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3. Brody McCullough
Back in August, Lance Brozdowski made a shocking decision at the time on Marquee's The Road to Wrigley series by putting two peculiar pitching prospects within the top 10 of his Cubs prospect ranking. One was the aforementioned Brandon Birdsell, who ended up actually landing in the MLB Pipeline top 10 and was named the team's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. The other, however, was Brody McCullough, whom the analyst ranked at #10, just behind Birdsell as the third-best pitcher in the farm system. Unlike Birdsell, however, he remains at #23 on Pipeline for a key reason.
McCullough has one glaring downside thus far — his health. Since being drafted in the tenth round in 2022, he has managed only barely over 100 pro innings thus far and underwent knee surgery after the 2023 season. 2024, in particular, was a rough year for the right-hander as he suffered a lat strain that cost him most of the year. Losing nearly a full season of development as a 24-year-old is not great, and it's precisely why he's slipped under the radar for most in 2025.
The big righty seemed to be on the brink of a breakout season before the injury bug bit him again. Boasting a 92-94 MPH fastball that could reach 95-96, he earned a quick promotion to Double-A Tennessee after dominating High-A hitters with a 1.69 ERA and 3.09 FIP in 10 2/3 innings. He seemed primed to ride the momentum with his lone start being a four-inning, seven strikeout affair with only one earned run. Alas, the lat strain hit and shut him down before he could really put himself on the radar.
Heading into 2025, McCullough is looking to bounce back now that he's healthy and continue what he started. He already has a strong floor established from 2023, when he posted a 3.44 ERA, 3.17 FIP, 11.26 strikeouts per nine and 3.23 walks per nine in 86 1/3 innings between Low and High-A. Alongside a fastball that plays up with its unique arm slot, he's tied with Wiggins for the best changeup in the system at 50 by MLB Pipeline's scale. It remains to be seen how he'll respond in his return from injury, but he deserves a bit more attention throughout that process, considering the trajectory he was on.