Cubs might be adding rookie hurler with filthy stuff to MLB roster right now

Burl Carraway might be a hidden gem that does damage for the Chicago Cubs.

The Chicago Cubs are in the middle of an NL Central free-for-all in 2020 given the shortened season, and any little advantage might be the one that pushes them to the title. Chicago’s secret weapon might a left-handed reliever with bedeviling stuff.

After drafting local hero Ed Howard in the first round, the Cubs added Dallas Baptist lefty reliever Burl Carraway in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft. Carraway’s explosive left arm was apparently too good to go to waste in 2020, as the Cubs added him to the club’s 60-man player pool.

Carraway has filthy stuff, and that could help out the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen.

The injury bug has hit the Cubs’ pitching staff hard this season. Not only was the oft-injured Brandon Morrow given his pink slip, but starter Jose Quintana suffered an injury during a freak dishwashing accident at his home. That could be the opening Carraway needs to potentially crack the roster.

In 41 innings during his last full season in college, Carraway struck out an absurd 72 batters while posting a 2.81 ERA. In addition to a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and touches 98 regularly, Carraway has one of the best individual pitches in the country in his sharp curveball that just falls off the table. 

While the Cubs would like to clean up a violent delivery, Carraway’s strikeout stuff is as electric as it gets, and it could help the Cubs win a game or two this season.

There are very few players that come out of college with Carraway’s combination of velocity and break from the left side. While still a touch on the raw side, David Ross might need to dig deep into the farm system to get an edge, and Carraway’s arm could turn into a lethal weapon.