Top 5 Chicago Cubs pitching prospects that have yet to make their MLB debut

The Chicago Cubs have a lot of young and talented arms in their system, as the organization is several years into a top-to-bottom shift toward acquiring and developing pitching. This means we could be at the inception of the team churning out consistent home-grown pitchers who are able to compete at the big league level. Some of these players have already made their big league debuts, like Hayden Wesneski and Caleb Killian, but others are still working their way through the minors trying to earn a call up to Wrigley Field. Here are five of the best arms we could see debut for the Chicago Cubs in the next few years.

5. DJ Herz

8th round draft pick (2019) DJ Herz has climbed his way to the Cubs AA Tennessee Smokies team, where he made nine starts with an ugly 8.24 ERA. However, the first 17 games of Herz's 2023 season were played in South Bend, where he shined with a 2.26 ERA while striking out 99. Hopefully, he can replicate that production in Tennessee in 2023, as the 22-year-old has a lot of potential. He has swing-and-miss stuff with a vanishing changeup, and a diving curveball. Not to mention his mid 90's fastball he delivers crossbody. The young southpaw is looking to get a promotion to triple-A Iowa this year and may get the call in early 2024.

4. Ben Brown

The Cubs' no. 7 prospect is the 6'6 right-hander Ben Brown. Brown was drafted by the Phillies in the 33rd round of the 2017 draft, and traded to the Cubs last August in exchange for closer David Robertson. Brown had an excellent season across the Phillies High A and Cubs Double-A teams, tossing 104 innings with a 3.38 ERA and striking out a staggering 149 batters. Brown's arsenal features a mid-90s fastball that tops out around 98 mph, and a high 80s slider with a powerful curveball to boot.

Brown is trying to introduce a changeup to that mix, and if he is successful, that four-pitch mix could translate well into being a major league starter. As things stand though, Brown could be a lethal weapon out of the bullpen. The Cubs recently added Brown to the 40-man roster to protect the 23-year-old from the rule 5 draft, so there is a chance we see Brown at Wrigley by the end of the 2023 season.

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.

2. Luis Devers

Luis Devers, a young right-handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic, was signed as an international free agent by the Cubs in 2017 when he was just 17 years old. Since that time, Devers has put up four impressive seasons in the Cubs minor league system, giving him an impressive career ERA of 2.50 over 291.2 innings while racking up 290 strikeouts. Although velocity is not his strong suit, as his average fastball velocity floats in the low 90s, he relies on his changeup to deceive and set down hitters.

2022 was his best season so far, as Devers' ERA clocked in at a minute 1.91 in 117 innings, about half of which were with the South Bend Cubs. Devers earned minor league pitcher of the year for his efforts while helping lead the South Bend Cubs to the Midwest League Championship in September. MLB has Devers ranked as the Cubs' no. 26 prospect, but if he continues to dominate like he did last year, I expect he will shoot up that ranking on his way to the bigs.