2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Luke Little

The left-handed pitcher went all the way from High-A South Bend to the Majors in a season in which he discovered he could excel in the bullpen.

InsidetheCubs.com will review each of the Chicago Cubs’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.

No. 25: LHP Luke Little, South Bend Cubs (High-A), Tennessee Smokies (Double-A), Iowa Cubs (Triple-A), Chicago Cubs (MLB)

Minor League Statistics for 2023: (36 games, four starts), 5-2, 2.12 ERA, 40 hits, 17 runs (15 earned), one home run, 105 strikeouts, 42 walks, 63.2 innings, .179 opponent batting average, 1.29 WHIP.

With South Bend: (five games, four starts), 0-0, 0.52 ERA, 12 hits, three runs (one earned), no home runs, 21 strikeouts, seven walks, 17.1 innings, .194 opponent batting average, 1.10 WHIP.

With Tennessee: (23 games, no starts), 3-2, 3.12 ERA, 20 hits, 12 runs (12 earned), one home run, 63 strikeouts, 28 walks, 34.2 innings, .169 opponent batting average, 1.38 WHIP.

With Iowa: (eight games, no starts), 2-0, 1.54 ERA, eight hits, two runs (two earned), no home runs, 21 strikeouts, seven walks, 11.2 innings, .186 opponent batting average, 1.29 WHIP.

With Cubs: (seven games, no starts), 0-0, 0.00 ERA, five hits, no runs, 12 strikeouts, four walks, 6.2 innings, .208 opponent batting average, 1.35 WHIP.

Season Transactions: Little started the season with the South Bend Cubs. The Cubs promoted him to Tennessee on May 7. Tennessee moved him to the developmental list on June 24. The Cubs promoted him to Iowa on Aug. 5. The Cubs promoted him to the Majors on Sept. 6.

Season Summary: Little made incredible progress this year, beginning his season at High-A and ending it with the Cubs. He played a role in their bullpen down the stretch of a playoff push that failed to get across the finish line. Along the way, he remained the same pitcher at every level, and that’s a good thing. He held batters under .200 in the minors and just over .200 in the Majors. He had a quality strikeout-to-walk ratio and he limited hits and mistakes. This was his breakthrough season.

Road Through the Organization: Little was a junior college pitcher at San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College who earned a fourth-round pick in the 2020 Draft despite the pandemic. Teams had scouted him enough to know he had 100-plus speed, and that can be hard to find in a left-hander. With a 6-foot-8 frame, a baseline fastball of 95 miles per hour and a plus-slider, the Cubs envisioned him as a starter. But, this season, in need of bullpen help, the Cubs took a flier on moving him there. You know the rest.

What’s next: Little should challenge for a spot on the MLB roster in Spring Training. The question is whether he goes back to being a starter or remains a reliever. The answer may lie in whether he can master a third pitch. MLB.com’s scouting report notes that Little has a change-up with splitter action but “doesn’t trust” the pitch. If Little can reach a point where he can trust it, he could be a rotation option. Even if he can’t, with potential triple-digit speed and a quality second pitch he can be a high-leverage relief option for a team that needs it from the left-hand side.

2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps:

No. 30: Christian Franklin | No. 29: Brody McCullough | No. 28: Kohl Franklin | No. 27: Pablo Aliendo | No. 26: Porter Hodge |