Cubs Promoting Top Pitching Prospect Jaxon Wiggins to AAA

Right-hander Jaxon Wiggins is the Cubs’ top pitching prospect, ranked No. 4 overall, and now he’s just a step away from the big leagues. After breezing through the competition at High-A South Bend and Double-A Knoxville, Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reported that the Cubs are sending Wiggins to Triple-A Iowa.  The 23-year-old has had his workload monitored closely this season, with the Cubs keeping him from pitching in the Futures Game and even withholding him from competition for over a month across part of July and August.

When he finally returned to action on August 24, his first pitch of the game was clocked at 101 mph. Wiggins sat 98-101 mph over three innings of work in his most recent outing on August 30, which should be the last he ever throws at Double-A unless he needs rehab work. The Cubs have kept his outings limited by design and are likely to do the same in Iowa, where he could even work as a reliever.

The Cubs took Wiggins out of Arkansas in 2023, selecting him 68th overall with the first pick of the supplemental second round. Even though the joke doesn’t play, the Cubs surely think it’s quite nice that they were able to nab him when they did. If his trajectory continues as it has over his first two professional seasons, Wiggins could very well be better than Cade Horton.

His fastball is something the organization has never seen from a starter, plus he’s got a filthy slider and a plus changeup. The control could still use a little work, but this is the type of guy who can make up for his mistakes with raw stuff. MLB Pipeline says his ceiling is a mid-rotation starter, which I think sounds a tad bearish even if that’s still very good.

The Cubs don’t need to be in any rush to add him to the 40-man roster, though there’s no need to waste bullets in the minors if Wiggins takes another step forward over the winter. Definitely someone to watch.