Cubs call up tall, hard-throwing left-hander Little
At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, new Cubs pitcher Luke Little has the frame of an offensive tackle or he could probably pass for Jameson Taillon's younger brother.
He's still probably best known for a 2020 viral video where he threw a pitch clocked at 105 miles per hour in an indoor setting. That same year, the Charlotte, N.C. native was drafted by the Cubs in the fourth round out of San Jacinto (Tex.) Junior College.
Now the left-hander is in the big leagues, a few months after beginning his season as a starting pitcher at Single A South Bend. The Cubs designated pitcher Shane Greene for assignment, but it's possible he'll return to Iowa if he clears waivers.
Little pitched the ninth inning Wednesday, allowing 1 hit, while striking out two.
"We had a logjam of really good starters (at South Bend), so I thought Double A would be great to get to," Little said Wednesday. "But once I got the call to the bullpen, it was like, 'OK, maybe they're really pushing me to get to the big leagues.'"
Little played some football and basketball growing up, but his main sports in high school were baseball and swimming. He said his parents, Billie and Ecford, actually beat him to Chicago for Wednesday's game.
His 105 mph pitch drew attention, but Little's not really the case of an electric arm that needed to be controlled.
He was actually a late bloomer who wasn't drawing radar guns to his high school games.
"I was only throwing like 85-86 in high school," he said. "Once I got to college, I was like 93-94, just getting better with my shoulder strength, getting stronger in the gym, gaining a little bit of weight. It's been a long ride trying to get more in the (strike) zone. I think I've gotten that perfect little zone of being able to throw hard and throw strikes."
In the minors this season, Little struck out 105 in 64 innings, with 42 walks. He pitched just 11.2 innings at Triple A. In his most recent outings for Iowa, his fastball averaged around 95 mph and he mixed in a sweeper.
He spent time as a starter, but seems built to be a reliever, who can max out his velocity for an inning.
"I was a closer in my freshman year of college and I loved the adrenaline rush of going out there in the ninth, tight game," Little said. "So I'm kind of used to it at this point. I'm ready."
Alzolay 'dealing with some things':
Cubs manager David Ross confirmed before Wednesday's game closer Adbert Alzolay is "dealing with some things" injury-wise and needed a few days off, which is why Julian Merryweather finished Tuesday's victory.
"I can't always let you guys know," Ross said. "Sometimes I've got to lie. That's OK. Everybody's dealing with something this time of year. You try to rest them, stay away from them. Sometimes four days (off) is better than 15 (on the injured list)."
Morel flips script:
Christopher Morel on his cross-diamond bat flip after Tuesday's dramatic 3-run homer: "That just came out naturally, it's not something I planned. To be honest, I was just trying to send it as close to the bat boy as possible. That was kind of the main goal."
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports