Jaxon Wiggins – Pic via Arkansas Atheltics

And just like that, the Cubs added to their organization. First, it was Matt Shaw, and the second pick is Jaxon Wiggins from the University of Arkansas who missed the 2023 season due to TJS. He has an electric arm when healthy and it’s a big power arm. Wiggins is 6-foot-6 and 225 lbs. and does not look like he will be pitching until 2024. This pick is all about building his arsenal off his electric fastball. Don’t worry about his college stats, those don’t matter once he gets pro instruction. He is not going to be that pitcher anymore. I will be excited to see him when he does debut at some point next year.

Just look at the zip on this fastball. It just explodes the last 10 feet.

Here is what Joe Doyle of Future Star Series said of his talents.

When healthy, the fastball is the bread and butter here, touching triple digits, generally settling in north of 95 across every start. Wiggins averages north of 20 inches of induced vertical break too, so it’s really exploding out of his hand. Wiggins gets hitters to chase and whiff the heater better than just about anyone in the country. In the past, he’s has hardly veered away from the fastball, but his changeup has been the most dangerous secondary. When it’s competitive, hitters have almost no chance given the heater-heavy scouting report. That said, it’s too often been a pitch he lacks feel and control for. Wiggins has flashed a slider, but it’s a work-in-progress. Command and secondary weapons are the big question marks here. The floor is probably a hard-throwing reliever with a bat-missing fastball. The ceiling is much higher if Wiggins ever develops feel for a solid secondary.

As for where he begins his career, he will likely go to Mesa and begin his rehab when Doctors say he’s ready.

We will have a full profile of him later.

I will be live blogging the draft tomorrow all afternoon. Just keep clicking that refresh button all day long as rounds 3-10 will roll beginning at 1. I will start blogging at noon, though.

With two totally different picks in tow, it will be interesting to see where the Cubs go from here at 81. I can only think of one pick at a time right now. Lots of good names available like Cam Johnson and Tanner Witt.