2024 Cubs Prospect Profile: Connor Noland |
When you look at the Cubs 2023 season, there was a lot to like and a lot not to like. On the one hand, you had the Chicago Cubs battling for a playoff spot until the bitter end, only to fade the season's final two weeks. You also had three successful Minor League seasons, one ending in an AA championship for Tennessee.
On the other hand, the Cubs missed out on some key opportunities, and now the organization will face a tough decision in maneuvering through crucial decisions. Many of those decisions may not come this season, but eventually, you will have some tough ones to make from the top down. Sticking with the Cubs minor league system, you could make the case that this is where some tough decisions will come from. With three teams having a ton of success in 2023, there will surely be a roster crunch at every level, forcing management to make tough decisions. One of those decisions could hinder Connor Noland and just the overall growth he can show in 2024. A ninth-round pick by the Cubs in 2022, Noland has had an interesting career, to say the least, and one that travels back to his college days. Like most prep athletes, Noland was a two-sport star in high school, succeeding on the football field and baseball diamond. That alone got him looks at both sports before he ultimately chose to attend Arkansas. During his freshman season, Noland was about as busy as one can imagine as he played in four football games that fall before getting back to work on the baseball diamond. He had a good season as the Razorbacks reached the College World Series in 2019. The following two seasons were anything but golden for Noland as he missed most of the 2020 season due to COVID before missing a large chunk of 2021 with a forearm injury. Eventually, Noland returned to the field late in 2021 but was inserted into a bullpen role before stepping back into the rotation for 2022. Stepping back into the rotation for the first time in over two years, Noland made the most of his opportunity, going 8-6 across 19 starts and posting a 3.65 ERA. Noland tossed 116 innings, roughly six innings per start in those starts. He walked 34 and struck out 113, as command was never an issue for him. Looking at his entire body of work at Arkansas, Noland appeared in 52 games, with 41 coming as starts, and posted a 14-11 record with a 3.85 ERA. Most scouts looked at his 56BB/208K ratio, and his overall body of work landed him in the Cubs system with a ninth-round selection. The 6-2, 215-pound Noland would be tested as the Cubs elected to push him straight to South Bend instead of seeing him pitch at Myrtle Beach. This comes after he took the summer of 2022 off to work on things at Mesa, and although his results weren't the best this season, you need to look at his overall development and body of work as a pitcher. Noland led South Bend with 23 starts on the mound and threw 108 innings. While the 1-8 record wasn't good, his 4.08 ERA was solid enough, as many of the losses were not his fault due to a lack of run support in some of his outings. As expected, his command continued to be the focal point for Noland as he walked only 22 hitters all season while striking out 86. That is far from an overpowering pitcher, but it is someone who knows how to pitch, so he attacks hitters by throwing a ton of strikes. Despite not being an overpowering arm, Noland does keep the ball down, and a lot of the contact he surrenders comes on the ground. That is ideal for pitching at Wrigley Field, and it could be one of the things the Cubs liked about him. When it comes to pure stuff, Noland isn't going to be a front-of-the-line arm as his fastball typically sits in the 90-91 MPH range, but that doesn't mean he can't last in this game. Not to put him on the same pedestal, but Noland and Kyle Hendricks are very similar on the mound, and you saw how Hendricks had made most of his career. Like all soft tossers, to complete it in this game, you need to have an excellent command, which he does, but his fastball is more of a set-up pitch to his secondary offerings. Having a slider and curveball in his back pocket that sit around 82 MPH, Noland can easily change the eye level of hitters, which leads to a lot of weak contact. His curveball is his best secondary offering right now, even though his slider usage has surpassed it. A velocity bump would go a long way toward his viability as a starter. Still, he could find a home in a multi-inning relief role otherwise, especially if he can develop his seldom-thrown changeup. That is one of his goals for the 2024 season, as the development of that changeup could determine how far he makes it in this league.
