This Canadian kid just smacked his first big league home run, and I’m here sitting, grinning ear to ear. Watching Cubs baseball since I was eight, I’ve seen plenty of prospects come and go. The vast majority burn out faster than a wet match.
But Owen Caissie? A different story entirely.
Last summer I was at Wrigley with my buddy Kevin, watching our outfielders look lost at the plate. Again. Kevin goes, “That kid they got in Iowa’s gonna be special.” I rolled my eyes so hard I nearly saw my brain. Kevin talks a big game about prospects. Usually he’s full of it.
Guess who owes somebody a very expensive beer now?
The Moment We’ve All Been Waiting For
The Cubs promoted Caissie to the major leagues on August 14, 2025, and he made his major league debut against the Toronto Blue Jays. What perfect timing, as a kid from Burlington, Ontario, makes his debut against his home country. You can’t write this stuff.
The guy didn’t just show up to collect a paycheck either. Starting in a crucial game against division rival Milwaukee, Cassie had 3 RBIs in a 6-4 victory on August 19, including a solo homer, his first. That’s clutch right there.
Small Town Canadian, Big Dreams
Owen is from Burlington, Ontario, a city with a population of roughly 200,000. Went to Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School. You know what Burlington’s famous for? Not baseball, I’ll tell you that much.
But here’s this kid, swinging a bat in his backyard, imagining a day at Wrigley Field, with his neighbors figuring out which hockey games to watch. Wild, right?
2020 MLB Draft rolls around. San Diego calls his name. Second round, 45th pick overall. First Canadian taken that year. Suddenly little Owen here from Burlington’s got scouts ringing his phone, agents talking numbers, the whole nine yards.
And being the first Canadian selected that year? Talk about a lot of pressure for a teenager. But Owen Caissie took it in stride, working his way through the minors as everyone from back home watched and prayed.
The Grind Nobody Talks About
Triple-A Iowa. 2024. Sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? Try explaining to your high school friends that you’re riding buses through cornfields at 2 AM for a shot at the majors.
Owen hit .278 last year. 131 hits in 472 tries. Nineteen homers, 75 RBIs. Decent numbers on paper.
But here’s what those stats don’t show: the Motel 6 stays. Teammates getting released mid-season. Phone calls home wondering if this whole baseball thing’s just a pipe dream. My cousin played rookie ball for two years before giving up. Said the mental game’s harder than anything they throw at you physically.
The knock on Caissie has always been his strikeouts. He has 511 strikeouts in 1471 minor-league at-bats. That’s a lot of whiffs, but here’s the thing: Caissie has a high-octane swing and will launch home runs at a prodigious rate once he arrives and figures things out.
The Call-Up That Changed Everything
With the team struggling at the plate, the Cubs called up their top prospect when they needed him most. Smart move by the front office. Sometimes you’ve got to roll the dice on youth when the veterans aren’t getting it done.
My nephew texted me the moment the news broke: “Owen Caissie called up!” Three words that Cubs fans had been waiting years to hear. The kid from Canada was finally getting his shot.
When Dreams Actually Come True
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Tuesday afternoon. Milwaukee’s in town. Owen steps up to the plate, sees a fastball he likes, and absolutely crushes it.
Left-center field gap. The ball flies into the bleachers and bounces around like a pinball. Some fan probably went home with the best souvenir of their life.
Meanwhile, Owen’s rounding the bases with this huge grin. The Cubs lead 6-4. Game over. His first big league homer just won them the game.
I’m watching on TV, nearly spilling beer all over my couch. That’s the kind of moment that gives you goosebumps. Kid from Canada hits a clutch home run at Wrigley? Come on. Movie stuff right there.
Hot Start or Real Deal?
Owen’s batting. 286 since they called him up. Very small sample size; just 14 plate appearances. It could mean everything or nothing.
But here’s what I’m seeing. Kid doesn’t look overwhelmed. Swings at good pitches. Makes contact when it matters. That home run? The first pitch he saw that he liked, he let it rip.
My father used to always say you can tell enough about a player in his first week in the big leagues. Press and panic, or just stay calm and keep the swing you trust? Owen’s definitely in the second camp.
What Makes This Kid Special
Let me tell you what I love about Caissie’s story. Looking back upon every MiLB player of the last 17-18 seasons and considering that many of these MLB players’ MiLB careers began even earlier, in the 90s, we identified just 80 cases of hitters who saw 750+ Triple-A plate appearances before their 23rd birthday. For his age, Caissie’s 41 home runs in Triple-A are fairly elite.
That’s rarefied air. This is not some organizational filler getting a cup of coffee in September. This is a true prospect who has earned his shot.
The Canadian Connection
Caissie was a member of Canada’s Junior National team. To play at a level of representing your country as a teenager, that’s the kind of character you want in your organization.” Plus, having a Canadian star could help the Cubs tap into that market north of the border.
My cousin in Toronto has already purchased a Caissie jersey. “At last I have a reason to root for the Cubs,” he texted me. That is the sort of fanbase expansion that teams dream of.
The Pressure and the Promise
Caissie, unfazed by the veteran, took a hack at the first-pitch 93.5 mph fastball, which quickly found its way into Schneider’s glove. By and large, he said he was comfortable with the entire game. That’s big league confidence right there.
The kid is not only surviving; he’s thriving. Owen Caissie was the catalyst for the Cubs in Game 1. His day of personal firsts provided moments that were sorely needed for a team that was slumping.
Looking Ahead
Is Caissie the savior of Cubs baseball? Probably not. But is he a player they can build around? Absolutely. The blend of power, youth, and clutch performances he produced in his debut week points to a kid with the right stuff.
The best part? He’s just getting started. The ceiling is pretty darn high at 23 with that kind of raw talent and this kind of work ethic to get this far.
So hats off to Owen Caissie, the Canadian kid who’s helping make Chicago fans believe again. In a sport clogged with overpaid veterans and unsatisfying prospects, sometimes you just need a ravenous young player who knows he’s getting an opportunity.
Keep swinging for the fences, kid. We’re all rooting for you.