Last year, the Chicago Cubs selected just two pitchers in their first nine picks in the MLB Draft. In the second round, they took Arkansas righty Jaxon Wiggins, and in the fourth round, they took South Carolina righty Will Sanders. Each had, at one time, been viewed as a potential top-round talent, but had slipped in the lead up to the draft because of Tommy John surgery (Wiggins) and a very down junior season (Sanders).
The Cubs signed each pitcher to an above-slot bonus, and set to work gearing them up for a professional career. Neither debuted in 2023, so this season has been their first exposure to professional games.
For Sanders, the Cubs had a lot of confidence right away and assigned him to High-A South Bend, where he struggled in his first couple outings. That happens. After those first two starts, Sanders has posted a 2.14 ERA, a 26.2% K, and a 10.6% BB, while getting better along the way. The 22-year-old went 6.0 innings of one-run ball yesterday, marking the first quality start in the South Bend Cubs’ season:
You wouldn’t need to see Sanders reach Double-A in his first pro season to believe he’s a compelling pitching prospect – we already know he is – but that may very well happen nonetheless if he continues to dominate at High-A.
Meanwhile, Jaxon Wiggins made his full-season debut last night at Low-A Myrtle Beach after a few toe-in-the-water outings in the Arizona Complex League. Given that Wiggins has premium stuff and huge velocity, I kind of expected a lot of wildness out of the gate. It’s a pretty common thing for guys with his type of stuff on the return from Tommy John.
And I suppose it may well still be coming in an outing down the road, but last night, Wiggins was pretty close to perfect:
Wiggins, 22, will likely be brought along slowly and carefully this year, probably somewhere in the 40 to 60-inning range. I don’t know that he’ll be sent to High-A South Bend at any point in 2024, but it wouldn’t really change the potential trajectory either way. If Wiggins hadn’t had Tommy John surgery before the 2023 collegiate season, he probably goes in the first round of that draft, and perhaps rises quickly in the minors. So, post-surgery, you don’t need to rush him in this first year – if the talent is still there and all the stuff/command comes back, then he’ll fly up plenty quickly next year. This year figures to be more about ensuring health, getting the mechanics clean and repeatable, and working on pitches/grips/strength/etc.
