MLB Pipeline pours praise on a Cubs pitching prospect we could see in 2026

With all eyes on Cade Horton as Cubs fans wait to see how he follows up his breakout second half from last season, the wait may be shorter than you think before the next big Chicago pitching prospect takes the mound at Wrigley Field.

Jaxon Wiggins, the Cubs' second-round pick out of the University of Arkansas in 2023, is quickly climbing prospect rankings across multiple outlets and is a potential big-league call-up candidate this summer, assuming he's healthy. The right-hander missed some time last year with some shutdowns, but was sharp, working to a 2.19 ERA across 78 innings of work, split between High-A South Bend, Double-A Knoxville and Triple-A Iowa.

In its preseason right-handed pitching prospect rankings, MLB Pipeline ranked Wiggins at #9, placing him among the best up-and-coming young arms in the game. One attribute, however, drew especially high praise: his ability to run his upper-90s fastball past opposing hitters.

The piece graded out Wiggins' fastball at a 70 on the scouting scale, tied for top marks with the likes of Bubba Chandler (PIT), Andrew Painter (PHI), Seth Hernandez (PIT), Jonah Tong (NYM) and Carlos LaGrange (NYY). How well (and consistently) he locates that pitch, as well as his secondary offerings, will determine how quickly he could push past Triple-A and knock on the door at Wrigley Field.

Jaxon Wiggins, Cade Horton offer chance for Cubs to buck recent trend

It's been years since the Cubs drafted and developed impact starting pitchers. The combination of Horton and Wiggins looks like their first real chance at doing so in some time - and with a ton of rotation turnover on the horizon at season's end, the timing couldn't be better.

Jameson Taillon and Shota Imanaga are both free agents at the end of the 2026 campaign. Justin Steele is set to hit the open market after 2027. The Cubs and Matthew Boyd have a $14.5 million mutual option for '27 and a club option for Colin Rea, but if Horton and Wiggins deliver, there's a clear path to both of them grabbing rotation spots heading into next spring.

This year, it's about health and consistency. Wiggins, in particular, has never pitched more than the 78 innings he tossed in 2025 - in either his college days or as a pro - so building a big workload will be important for the young right-hander if he wants to prove he can handle being a member of an MLB starting rotation.