Photo by: John Arguello, Cubs Den

“La Piedra” — The Cubs Rock-Solid Prospect

Tommy John Surgery — Three words that could melt any Cubs fan’s postseason aspirations during the early 2000’s.

Kerry Wood and Mark Prior were the staples for the Chicago rotation, and looked to be mainstays for the foreseeable future. However, injuries would plague the two throughout their careers, with Wood eventually finding a few sustainable years as a reliever while Prior would attempt a few failed comebacks and is now a part of the San Diego Padres coaching staff.

It’s been almost two decades since the two prospective pitchers came through the Cubs farm system. While the North-Siders have found success since the Wood and Prior Era (did you hear about the Cubs winning the World Series last year?) the Cubs haven’t had pitching prospects at that level since.

Carlos Zambrano had his moments, and prior to Jake Arrieta, was the only Cub in nearly 40 years to throw a no-hitter. Andrew Cashner looked promising but he had a slew of injuries plaguing him and netted the Cubs Anthony Rizzo. Chris Archer was an enticing arm, but I don’t think many thought he would turn into the ace he’s become in Tampa Bay.

Pitchers are very difficult to draft and project. The Cubs had a choice between Mark Appel and Kris Bryant in the 2013 draft, which the Astros made easier by selecting Appel first. Since then, the two players have developed along divergent paths. This shows that the number of drafted pitchers that become elite is less than a handful. Theo Epstein is infamous for avoiding pitchers early in drafts and looking for established arms later via free agency or trades, a strategy that may have netted he and the Cubs a gem in Dylan Cease.

The irony of him sharing a number with Kerry Wood isn’t lost on me.

Cease, a 2014 6th round pick, suffered a devastating elbow injury that would require Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school. The 18-year-old would end up falling in the draft because of the injury with the Cubs anxiously scooping him with their 6th round pick seeing upside in the young arm.

Cease was widely considered to be a 1st round talent if healthy, and so far, the right-handed pitcher has proven he has plenty of life in his arm. He has displayed a fastball that has climbed into the triple digits, along with a power curveball that would probably be best compared to a dive bombing airplane. Cease has all the “stuff” one would assume necessary to compete at the major-league level, the only question was whether his elbow could stay healthy.

So far, Cease has shown nothing but promise since joining the Cubs, with a career 2.36 ERA alongside his gaudy 11.9 K/9. The 21-year-old lightning bolt is making good on the Cubs gamble. That’s exactly what he was in the mind of Cubs Vice President of Player Development and Amateur Scouting, Jason McLeod, who had this to say in an interview with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers —

“It’s a lottery ticket. Any high school player, especially pitchers with Tommy John, are a lottery ticket. But the payoff could be tremendous with him.” said McLeod

That lottery ticket has only allowed one home run in 68.2 innings.

McLeod also explained how Tommy John surgery can sometimes have a silver-lining, explaining how the time away from throwing the ball allows pitchers to get in better physical shape.

“The one thing about that whole Tommy John process is it allows them to strengthen their body overall and it allows them to work on mechanics.” said McLeod

Very few people have anything bad to say about the Cubs top pitching prospect. Of course, there are several reasons the Cubs’ hottest young arm isn’t with the club quite yet.

Cease’s control has been suspect at times, walking 41 batters compared to the 39 base hits he allowed in 2016, the Georgia-native still has quite a bit of seasoning to do before he’s a part of the big-league club.

He has also been working on his change-up some, a pitch that Cubs Den Founder/Editor in Chief John Arguello has been impressed with when he’s seen it in Arizona this spring. Arguello commended the young pitcher on being able to throw the breaking pitch without slowing down his arm movement, which can be hard for a player who is used to tossing the ball 100 mph.

I got the chance to talk with Arguello a few weeks ago, as he gave me a little insight on the dynamic righty, explaining that Cease has been bestowed the nickname “La Piedra” by his Spanish-speaking teammates, which translate to rock in Spanish.

“He’s just solid,” Arguello explained. “He’s filled out now, and I know some people were worried about him being a bit undersized, well he’s 6’2’ 200 lbs. right now. You gotta watch out when you shake his hand.”

Cease is still years away from being a part of the Cubs rotation, and will start the season in Class-A South Bend as a starter for 2017. He has come a long way in a short amount of time during his recovery from Tommy John. While it may be hard for Cubs fans to put their faith in a promising 21-year-old with a questionably healthy throwing arm, Cease is looking to prove he is more than just a lottery ticket.

Tommy John Surgery, what once was a death sentence in the minds of Cubs fans, might be the reason Dylan Cease becomes the next Cubs pitching superstar.

Sean Sears is a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs and also a fan of anything pretzel. Follow him here