It’s an accepted reality that pitching is hard. Developing said pitching is even harder.
Ryan Williams and Pierce Johnson are at Iowa and are the closest starters the Cubs have to reaching the major leagues. Down in Tennessee, the vaunted pitching staff that manager Mark Johnson has been developing the past two years is changing. That change actually began when Paul Blackburn went on the DL in the summer of 2015.
Although he lacked a specific out pitch, Blackburn had been praised for his pitchability early in his career. In three years in the Cubs organization, he has averaged six strikeouts a game and carries an ERA under 3.