Chicago Cubs Top Prospects: Midseason Top 30 Chicago Cubs Prospects (#10-6)

Number 7 

Jordan Wicks LHP

Age: 23 Years Old

Level: Triple-A Iowa Cubs

Joined the organization via: 1st Round Pick in 2021 MLB Draft

2023 Stats: 71.2 IP 3.89 ERA 82/25 K/BB

Jordan Wicks was our choice for the best pitcher of the first half at AA Tennessee. He’s never been as dominant with the strikeouts as some of the players you’ve already seen on the list or others you will see later on the list, but he’s also had much more control than a lot of those pitchers as well.

Wicks is striking out 10.3 batters per nine innings so far this season which is pretty close to his career averages. In the minors he’s averaged 10.8 and in college he averaged 10.2, so the 10.3 just goes to show his remarkable level of consistency. To go along with that consistency with the strikeouts he’s also been very consistent at keeping his BB/9 under three as well.

He’s struggled a bit since making the jump to Iowa, which was to be expected. He was exceptional at Double-A, with a 3.39 ERA over 58.1 innings and he kept his BB/9 at 2.9. That being said, since arriving in Iowa he’s seen that number creep to 4.1 which, if the season ended today, would mark the highest such mark of his young career. 

Similar to DJ Herz and some other pitchers earlier on our list, Wicks has never been deployed as anything other than a starter. That makes sense considering his stuff isn’t super overpowering and he’s the kind of pitcher that gets better as the game wears on, but it says something about the makeup that the Cubs believe he has. 

In an ideal world, Wicks isn’t someone we’re considering coming up this summer unless there are significant issues pitching-wise. Even with losses of Marcus Stroman or Drew Smyly at the deadline, there are at least two guys ahead of Wicks in the pecking order in Ben Brown and Hayden Wesneski. Still, don't rule out seeing the southpaw at Wrigley at some point in 2024.