The Chicago Cubs did it: today, they called up top pitching prospect Brailyn Marquez.
I’m delightfully stunned.
The 21-year-old lefty can touch 100 mph+ with his fastball, and was one of the most dominant pitching prospects in the lower minors last year.
What will he look like right now, after a season spent at the alternate site and without any experience in real games this year (or experience above High-A ever in his career)? Nobody knows. Maybe not even the Cubs.
But I think this is a signal that the Cubs do want to see what he looks like in a real outing so they can make an informed decision about including him on the postseason roster. What a freaking weapon he could be if he’s in the zone.
As for ancillary considerations, Marquez had to go on the 40-man roster this fall to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, so there’s no issue there. Patrick Wisdom, who was DFA’d to make room, was not a long-term piece, so no consideration there. In service time, he’ll only get about three days, so there’s nothing there. Then you have the questions about whether he could still participate in instructional ball now that he’s on the 40-man roster. The union generally says no, but there can be exceptions granted (if the player is compensated sufficiently) – so we’ll see.
For today, though, I just want to celebrate this. We get to see Brailyn Marquez for the first time in Cubbie blue!!!
UPDATING for some comments from Cubs President Theo Epstein:
Theo: "With Marquez, it's been a process to get him to this point. He's worked hard and deserves to get to this point."
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) September 27, 2020
Brailyn Marquez called up. Theo says plan is for him to pitch an inning today and be option in postseason with fewer days off.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) September 27, 2020
"I know people were calling for him. He wasn't ready." … "We want to get him an inning to get comfortable." No guarantee of being on postseason roster but no offdays in latter postseason series make him a strong consideration.
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) September 27, 2020