Cubs’ wild draft pick Luke Little can throw 105 MPH

There is swinging for the fences and then there is the Cubs’ fourth-round draft pick.

They went looking for a grand slam by picking junior college southpaw Luke Little, a 6-foot-8 flame-thrower with control issues who has been clocked at 105 mph and consistently throws in the mid 90’s, with the 117th overall selection in the five-round draft.

Little, 19, was ranked in the 150-range by Baseball America, MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs. His sophomore season at San Jacinto Junior College in Texas was cut short due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. As a freshman he walked more than one hitter per inning, but also struck out a whopping 17.6 per nine innings. His fastball was rated a 70 on the 20-to-80 scale.

MLB Pipeline wrote: “Little has gotten in much better shape this season, dropping 30 pounds from his massive 6-foot-8 frame and doing a better job of repeating his delivery in limited action, though scouts still don’t care for his arm action or mechanics. He tallied 86 strikeouts versus 39 walks in 44 1/3 innings in two years at San Jacinto, and it’s difficult to project him as more than a reliever who can air out his fastball in short stints. If he doesn’t sign this summer, he’ll pitch at South Carolina in 2021.”