When I first heard that the Cubs took pitcher Chris Kachmar out of Lipscomb University in the 28th round this year, my thoughts immediately turned to Jeff Passantino whom the Cubs took in the 40th round in 2017, also out of Lipscomb. I didn’t really pay that much attention to the 28th round pick until Kachmar got to Eugene. Over the span of about a month, Kachmar been grabbing my attention as he has struck out 21 guys in just 14.1 innings of work. Over his last three outings in relief, Kachmar struck out 12 batters in five innings worth of work including six on Thursday the eighth. I decided to investigate more about the young reliever and his possible future as a Cub.
Height 6‘3“
Weight – maybe 180 pounds
Throws – Right
Age – 22
ETA unknown
To get drafted by the Cubs out of Lipscomb, Kachmar has had quite the journey. He’s originally from Pennsburg, Pennsylvania, which is in between Allentown and Philadelphia. He originally attended Fairleigh Dickinson University where he had a pretty good freshman year with a 3.57 ERA and he struck out 63 in 68 innings as a starter. He then left the Teaneck, New Jersey school for Palm Beach State College in Florida. There, as a sophomore, he worked in 14 games. He threw 57 innings and struck out 48 with an ERA of 3.79. At both stops, the only alarming statistic I could see was that he did walk quite a few people. At Fairleigh Dickinson, he walked an average of 5.43 batters per nine innings and just over three at Palm Beach.
When Kachmar got to Lipscomb, He had a decent junior season striking out 66 in 65 innings but he did have 12 wild pitches while walking 26. As a senior, he improved on his 4.43 junior ERA as he got his senior ERA down to 3.61. He struck out 94 in 94.2 innings. Again, walks were an issue. He walked almost 4 batters every nine innings.
At Eugene, he’s thrown 14.1 innings and struck out 21, but he’s walked nine. Then again, opponents are only hitting .196 off him. Combined, he has a 1.61 ERA for the season.
But enough about the stat lines.
In watching Kachmar throw, it’s easy to see why the Cubs just love him. He’s all arms and legs at this point as he comes from a very high angle at 6’3” with an over the top delivery that’s going to make it hard to square up. He does throw his fastball in the low 90s. The only issue that I can see with his fastball is that he does overthrow it from time to time. Sometimes it goes about 59 feet. When he stays within himself and doesn’t overthrow, Kachmar can do very well with that pitch. Location is going to be the key for him going forward.
What has been most impressive about Kachmar is he does have a pretty good slider. It’s got a pretty good bite on it and it actually can come from about one to seven o’clock, and also two to seven o’clock, depending on how much effort he gets on it. Take a look here.
Kachmar’s progress the rest of the year is going to be something to follow. He’s going to stay in relief pitching – probably about two innings twice a week. This first off-season is going to be critical for his development. If he puts on 10 or 15 pounds, he could pick up a couple more clicks on his fastball. The Cubs don’t just pick any kind of pitcher. They have to see something that they like. And that slider is pretty wicked. And it’s not just that he’s getting the pitch over in the zone, it is that he’s getting ugly swings on it. That tells you no one is picking up the spin.
2020 is going to be interesting to see just what role he plays. Is he going to be a starter the Cubs stretch out in spring training? Or is he going to be a reliever who can get by with two pitches for right now? Kachmar is going to be an interesting prospect to follow.
Cubs Central 