Chicago Cubs Prospects: Mid-Season Top 30 Chicago Cubs Prospects (#30-21)

Number 27 

Porter Hodge RHP

Age: 22 Years Old

Level: AA Tennessee Smokies

Joined the organization via: 13th Round Pick in 2019 MLB Draft

2023 Stats: 59.1 IP 5.01 ERA 77/35 K/BB

Hodge is another player on this list that is looking like he may be a reliever, but in the day and age of baseball that we find ourselves in, having a slew of solid relievers with stuff to blow away hitters is more important than ever before. 

He’s got a good fastball that MLB Pipeline has said can touch 98 MPH and a slider that he’s developed more as a sweeper in the Cubs system. His tertiary pitches are a curveball and changeup but if the Cubs determine they’d rather move him quickly through the system and use him out of the pen they could punt those last two pitches and focus on improving that fastball velocity even more in shorter stents and lean on the sweeper as the secondary pitch. 

The Cubs lack power in the lineup and power on the pitching staff. Would I love to see Hodge walk fewer guys or have a lower ERA? Sure. But I love to see him striking out 11.7 batters per nine innings because good teams have guys that can miss bats.