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Long maligned and even ridiculed for its lack of results, the Chicago Cubs prospect pipeline on the pitching side may finally be showing up at the big league level after years of focusing on churning out position players.
While the organization has traded away several prospects over the last few years who have produced at the big league level for other teams, there have been limited innings logged by Chicago prospects for the big league club. That has changed this year in a big way.
No shortage of rocket fuel in Chicago Cubs pitching pipeline
So far this season, Cubs prospects have logged 68 1/3 innings out of 336 1/3 total innings, which is an astronomical number for a team who has either paid for veteran free agent pitchers, traded for established hurlers or dumpster-dived for spare bullpen parts on an almost-annual basis.