Will Chicago Cubs prospect Jordan Wicks debut in 2023?

With all the buzz surrounding a vastly new and improved Chicago Cubs farm system, It becomes difficult to zone in on one key prospect when so many currently deserve recognition. When it comes to LHP Jordan Wicks, the ceiling is sky-high. Marquee Sports network has noticed, with Jim Callis even saying he wouldn't be surprised to see Wicks make it to the MLB as soon as this season.

To be honest, me neither. Last night, Wicks made his season debut for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies. Wicks fired 3.1 beautiful frames, getting unlucky with some spotty defense behind him. Errors led to four runs, none of which were earned, and he recorded four of his eleven outs via the punchout, including this nasty changeup to put away Chris Shaw:

If Wicks can harness this type of control as the season goes on, he will be lights out and racking up the punchouts quickly. That was an MLB-ready changeup that could have had a lot of major leaguers swinging and missing as well.

Wicks threw 65 pitches in this one, and as the season progresses, you hope that number can get higher and higher. He is also listed on the Cubs' top 30 prospects list at #6, with an MLB ETA of 2023. From a prospect standpoint, he currently sits behind both Hayden Wesneski and Cade Horton among the top pitchers in the Cubs organization.

Seeing how much he excels before the midseason updated rankings come out will be interesting. If Wicks has a shot at making it to the MLB, you'd expect that means he leapfrogs both Wesneski (who may not even be eligible for prospect status at that point) and Horton. In a best-case scenario, Wicks spends little time in Double-A and gets as many innings as possible in Triple-A Iowa to adjust to batters at the highest levels of the minors. Getting to Iowa quickly will be the catalyst for seeing him play for the Cubs this season.