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Luke Little
- Iowa Cubs - AAA
- LHP
Collapse Explore Scouting Report
- Bats: L / Throws: L
- Age: 25
- Rule 5 Eligible: On 40-Man Roster
- Acquisition Method: Draft
Scouting Report
Josh Illes:
Little made a big jump last year in his overall development. Starting the year in High A, he made it to Chicago by season’s end, with stops in Tennessee and Iowa. That’s impressive for anyone, but especially for a hard-throwing lefty who is equally capable of striking batters out or getting them to ground out. He’s 6-foot-8 and throws his fastball in the upper 90s, which is daunting enough for hitters, but Little also has a shallow arm slot, which makes picking up that fastball even harder. Hitters have a hard time barreling the ball off of him, which is what you want to see in a high-leverage lefty reliever, something I believe Little is and will be for quite some time.
Jason Ross:
Why did I give Little the edge on someone like Daniel Palencia? He’s left-handed, and guys who throw 98 mph from the left side are rarer and more valuable than those who throw from the right side. With Little’s size, left-handed throwing, and fastball velocity, you can argue this pitch is a 70 to 75 grade. The two relievers have similar questions to answer, though, such as: how often will they throw strikes?
Little did begin to answer that question with a jump to Triple A and some improved walk rates, so the arrow is pointing in the right direction. On top of the strikeouts, Little gets a ton of ground balls, with an over-50% ground ball rate throughout his career, giving him ample double play opportunities, especially with the Cubs' current middle infield. Coupled with the strikeout potential, he’s likely to survive a few more walks. As of writing this, the Cubs have little competition for the tall left-handed pitcher, and unless they want Drew Smyly to be the only left-handed arm in the entire pen, he has a great chance to break camp with the team. There’s leverage reliever-type upside, and I’m excited to see him in Wrigley.
Monthly Splits
| Split | Team | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | SVO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | BB | IBB | SO | AVG | WHIP | GO/AO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Outs | -- | -- | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7.1 | 3 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 5 | .130 | 1.91 | 1.67 | |
| Two Outs | -- | -- | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 7.1 | 5 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11 | .185 | 1.36 | 2.67 | |
| One Out | -- | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6.1 | 5 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 5 | .227 | 1.42 | 0.63 | |
| Ahead in Count | -- | -- | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10.0 | 3 | -- | -- | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 | .097 | 0.30 | 0.82 | |
| Runners at 1st & 2nd | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .167 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Batting Seventh | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.0 | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Runners at 1st & 3rd | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0.1 | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 6.00 | -.-- |
| Batting Sixth | -- | -- | -- | 13 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.1 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .250 | 2.57 | 5.00 | |
| Batting Ninth | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3.1 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | .111 | 0.60 | 4.00 |
| Bases Loaded | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3.2 | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 | .000 | 0.82 | 3.00 |
| Batting Eighth | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 9 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.2 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .333 | 2.40 | 0.50 |
| On Grass | 5 | 0 | 3.32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21.2 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 21 | .181 | 1.52 | 1.35 | |
| Day Games | IOW | 4 | 0 | 4.09 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 13 | .200 | 1.73 | 3.25 |
| Extra Innings | IOW | -- | -- | 0.00 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .167 | 1.00 | 4.00 |
| Home Games | IOW | 2 | 0 | 2.45 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 11 | .189 | 1.55 | 1.22 |
| Away Games | 3 | 0 | 4.22 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10.2 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | .171 | 1.50 | 1.50 | |
| Pre All-Star | CHC | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| Behind in Count | -- | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4.2 | 2 | -- | -- | 1 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 5 | .133 | 4.71 | 8.00 | |
| Seventh Inning | IOW | -- | -- | 0.00 | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3.1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .250 | 1.80 | 0.60 |
| Runner at 3rd | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 4 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 0.2 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .333 | 3.00 | -.-- |
| Eighth Inning | IOW | -- | -- | 6.75 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Runner at 2nd | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 8 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.1 | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 1.29 | 1.50 |
| Leading Off Inning | -- | -- | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4.1 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | .133 | 1.85 | 1.75 | |
| Ninth Inning | -- | -- | 4.50 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | 1.00 | 4.00 | |
| May | IOW | 2 | 0 | 1.69 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10.2 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 10 | .118 | 1.03 | 1.10 |
| April | 3 | 0 | 5.59 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 10 | .257 | 2.07 | 1.83 | |
| Runners at 2nd & 3rd | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.0 | 0 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0.00 | 2.00 |
| Scoring Position | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 10.0 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 13 | .071 | 1.30 | 2.00 |
| vs Right | -- | -- | -- | 15 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 15.2 | 9 | -- | -- | 0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 16 | .173 | 1.09 | 1.42 | |
| Fourth Inning | IOW | -- | -- | 0.00 | 3 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0.00 | -.-- |
| Runner at 1st | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.1 | 4 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .364 | 2.57 | 2.00 | |
| Fifth Inning | IOW | -- | -- | 5.68 | 7 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6.1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 7 | .167 | 2.21 | 1.25 |
| Reliever | 5 | 0 | 3.32 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21.2 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 21 | .181 | 1.52 | 1.35 | |
| Bases Empty | -- | -- | -- | 14 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 8.2 | 7 | -- | -- | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | .212 | 1.62 | 0.90 | |
| Sixth Inning | IOW | -- | -- | 3.18 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | .190 | 1.59 | 1.40 |
| Night Games | 1 | 0 | 2.53 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10.2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 | .162 | 1.31 | 0.77 | |
| March | IOW | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| Late / Close | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 2 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3.0 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .200 | 1.33 | 2.00 |
| vs Left | -- | -- | -- | 12 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 5.1 | 4 | -- | -- | 1 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 5 | .200 | 3.00 | 1.20 | |
| Batting Third | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1.2 | 3 | -- | -- | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .375 | 3.00 | 3.00 | |
| Batting Second | -- | -- | -- | 11 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.2 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | .111 | 1.13 | 1.00 | |
| Batting Fifth | -- | -- | -- | 13 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.1 | 2 | -- | -- | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .222 | 2.14 | 0.00 | |
| Batting Fourth | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2.0 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .143 | 2.00 | 0.25 | |
| Batting First | IOW | -- | -- | -- | 10 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3.0 | 1 | -- | -- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .100 | 0.33 | 6.00 |
| First Half | IOW | 5 | 0 | 3.05 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 20.2 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 20 | .164 | 1.50 | 1.24 |
| Season | Team | LG | Level | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | HLD | SV | SVO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | NP | HB | BB | IBB | SO | AVG | WHIP | GO/AO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | A-CUB | ACL | ROK | 0 | 1 | 4.91 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 107 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 19 | .154 | 1.00 | 0.67 |
| 2022 | 2 teams | - | Minors | 1 | 5 | 2.47 | 24 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 65.2 | 43 | 28 | 18 | 0 | 1164 | 7 | 38 | 0 | 101 | .180 | 1.23 | 1.46 |
| 2022 | MB | CAR | A | 1 | 4 | 2.91 | 20 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 52.2 | 37 | 25 | 17 | 0 | 946 | 5 | 32 | 0 | 84 | .188 | 1.31 | 1.48 |
| 2022 | SB | MID | A+ | 0 | 1 | 0.69 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 218 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 17 | .143 | 0.92 | 1.38 |
| 2023 | 3 teams | - | Minors | 5 | 2 | 2.12 | 36 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 63.2 | 40 | 17 | 15 | 1 | 1210 | 13 | 42 | 1 | 105 | .179 | 1.29 | 1.08 |
| 2023 | SB | MID | A+ | 0 | 0 | 0.52 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.1 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 301 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 21 | .194 | 1.10 | 1.42 |
| 2023 | TNS | SOU | AA | 3 | 2 | 3.12 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 34.2 | 20 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 689 | 7 | 28 | 1 | 63 | .169 | 1.38 | 1.00 |
| 2023 | IOW | INT | AAA | 2 | 0 | 1.54 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 11.2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 220 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 21 | .186 | 1.29 | 0.75 |
| 2024 | IOW | INT | AAA | 0 | 0 | 4.05 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 129 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 7 | .150 | 1.50 | 1.75 |
| 2025 | IOW | INT | AAA | 2 | 1 | 2.87 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 59.2 | 36 | 22 | 19 | 3 | 1106 | 9 | 34 | 0 | 75 | .174 | 1.17 | 1.72 |
| 2026 | IOW | INT | AAA | 5 | 0 | 3.05 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 20.2 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 373 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 20 | .164 | 1.50 | 1.24 |
| Date | Team | OPP | W | L | ERA | G | GS | CG | SHO | SV | SVO | IP | H | R | ER | HR | HB | BB | IBB | SO | AVG | WHIP | GO/AO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-28 | IOW | vs COL | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.50 | 1.00 |
| 2026-04-01 | IOW | @ LOU | 1 | 0 | 3.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .125 | 2.00 | 5.00 |
| 2026-04-04 | IOW | @ LOU | 1 | 0 | 5.79 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .154 | 2.14 | 3.00 |
| 2026-04-08 | IOW | vs OMA | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .167 | 2.17 | 2.33 |
| 2026-04-11 | IOW | vs OMA | 1 | 0 | 4.70 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .200 | 1.96 | 2.00 |
| 2026-04-15 | CHC | @ PHI | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | 2.00 | 2.00 |
| 2026-04-24 | IOW | vs LOU | 0 | 0 | 5.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .233 | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| 2026-04-30 | IOW | @ STP | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .212 | 2.00 | 1.43 |
| 2026-05-03 | IOW | @ STP | 0 | 0 | 4.76 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .216 | 1.94 | 1.57 |
| 2026-05-06 | IOW | vs COL | 1 | 0 | 4.05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .209 | 1.80 | 2.14 |
| 2026-05-15 | IOW | @ NAS | 0 | 0 | 3.77 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .213 | 1.81 | 1.67 |
| 2026-05-19 | IOW | vs MEM | 0 | 0 | 4.02 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | .212 | 1.91 | 1.78 |
| 2026-05-22 | IOW | vs MEM | 0 | 0 | 3.57 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .190 | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| 2026-05-25 | IOW | @ IND | 0 | 0 | 3.20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .172 | 1.58 | 1.33 |
| 2026-05-29 | IOW | @ IND | 1 | 0 | 3.05 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .164 | 1.50 | 1.24 |
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