Notes from Iowa: Wicks Pitching Well, Little Looks Good, Caissie Feeling Better

Most of the talk lately has been about the Cubs acquiring a starting pitcher or two, with several top prospects mentioned as part of the hypothetical return(s). The focus has been on members of the organization’s top five rankings, understandably so, but big trades typically require MLB talent as well. In particular, a trade for a pitcher will often see more pitching going back in return.

Though the Cubs haven’t done a tremendous job of developing arm talent over the last decade and a half or so, they have enough to round out a deal for the rotation help they seek. One arm in particular looks like a strong option to either land that trade or slide back up to Chicago should Jed Hoyer fall short in one or more of his pursuits.

Wicks shoving since return

Lefty Jordan Wicks has yet to figure things out in Chicago, pitching to a 5.23 ERA and 4.96 FIP over 17 starts and three relief appearances. It doesn’t help that the Cubs started the season with three lefties in the rotation and still have two pitching well. But when Wicks came up for a pair of relief outings earlier this season, he was alarming hittable. Granted, it was just two appearances over three days.

That inability to miss bats consistently was even more pronounced when he was optioned back to Iowa following his April 20 outing against the Diamondbacks. Over his next five starts totaling 20.1 innings, Wicks allowed 13 earned runs on a whopping 29 hits. He did strike out 18 batters with only seven walks, but those hits…

He injured a hamstring after recording just one out in his next start, which required nearly a month on the IL. In three starts since, we’re seeing what looks like a new version of the former No. 21 overall draft pick. Wicks has gone 11 innings with two earned runs allowed on seven hits while striking out 16 with two walks. That kind of performance could earn him another shot in Chicago soon, or perhaps it’s raising eyebrows among rival execs.

As Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reported, the improvements are the result of Wicks using his time off to clean up his mechanics. Rather than question why he or the team didn’t address any flaws earlier, let’s just be content knowing it’s very difficult to implement fixes in the middle of a season. Sometimes you have to have your routine altered to truly understand what was wrong with it.

The Cubs may want to use Wicks as a spot starter to limit innings for Cade Horton or Matthew Boyd as they wrap up the first half. That could also serve as an audition, whether internally or as a showcase to potential trade partners. Either way, having Wicks pitching like this is a very good thing for the organization.

Little looking good

Since we just talked about one lefty who’s had trouble breaking through at the next level, may as well cover another. Luke Little appeared to be pressing during his brief stint in the bigs this year as he walked four of the six batters he faced in San Diego back in mid-April. He’s been great at Triple-A, however, with his latest scoreless inning getting him to a 1.13 ERA with 38 strikeouts and 14 walks over 32 innings.

Little may be in the same boat as Wicks when it comes to how the organization views him moving forward. If the Cubs are intent on adding a high-leverage arm, Little’s path back to Chicago becomes narrower for at least the rest of the season. He could also be viewed as a sweetener of sorts, based on the needs of the team(s) with which the Cubs do business.

Caissie returns

Futures Game participant Owen Caissie had missed several games with an illness, but he went through a full workout on Tuesday and is expected to be in Wednesday’s lineup. At the risk of making this whole thing about guys who could be flipped at (or ahead of) the deadline, the lefty-batting slugger will surely be part of the ask in nearly any big trade.

That doesn’t mean he’ll be flipped, of course, but teams tend to start at the top of the list when it comes to trade proposals. There’s also a matter of making room on the roster, something the Cubs may need to do a lot of if they end up adding multiple pieces. While Caissie won’t alleviate a crunch in Chicago, he is on the 40-man.

You figure the team will hold onto one of either him or Kevin Alcántara as insurance against Kyle Tucker‘s potential departure in free agency, it’s just a matter of how they see each player’s respective future.

More I-Cubs notes

• Jonathon Long hit his 10th homer last night and continues to look like a hot commodity as the deadline approaches
• Moisés Ballesteros just missed hitting two homers and is batting .327 with an .879 OPS
• Carlos Pérez, the 34-year-old catcher with over 850 MLB plate appearances, has hit 17 homers with a 1.029 OPS; that’s not going to net them much, but could be a little sweetener or a way to get some cash