this is hyperbole). Outside of a pitcher, the lowest OBP to ever win MVP was 319 (in 1965 no less), PCA is almost 30 POINTS UNDER that. That’s not an MVP, that’s a story for a team baseball NEEDS to be good.

        Exactly half of his hits have gone yard or for a double, that’s why his ISO is so high, but that’s also luck, especially when you are BARELY top 50 in hits for the season.

        When you look at the whole picture, you just cant come up with MVP canidate, when you look at the fancy buzzword stats, like WAR and ISO, he’s an MVP “canidate”. We trick ourselves into believing metrics, which decide for us what stats matter and dont matter, are the end all be all. The eye test says he’s a phenomenal defender who lacks situational awareness. He’s a zero patience swing and miss batter who hits it hard, WHEN he actually hits it, which is less often than you think.

        For a guy, with elite speed, he’s an average baserunner at best. He has only been charged with one error, yet he dropped 2 easy catches at crucial points of games against the Brewers last series, along with throwing the ball into the stands with 2 outs in another game against StL which allowed a run to score (they lost that game by, you guessed it, that one run). Those dont factor in as “errors”. So yeah, by your constraints and just looking at a WAR valuation he might be a “canidate”, but if you actually watch the player, and look with your eyes, there’s no way he should be in the convo for top 5 let alone runner up. He a stats darling in all the ways you need to be, but zoom out and it’s a different story.

        2
        Reply
      • JuanUribeJazzHands

        1 month ago

        Feury

        “But your numbers dont take onto account the boneheaded plays he misses, and the drops at crucial moments”

        Yes they do

        And hearing the author of this mess

        “he shouldnt be…. 44% chase rate, 29% whiff rate, 24.3% K rate and a 4.1% walk rate, along with an OBP of otherwordley amazingness at 291!”

        talking about”numbers don’t take into account” is just rich.

        “His ISO doesnt take into account he’s actually a BAD hitter. He chases everything, he never walks”

        No. ISO doesn’t take walks into account the same way you posting his OBP doesn’t take his power or defense into account.

        You know what does? His wRC+ and WAR. Which are both excellent.

        “Exactly half of his hits have gone yard or for a double, that’s why his ISO is so high,”

        Yes. That’s how ISO works. Congrats.

        Nice rant. Try your local sports radio or whatever

        Reply
    • douglasb

      1 month ago

      PCA has a .193 OPS in August while the Brewers flew past the Cubs in the standings. He was the MVP in my book through the end of July. That cratering the past 2+ weeks though has him behind Ohtani. The Dodgers have also slid in the standings in August, but it’s not Ohtani’s fault. His OPS is over 1.400 this month.

      1
      Reply
  15. Cleveland 3

    1 month ago

    PCA still has elite defense and speed, but yeah, he’s been solved by pitchers for a few months now.

    5
    Reply
  16. Netflix

    1 month ago

    Very disappointed in this team. The front office screwed up the deadline. The bats have gone silent. The pitching was always suspect. Counsell might be the most meh manager in the league. Strange how he leaves the Brewers, and they’ve been dominating under Murphy since he left. Owen isn’t going to be a savior. He’s gonna have his growing pains. PCA looks regular. Tucker is gone. A month ago, I was trying to figure out where I would watch the playoff games. Silly me. I’ll be in football mode by then.

    4
    Reply
    • Bucket Number Six

      1 month ago

      You can follow the Bears to Arlington Heights.

      3
      Reply
    • Dogbone

      1 month ago

      Rick, I usually agree with your posts. Wish you commented more often. But I don’t blame the FO for what’s going on – except for the Tucker trade, which was absolutely stupid.
      The Cubs SPers since the All Star break, have been stellar. Another area of concern was 3B. Shaw has been pretty solid. So doing nothing in those areas, didn’t hurt them.
      The problem are some of the everyday hitters that were being counted on, to perform. Mainly Happ and Tucker, and to a lesser extent – a couple others. It wasn’t the FO. I do blame them for the NTCs and the Tucker trade, though.

      4
      Reply
      • Netflix

        1 month ago

        I liked the idea of the Tucker trade, and I’d make it again. They bet on Shaw, and while he struggled immensely at first, he’s been doing fine the last month. Looks like a ball player. Cam Smith is a loss for sure, but Tucker was a now sure thing, and they didn’t view Smith the same way. They looked at a winnable division, and went for it with Tuck. I’m not big on prospect hoarding, because so many of them don’t pan out. Obviously nobody knew Steele’s arm was gonna fall off, Taillon, Assad, and Brown have been absent or ineffective. We needed another arm badly, and Soroka was the best we did. That lasted about 20 pitches. Look, I’m die hard from beginning to end. I’ll ride or die forever, but I’m disappointed that we jumped in with both feet, but then didn’t make adjustments at the deadline when you were still in it. Now, the Brewers have blown past us (and the rest of baseball btw), and the wild card is not looking like a lock anymore. We can still get there, but I probably wouldn’t place a bet on it. I’m not quitting on them, I’m just realistically pessimistic about the makeup of this team.

        5
        Reply
        • Netflix

          1 month ago

          And to be fair, I am excited to see Owen get his shot. We’ve been hearing about him for a while now, and this offense needs an injection. Hopefully he can help, but these vets like Swanson,Nico, Happ, and Tucker need to show the kids the way by stepping up, and in a hurry.

          2
          Reply
        • Chicago Expat

          1 month ago

          When a team makes a pre-season move that indicates they’re going all-in that season, that automatically dictates that the team has already made the decision to go all-in at the trade deadline- assuming the pre-season trade hasn’t gone bust. And with the Cubs- with the Tucker trade and holding one of the best records in all of MLB at the deadline- they absolutely should’ve gone hard at the deadline.
          It’s like a poker player having confidence in their hand and four-betting the pot before and after the flop, but then suddenly getting cold feet after the turn. A lot of wasted money and effort.

          2
          Reply
    • fearthecub

      1 month ago

      PCA will be fine. His underlying metrics are great, but he has been the definition of bad luck. He had a solid July, and his August has been somewhat of a statistical anomaly. Even though his strikeout rate ballooned, he’s swinging at fewer bad pitches, and his hard hit rate is the highest it’s been all season. Plus, his batting average on balls in play has been a measly .115. That’s not sustainable, and it’s ripe for positive regression. He’s still young and will have growing pains, but he’s still an elite player overall.

      1
      Reply
    • Fred K. Burke

      1 month ago

      Check out this article. May shed some light into the Cubs front office mindset considering deadline.

      northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs/sou…

      Reply
      • Dogbone

        1 month ago

        Thanks Fred.

        Reply
  17. InsertWittyName

    1 month ago

    I wouldn’t expect too much from him yet. He had a slow start to the AAA season so he may take a little while to adjust to MLB

    2
    Reply
  18. Never Remember

    1 month ago

    This will not go well when he is hitting .150 after 10 games.

    4
    Reply
  19. msqboxer

    1 month ago

    The hope is to get a little energy boost on the field and in the clubhouse if the kid comes in and gets some big hits for a couple weeks. Helps refocus the attention on something positive. Being a CWS fan…I’d love to have your concerns and problems with my team.

    2
    Reply
  20. jhanley108

    1 month ago

    Hoyer gave him an extension already.

    1
    Reply
  21. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    With Anaya going down, caissie was easy choice to make for hoyer because of all the criticism hoyer has received since the trade deadline. Yep out of character for the conservative but this has to be done at this time.!

    1
    Reply
  22. SupremeZeus

    1 month ago

    Who the h*** are you?
    I’m Owen’s friend.
    Owen doesn’t have a friend!
    No he’s not. He’s fat and he’s stupid!

    1
    Reply
  23. fearthecub

    1 month ago

    Whether or not Caissie sticks around for the rest of the season or turns into a long-term asset, this is a really cool gesture for the Cubs to give him his debut in Toronto. It remains to be seen how he’ll fit in to the lineup, but giving him this moment is a pretty big deal.

    1
    Reply
  24. Jump 84

    1 month ago

    Mr. Caissie welcome to the show.

    Reply
  25. BigChief

    1 month ago

    He got called up because he is from the Toronto area and because he will be able to clear Canadian Customs quick and easy with his Canadian passport. The kid will have all kinds of friends and family watching. Hoping the kid gets into the game and gets to have his first MLB at bat against Mat Scherzer!!

    1
    Reply
  26. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    If caissie is only ranked 45 prospects, why was Jedi acting that he’s untouchable. Cubs fallen to only middle of pack with minor league prospects now under Jedi.

    1
    Reply
    • Bucket Number Six

      1 month ago

      That’s what happens when you graduate a couple prospects into significant big league roles the last couple of years. You as a Sox fan should know that.

      1
      Reply
  27. Logjammer D'Baggagecling

    1 month ago

    ONKC finally arrived at Rogers Centre and he’s batting 5th as the DH

    This was about 30mins ago.

    Reply
  28. douglasb

    1 month ago

    I’m guessing he’s back down very quickly.

    1
    Reply
  29. Clipclopcop

    1 month ago

    Sadly he’s cooked

    Reply
  30. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    Now that the buccos are putting finishing on another cubs collapse, my allegiance now shifts to reds winning against crew. to put even more pressure on cubs even making playoffs.

    1
    Reply
  31. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    Why don’t they sit Tucker for 3 or 4 days and play caissie in right, Tucker has looked like crap for awhile now a Chas been stuck in 18 and 62.

    1
    Reply
  32. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    Yep, that’s good to bring him up to inject some new life into this team and then sit on bench after one game

    1
    Reply
  33. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    They bring this kid up and then sit him on bench for 3 straight against lowly pirates and will not see field at all for brewers this week. Doesn’t make any sense at all but again that’s Jed’s style. His excuse is they have loaded outfield along with dh. Problem with that rationale is that they’re all hitting poorly in July and August especially Tucker!

    1
    Reply
  34. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    If they’re not going to play caissie except for pinch hitting once a week, just release him so he gets playing time elsewhere. Seeing Tucker continue to ground out to right side or strike out on regular basis, makes me sick. Please please sit him for couple days not 1.

    1
    Reply
  35. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    One pinch hitting at bat per week! What a waste! And then there is king tuck and his grounders to the right side or a big K🫤

    1
    Reply
  36. Bruce wulff

    1 month ago

    It doesn’t take much to figure out that the best way to beat the cubs is keeping the ball from leaving the ballpark.

    Reply

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