Yoooooooo this is very fun. It was the hope a lot of folks had after the Cubs took him in the second round of this year’s abbreviated draft, but it was far from a lock.
According to Cubs Insider, second rounder Burl Carraway is going to be joining the Cubs’ 60-man player pool:
Source: Cubs Lefty Pitching Prospect Burl Carraway Headed to South Bend as Part of 60-Man Roster https://t.co/0APbuPJxx2 #Cubs Insider
— Cubs Insider (@realcubsinsider) July 20, 2020
If accurate, Carraway would not only get some development time at South Bend, he’d be available to the Cubs if they felt like he could contribute at the big league level down the stretch. As a reliever whose college season was cut short, it’s not like he doesn’t have plenty of bullets this year. And the Cubs wouldn’t be using a 60-man spot on a pure relief prospect if they didn’t think there was at least some chance that they might wind up using him this year. Pretty crazy for a fresh draft pick, but these are crazy times, and he’s that impressive.
Burl to the Cubs!
With the 51st pick in the 2020 draft, the @Cubs select LHP Burl Carraway. pic.twitter.com/FCiZvz6Jk4
— DBU Baseball (@DBU_Baseball) June 11, 2020
Carraway, 21, was the Cubs’ second rounder this year, and was thought by many to be among the most big-league-ready prospects in the draft, thanks to his plus-plus fastball and plus-plus curveball. His is a pure relief profile, and his pitches were regarded as some of the best in the entire draft. There’s risk in drafting a guy who cannot go more than an inning or two up in the second round, and his delivery is sufficiently max effort that you worry about consistency and control. But the pitches do look kinda absurd.
In some ways, he’s a once-in-a-decade type:
The Cubs Haven’t Seen Anything Like 2nd Rounder Burl Carraway in 10+ Years https://t.co/oyM4K2ql10 pic.twitter.com/BKdtLlOd26
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) June 19, 2020