MWL South Bend Cubs

South Bend Cubs Owen Caissie and DJ Herz Each Take Home May Honors

Published on June 6, 2022 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


South Bend, IN - As top prospects continue to headline the South Bend Cubs roster with summer approaching, both South Bend outfielder Owen Caissie and left-handed pitcher DJ Herz picked up May accolades on Monday. The Chicago Cubs named Caissie as the organization's minor league player of the month for May, and Herz was presented as the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week.

Caissie rakes in the honor after dominating through the Midwest League in May with accomplishments including his first career multi-home run game on May 20 against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. At Four Winds Field on May 26, Caissie crushed one of the largest round trippers in Downtown South Bend all season, in which the ball came off his bat at 108 MPH with the exit velocity.

To cap off May, Caissie hit .313 for the month with four total homers, 26 RBI, and an OPS at .910. That included picking up hits in nine of his last 10 games this past month. Still just 19-years-old, the big and tall outfielder from Canada continues to soar up Chicago Cubs prospect ranks. He is now regarded as the Cubs number-eight overall prospect.

Originally selected by the San Diego Padres in the second round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame Catholic High School in Ontario, Caissie was traded to the Chicago Cubs as part of the Yu Darvish and Victor Caratini deal in 2020.

The end of Spring has been kind to the southpaw Herz. On May 26 versus the Great Lakes Loons at Four Winds Field, Herz scooped up his first victory of 2022 with five shutout innings where he only allowed one hit. The native of Fayetteville, North Carolina also added three strikeouts.

He then followed up that performance with the most dominating outing of his career in Dayton on June 1. Against the East Division leading Dragons, Herz notched a career high 12 strikeouts. It was the second time in his professional career that he had accomplished double digit strikeouts, the last occasion came with the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans on August 21, 2021, in his hometown of Fayetteville.

In total, Herz has started 10 games with South Bend and possesses a minuscule ERA of 1.45 in just over 37 innings. Batters are only hitting .120 off of him, and he has struck out 53 hitters to just 17 walks. Picked in the 8th round of the 2019 MLB Draft, Herz, like Caissie, is also ranked as a top-10 Chicago Cubs prospect.

Caissie, Herz, and the South Bend Cubs are now set to begin a pivotal series against the first place team in the West Division, the Cedar Rapids Kernels. South Bend is five games back of first place, and three games back of second, held by Wisconsin. First pitch of game one is scheduled for Tuesday night at 7:05 PM.

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