Cubs Draft Another Arkansas Player With Risky Second Round Pick

All right, to be fair, most draft picks in baseball are risky.

After selecting Matt Shaw with the 13th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs grabbed right-handed starting pitcher Jaxon Wiggins with the 68th pick in the second round. The Cubs did not have a second round pick of their own, losing it after signing Dansby Swanson as a free agent, but they did receive a compensatory pick because Willson Contreras signed a free agent deal with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Wiggins, 21, pitched at the University of Arkansas during his college career. There was a chance that the right-handed pitcher could have been a first-round pick this year, but unfortunately Wiggins did have Tommy John surgery in February, forcing him to miss the entire 2023 season.

Via MLB.com.

A healthy Wiggins sported some of the best fastball velocity in college baseball, sitting at 94-97 mph and peaking at 99, though his heater can get straight and is vulnerable when he doesn't locate it well. He can get swings and misses with a mid-80s slider that reaches 89 mph with two-plane depth, as well as a mid-80s changeup with fade and tumble. He toys with a downer upper-70s curveball as well. 

The key for Wiggins is control and command, and he has the athleticism and delivery to be average in both regards. But he has a history of falling behind in the count, not having the trust to land his secondary pitches and overthrowing his fastball. His encouraging progress this fall had scouts hoping he was on the upswing before learning the Razorbacks would lose their projected ace for the second straight year, with a similar fate befalling Peyton Pallette in 2022.

During his freshman season with Arkansas, Wiggins appeared in 17 games, but only started four of them. The right-hander struck out 28 batters in 23 innings, but also walked 14. In 2022, Wiggins made 15 starts and two additional appearances as a reliever. He once again put up strong strikeout numbers, 82 K in 66 innings, but Wiggins also had the same problem giving up free bases, as he walked 43 batters.

Shaw, the Cubs' first round pick, should be assigned to a minor league affiliate before the end of 2023. So, that should be something to look forward to in this year's draft class for the Cubs. However, with Wiggins, fans aren't really going to be seeing much of him on the mound for a while. He had Tommy John surgery in February, and while every player responds to that procedure differently, the Cubs are certainly going to take it easy on their new drafted player.

And a fun tidbit here, Wiggins became the fourth player from Arkansas to get drafted by the Cubs since 2021.

So, another fun project for the Cubs pitch lab in Jaxon Wiggins. A good fastball and solid secondaries is a nice foundation to start from.