Chicago Cubs Prospect Profile: Jaxon Wiggins |
Prospects are a dime a dozen in today's MLB game, and most of them never pan out. That is why so many organizations are okay with parting with their top prospects; they would rather invest in proven players than players who may or may not hit.
The Chicago Cubs don't think that way, and they value their prospects far more than any other organization does, to the point where it does get old. It almost seems as if the Cubs expect all of these guys to pan out, which is an idiotic way of thinking. Knowing what the Cubs have been talking about this offseason and how they continue to work on some invisible budget, the Cubs better hope their top guys pan out, as that may be the only way for them to improve their team. On a brighter note, if that is what the Cubs are banking on, they are in good shape. Their top-10 prospect list is about as good as you can get, with eight of their top 10 landing in the top 100. That is more than any other organization, and it's a big reason why the Cubs have had one of the best farm systems in the game for several years. Even the ones inside the top 10 but not in the top 100 have top-100 potential, including their No. 10 prospect, Jaxon Wiggins. Taken in the second round of the 2023 MLB draft, the former Arkansas Razorback is an imposing figure and stands at 6-6, weighing 225 pounds. One of the better pitching prospects coming out of High School in Oklahoma, many were surprised to see him go to college as he enrolled at the University of Arkansas. The reasoning behind that was simple: Get as much work as possible to improve your draft stock. Sometimes, things don't go according to plan, and after posting an ERA north of 6.10 in his first two seasons, Wiggins saw his draft stock plummet to an all-time low. One season later, Wiggins missed the entire season as he underwent Tommy John surgery. That alone would air on the side of caution for most teams, but not the Cubs, who continued to see value in him and landed him in the second round on a 1.4 million dollar contract. As expected, Wiggins went on to miss the duration of the 2023 season, putting his MLB debut on hold until 2024. Once he finally took the mound, you started to see his potential as he climbed through three levels before finishing the season with South Bend. Wiggins went on to pitch in 18 games, all of which started, but he was limited to just 59 innings as the Cubs were going to watch his workload. Wiggins flashed plenty of potential during those outings, and he finished the season 3-6 with a 4.37 ERA. Those numbers aren't going to jump off the page, but his 71 strikeouts will, as does his .196 opponent batting average. What stands out about Wiggins is how easily the velocity comes out of his hand. His fastball consistently sat in the 95-97 MPH range. There were even times with South Bend when that fastball touched 99 MPH, as he is one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the organization. While his fastball is well above average, it's his ability to throw strikes with his offspeed stuff that makes him a top-10 prospect. The slider is the better of those offspeed offerings, as it sits around 87 MPH and misses plenty of bats. He also adds a fading changeup similar in velocity and has even developed a curveball, which will be something to pay attention to next season. All of that bodes well when it comes to being an impact guy, but none of that will happen if he can't locate his pitches. Although Wiggins improved as the season went on, he has always had a difficult time commanding his arsenal, and that will remain a concern until he figures it out. A lot of that stems from falling behind early in the count, as he tends to overthrow his fastball in those situations and ditch the breaking ball. When that happens, hitters aren't going to chase your offspeed pitches, and that makes you a one-dimensional pitcher. The biggest positive is that similar to 2022, when his elbow gave out, Wiggins is making plenty of progress regarding his command, and you saw that late in the season. Not only were his walk rates down, but his strikeout numbers started to go up as he was dominating at times. Given his overall potential, Wiggins is a name to watch going forward, especially regarding trades.
