You know, he is tall, big, left-handed starting pitcher and he could end up being very good. So yeah, Jordan Wicks could be the next Jon Lester. Logic checks out. Thank you for coming to my TED Talk.

It took, maybe a little longer than what most fans wanted, but Wicks is now looking like a legit pitching prospect not just at the top of the Cubs minor league system, but maybe by the summer he'll finally get more respect in top-100 prospects lists. The lefty's latest start continued his dominance at Double-A.

Jordan Wicks Un-Hittable Again

Jordan Wicks has made six starts this season for the Tennessee Smokies and in three of his last four outings he's either allowed one hit or none. That was the case on Sunday, when the left-hander tossed five more no-hit innings, striking out four, while walking one hitter. On April 26, Wicks threw five no-hit innings, striking out seven and walking one.

Wicks, who turned 23-years-old last September, may be on his way to Triple-A soon to join his former Double-A teammate Ben Brown.

After not giving up an earned run against the Rocket City Trash Pandas, Wicks lowered his season ERA to 2.39 in 26.1 innings. His last four starts have been incredible at Double-A, as Wicks has allowed a total of three earned runs after he gave up four runs in 2.2 innings in his second start of the season.

Jordan Wicks Last 4 Starts At Double-A
20 Innings Pitched, 1.35 ERA, 0.60 WHIP
30.6 K%, 6.9 BB%, 22 K, 5 BB, 3 ER, 1 HR, 7 H

And yes, there have been a few bad starts here and there, but Wicks has pretty much been a great pitcher at Double-A since the beginning of August 2022. Going back to Aug. 2, 2022, Wicks has made 12 starts for the Smokies and he has recorded a sub-2.50 ERA in nearly 50 innings.

Jordan Wicks Last 12 Starts At Double-A
47.1 Innings Pitched, 2.47 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
31.1 K%, 8.8 BB%, 60 K, 17 BB, 13 ER, 4 HR, 32 H

Wicks was taken with the 21st overall pick in the 2021 draft out of Kansas State and the left-handed pitcher wasn't necessarily drawing high grades from scouts. His selection was seen as a safe pick by some and bad by several others based on the perceived low ceiling that Wicks could have in the majors.

Now, after adding some velocity to his fastball, Wicks is showing why the Cubs took him in the first round a few years ago. Of course, just because someone looks great in Double-A doesn't equate to an automatic major leaguer, but it has been good to see Wicks taking significant steps in his development since the summer of 2021.

The Cubs have already promoted Ben Brown up to Triple-A in late April and it wouldn't be surprising to see the organization do the same with Wicks within the next handful of weeks. It is also important to point out that one of the reasons the Cubs may be ready to see Wicks at the next level in the minors is so they can see what the pitcher looks like without the new sticky stuff that's being tested at the Double-A level this year.

So yeah, Jordan Wicks, Jon Lester, heard it here first. If he's not, then hey, can't always be right.