Cubs Finally Call Up Big-Arm Pitching Prospect

It sucks that Colten Brewer breaking his left hand after a frustrating outing led to this, but the Cubs have finally called up big-arm pitching prospect Hunter Bigge to the big leagues. The team placed Brewer on the 60-day injured list on Sunday, when they officially promoted Bigge to the 26-man roster.

Bigge, 26, was a 12th round pick by the Cubs in the 2019 MLB Draft. The right-handed pitcher has been a reliever throughout his entire pro career and he’s been spectacular at Triple-A this season.

The #Cubs today selected RHP Hunter Bigge from @IowaCubs and placed RHP Colten Brewer on the 60-day IL. pic.twitter.com/cVxrgLAlny

— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 7, 2024

Bigge has only surrendered one earned run in 11.2 innings with the Iowa Cubs during the 2024 season, but his 19 strikeouts in 11 outings is what catches your eye. To that end, it’s no surprise to see that Bigge has only allowed two base hits at Triple-A.

The right-handed reliever is exactly the type of pitcher fans have been begging for the front office to add to the bullpen this season. Bigge has a big arm, featuring a fastball in the upper 90s that has cutting action to go along with a nasty slider.

Hunter Bigge gets the call!

Bigge is an electric arm who has some of the nasty stuff in the minors. He tosses a high 90s Fastball with a lot of ride and high 80s cutter with moderate sweep

He has a bonkers 44.2 K% and 48.6 Whiff% in 11.2 IP at AAA

Congratulations! https://t.co/zliUh03LNw pic.twitter.com/MDV0SoEv2B

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) July 6, 2024

Bigge can touch 100mph with his fastball and went 6-for-6 in save opportunities with Iowa, while also recording a hold during his 11 relief appearances.

Maybe it’s a little too late for the Cubs, but this is a great time to see if Bigge can throw enough strikes in the majors to become a reliable fixture in the bullpen. He has big-time stuff and hopefully the right-hander can continue his success from Triple-A with the Cubs. While this year’s big-league bullpen has been a mess since the start of the season, we have at least seen some positive development from lefty Luke Little and 23-year-old Porter Hodge.

Fingers crossed that Bigge is up for good.

Hunter Bigge, Wicked Breaking Ball…and Sword. ⚔️

That pitch started out looking Juicy….but it was all a dream. pic.twitter.com/nMnLt4sXNJ

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 9, 2024

Believe it or not, heading into Sunday’s series finale against the Los Angeles Angels, five of the eight relievers in the Cubs bullpen are homegrown pitchers: Ethan Roberts, Porter Hodge, Tyson Miller, Luke Little, Hunter Bigge. One caveat, as Miller was with the Cubs, then pitched for a couple different teams, before returning to the team via trade back in April.