Former Loyola Marymount University baseball standout Cory Abbott was named the Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Year, it was announced today. Abbott, currently pitching for the Cubs Double-A affiliate Tennessee Smokies, will be honored during an on-field ceremony prior to the Cubs game on Sept. 19 at Wrigley Field.
Abbott, 23, went 8-8 with a 3.01 ERA (49 ER/146.2 IP) in 26 starts in his first season at the Double-A level. He led the Southern League in strikeouts (166), games started and innings pitched, and finished fourth in ERA, WHIP (1.12) and opponents' average (.210). He was named a Southern League mid-season All-Star, his first All-Star nod.
Abbott was named Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month in August, going 3-1 with a 0.98 ERA (4 ER/36.2 IP) in six starts with Tennessee. He struck out 50 batters, walking just nine, and limited opponents to a .107 average (13-for-122). He finished the season with 11-straight starts allowing three-or-fewer hits, including all six starts in August. He led the Southern League in August in ERA, strikeouts and WHIP (0.60), while ranking second in wins, innings pitched and opponents' batting average. He was named Southern League Pitcher of the Week for August 19-25.
Selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2017 draft, Abbott was responsible for the first perfect game in LMU and West Coast Conference history when he pulled off the feat on Mar. 25, 2017 against Brigham Young University. Abbott and the Lions won the game 2-0 as he was responsible for 13 strikeouts on 106 pitches.
Abbott still holds the Lions single-season record for strikeouts in a game with 16 and in 2017 he held opponents to a batting average of .173, another record for the former LMU standout. For his work during the 2017 season Abbott was named WCC Pitcher of the Year, First Team WCC, First Team All West Region and a member of the First Team by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game. He was also named to the Second Team by the American Baseball Coaches Association, D1 Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association.
Abbott is currently 16-14 with a 2.84 ERA (87 ER/275.2 IP) in 53-career starts. He was also named Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month for August of 2018 after going 2-0 with a 0.67 ERA (2 ER/27.0 IP) in five starts with Myrtle Beach. He is ranked as the 16th-best prospect in the Cubs system by MLB Pipeline.
