Jackson Ferris – Picture by Stephanie Lynn
As someone who gets to cover South Bend up close for the better part of 4 months, it’s always fun looking ahead to the players I’m going to see next summer. It doesn’t matter if it’s outfielders, infielders, the bullpen or the starting rotation, it’s fun to think about what it could be. But in 2024, South Bend is going to be an exciting affiliate to watch as they will probably have five top 30 prospects, including two of which are left-handed pitchers. So let’s roll with taking a look at the starting pitching rotation in South Bend.
On paper, this is going to be one of the youngest rotations South Bend has ever had. They are going to have two high school draft picks out of the 2022 draft class along with another high school pick out of the 2021 draft class. As well, there will be an international flavor along with possibly another pick out of high school in the 2020 draft. I’m pretty pumped about it.
Jackson Ferris looks like he’s going to be the anchor of the rotation for the first half of the year. The 6‘5“ lefty out of IMG Academy surprised many when he was called up to Myrtle Beach early last spring. He flashed a load of mid-90s fastball and a developing curve. But he also had this presence about him. It’s hard to describe. For just being a 19-year-old kid, he flashed a lot of poise and calm out on the mound far beyond his age. Ferris struck out 77 batters in 56 innings. I would expect him to push 90 innings this year.
I also like what I saw from Drew Gray last summer in Myrtle Beach as he rebounded from Tommy John surgery. Gray was kept on a short leash. He only pitched 36 innings, but struck out 56. That’s a bit unreal for any 20-year-old making his pro debut. I would imagine that the Cubs are going to keep him on a short leash until it warms up in the Great Lakes region, which should be sometime in early to middle May. At that point, the chains will probably come off and they’ll build him up to about 80 pitches a game by the end of June.
For righty Luis Rujano, he was one of the bigger surprises of the 2023 season. Heading into the year, I was certain that he would start the year in extended spring training and he might be up in the second half of the year. I did not foresee him dominating in the bullpen the first month of the year and then getting a starting rotation position, one which he never relinquished. His first four starts in July saw him put up a 1.32 ERA. August was just about as good as he had a 1.98 ERA in five starts. For the year he had 56K’s in 52.2 winnings. He’ll be 21 all of next season and I am excited to see him just to find out how he handles the step up.
One of the biggest surprises of last spring was the relief pitching of Marino Santy. He flashed a plus-plus curveball early on and then was moved into the starting rotation. Santy never looked back. The 21-year-old lefty threw 75 innings and struck out 100 with a 3.12 ERA. Just based on how he finished the second half of the year, the likelihood that he will be in the rotation again is pretty good. He’s also getting some consideration for prospect lists, especially from Baseball Prospectus.
I have mentioned this at least a dozen times, but I’m going to mention it again. I just love the way the ball comes out of Koen Moreno’s hand. There is a certain effortlessness to his delivery that points to his true athletic nature. It looks like the future 22-year-old is back on track for a positive career after being taken in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. What I love most about Moreno’s 2023 season was that he was in the strike zone more often. In addition, I was all-in on him moving from role to role with the Pelicans. He went from being a middle relief guy to a long man/piggyback guy to a starter. For the year, he had a 2.90 ERA in 71.1 innings with 79 strikeouts. He walked 57 guys but had a much lower rate on the year before. In fact, he had a couple of months with single-digit walks as well as a batting average against of .224 last year. As for 2024, I’d like him to be a part of that rotation, but I’m not sure that there’s a spot for him as of today with all of the college arms the Cubs have.
Kevin Valdez is going to surprise some people in South Bend this year when he arrives. If he makes the opening day roster, the young 22-year-old right hander will be coming off of a season where it was very hard for hitters to square him up. In Myrtle Beach, it was just a .157 batting average against. What I like most about Valdez is that he is still learning. 2024 will just be a third season in the system. That first year saw him start in the Dominican, and he ended the season with a rare promotion to Arizona. He started out 2023 in Arizona and then made his way to Myrtle Beach. Part of me thinks he’s going to start the year in Myrtle Beach again next year as he only made 7 starts there but he had a 3.09 ERA in his Pelican tenure. Tough call right now.
Tyler Schlaffer missed all of 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery shortly after he was promoted to South Bend lead in 2022. I’ll be interested to see just exactly how the Cubs handle him. Will he be starting and going a couple of innings per game for a couple of months? Will the Cubs keep him back in Arizona until June? Will the pitch count last all season? And is he going to be the starter or the piggybacker? Lots of stuff to find out about his future.
This staff is going to be lit!
The Wild Card
Will Sanders could start the year in South Bend, or he could debut in Myrtle Beach. It’s uncertain as to where he will go. Just based on his experience, South Bend might be the place for him to begin his pro career in 2024. If he does, I’ll be there to document it. But again, the Cubs let Cade Horton start in Myrtle Beach and then he worked his way up the system finishing at Tennessee. So there’s a couple places that Sanders and his nasty stuff can go next year. I am 100% certain I’m going to see him in June and July when I do most of my traveling. I’m excited to see just how polished of a pitcher he is and just what kind of stuff he brings to the mound when he does make a start. I thought when the Cubs took him on draft day that it might’ve been the pitching steal of the draft and it still may be.
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