Catching Up On Potential September Call-up, Slugger Owen Caissie

[Jacob Zanolla]

Owen Caissie is expected to be promoted in September (according to Matt Spiegel of 670 the Score). Caissie is now ranked as the third-best prospect in the Cubs’ system, so let's take a quick look at why he is there, why he deserves this call-up, and how he landed with the Cubs in the first place.

The San Diego Padres drafted Owen Caissie in the second round of the 2020 MLB draft, which was shortened to five rounds due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Before he could step into the box with the Padres, AJ Preller shipped him off, along with two other prospects, for Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini. Darvish came in second place for the 2020 NL Cy Young race, so he easily would have provided value for the Cubs. At the time, Darvish was under contract until 2023, so control was not an issue either. During the pandemic, teams started panicking and shedding payroll, exactly what Tom Ricketts did with shipping away Darvish. 

Progressing basically one level every season, Caissie finds himself in Triple-A Iowa in his fourth full season with the Cubs. Last year in Tennessee, he posted a .230 ISO, which shows how incredible his power can be. He hit 22 home runs, with a 144 wRC+ and .519 slugging. Injuries have hurt him a little this year, but the power is still there, with a 113 wRC+ and .179 ISO, accompanied by 13 home runs. 

Defensively, Caissie will most likely play in the corner outfield spots (right field the most) and designated hitter. While his defense is nowhere near elite, it is decent enough, especially with the elite bat you get when he is in the lineup. Cody Bellinger’s decision this offseason will greatly affect Caissie due to the crowded outfield the Cubs already have. 

The main problem with the big lefty is his strikeouts. As of Saturday, he has a 27.9% strikeout rate, meaning he is striking out almost a third of his at-bats. For context, someone like Christopher Morel, who strikes out a lot, has a K% of 24.7. Maybe the strikeouts don’t go away, although, with the major league coaching, the hope is he can at least trim that down a little bit. He can help this ballclub down the stretch if he keeps up favorable numbers. 

Caissie has been fantastic as a prospect. Not only did he homer in the World Baseball Classic for Team Canada, but he was also selected to the 2024 MLB Futures Game (he did not play due to injury). Once he is officially promoted, you can expect the right-field bleachers to be a hotspot for Cubs fans trying to catch his mammoth home runs.

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[We Got The Whole 9]

This is the only gif of Happy's caddy I could find but he reminds me of this guy with red hair for some reason. I never paid much attention to the clappers in the back but they make this gif so good lol

 

Maybe we could have landed a guy that didnt take 4 years to reach the cusp, who knows. But Hoyer envisioned he would be a top prospect and an MLB starter and he looks like those. Elite raw power and clearly very patient, big time traits that are highly coveted. 

 

We need to see more pull-side power and it feels like his IFFB% could be an issue and weigh-down his BA. He's done a good job keeping the ball off of the ground but needs to improve the barrel consistency and avoid those easy outs. His rate over the last 3 years would lead the Majors, I believe. 

 

I love seeing how even his splits are, though, and his LD rate is great. But to me he doesn't feel like the type that will hit the ground running. I think it's gonna take 2-3 years.