NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen has been far from a success this year. Although it has not been the most observable problem of late – that would be them guys with the bats – the bullpen’s issues are likely to come up time and again this year. Thus, we’ll be hearing about possible reliever trades for a while.
We’ll also be hearing about possible internal options, including a couple of starting prospects at AAA Iowa.
With the Cubs lacking in right-handed relief pitching, two prospects to watch at Triple-A Iowa are starters Casey Coleman and Jay Jackson.
Coleman, the son of former major league pitcher Joe Coleman, is 2-3 with a 3.72 ERA and ranks fourth in the Pacific Coast League in walks and hits per innings pitched at 0.93. Jackson, a 2008 ninth-round pick from Furman, is 2-3 with a 2.31 ERA and ranks second in WHIP at 0.86.
Coleman is closer to the majors right now, but with Justin Berg struggling and Esmailin Caridad off to a poor start, both Coleman and Jackson could be in Cubs uniforms soon. chicagotribune.com.
Jackson is often cited as the Cubs’ second-best pitching prospect (behind Andrew Cashner), and there has not, to my knowledge, ever been a suggestion that he would end up in the pen. Coleman, while he’s been an effective minor league starter, is not considered a top prospect at this point.
