3. Porter Hodge
The young Porter Hodge is coming off the best season of his professional career, where he pitched well enough to earn a promotion to the High A South Bend Cubs. While splitting time between South Bend and Myrtle Beach, Hodge posted a 2.63 ERA in 24 starts while striking out 141. Hodge credits his breakout performance to the previous offseason where he lost 20 pounds, which resulted in an uptick in his fastball velocity (mid to high 90s).
With a big fastball and a mid-80s slider, Hodge has the makeup of a back-of-bullpen type at the major league level. Similar to Brown, Hodge likely won't be a major league star unless he can develop his changeup over the next couple of years. The 6'4 righty currently sits as the Cubs' no. 22 prospect according to the MLB rankings, and he will likely make it to the majors between 2024-2025. Hodge is entering his age 22 season and will either begin the season in South Bend or AA Tennessee.