It’s been over five years since Owen Caissie was drafted. With six weeks to go in the 2025 regular season, Caissie will get his first shot in the Majors, as the Cubs will reportedly promote the 23-year-old — arguably the best prospect in the system — and give the team another left-handed bat to work into their group.
A Look at Caissie
It’s been a long time coming for Owen Caissie, a second-round pick by the Padres in the 2020 MLB Draft. He didn’t stick in the San Diego organization for long. Caissie was packaged in the December 2020 trade that sent Yu Darvish from Chicago to San Diego.
Caissie quickly proved to be a valuable bat, as the Canadian slashed .302/.434/.489 (.923 OPS) with seven home runs and 19 extra-base hits over 54 games. The now-23-year-old belted 20+ home runs in the 2023 and 2025 campaigns, the former in Double-A and the latter in Triple-A.
He hit well in 2024 with Iowa (AAA), as Caissie hit 19 home runs and 51 extra-base hits over 127 games. That performance ensured the Cubs didn’t expose him to the Rule 5 Draft. He was added to the 40-man roster last winter.
This year, Caissie saw his OPS jump to .955 from .847 last year. Caissie slashed .289/.389/.566 with 22 home runs and 50 extra-base hits over 93 games. His 22 home runs were third-most in the International League as of this writing.
With Caissie, you know what you’re going to get. The 23-year-old has a lightning quick bat and will go through the zone fast. Meaning, premium bat speed and premium power. That’s obvious with the stat lines.
However, the big question with Caissie is how much contact he’ll make with that approach. For reference, Caissie cut down on the swing-and-miss this year down in Iowa. And, he cut down on the chase, as well.
| Stat | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Whiff% | 32.1% | 28.7% |
| Chase% | 27.3% | 24.9% |
| Fastball Whiff% | 25.1% | 21.6% |
| Slider/Sweeper Whiff% | 43.8% | 38.2% |
Defensively, Caissie spent his time rotating between left and right field. He sporatically played center, and his last action there came in 2024.
ESPN confirmed that Owen Caissie will join the Cubs.
Analysis
As stated multiple times when it comes to notable prospects on the 40-man roster, at some point, that player has to get a shot. Now, Caissie will get his at a pivotal juncture for the Cubs.
The Cubs saw catcher Miguel Amaya suffer a sprained ankle on August 13, which will require an IL stint. It opens the door for Caissie to come up but how he will be used will be interesting to see.
Right now, the Cubs have three regular outfielders: Ian Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kyle Tucker. Despite Crow-Armstrong having a cold spell in August — he hit .073 with 15 strikeouts over 42 plate appearances — he’s not going anywhere. Tucker won’t either, while Happ has remained a regular despite a .386 SLG that would be the lowest of his career.
Seiya Suzuki, meanwhile, has been the team’s regular DH.
So, where will Caissie play? Well, he may not be a regular right off the bat. However, he does give manager Craig Counsell a good left-handed hitting bat off the bench, as well as an option to mix and match should he want to give Happ or Suzuki a day.
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