Drew Gray – Picture by Stephanie Lynn

This is a tough decision. Trying to think of a pitcher who will be dominant the whole year in the minors is tough. That guy is not going to be Cade Horton. Horton should be up in Chicago by mid-summer and will likely be ineligible based on that one prerequisite. The same is true for the newly-promoted Ben Brown. That leaves the door open for a lot of other arms to make a name for themselves. Guys like Brandon Birdsell, Michael Arias, Drew Gray, Marino Santy, Will Sanders, Jaxon Wiggins, and many more will be in play.

Last Year’s Winner: Cade Horton

Greg Zumach

The feedback on Jaxon Wiggins is that he could have a strong season, but I still could see his first season back from Tommy John surgery leading to some consistency issues. We saw some consistency issues from Drew Gray last year as he came back from Tommy John. But I think Gray has a real shot to take off in 2024. He generates impressive whiffs already and in his second season back after TJS it feels like it’s his year.

Todd Johnson

This award comes down to two names for me. One is Brandon Birdsell, and the other is Will Sanders. If not for Cade Horton last year, Birdsell would’ve been the Cubs Pitcher of the Year in 2023. He finished a close second. Brandon will begin this year at AAA with a good shot of being in Iowa in the middle of the year. 

For Sanders, I’m not sure where he’s going to start this year. Odds are, Myrtle Beach is an option just like it was with Horton back in 2023. If that’s the case, we should see Sanders do similar type stuff and end up at Tennessee at the end of the year. Doing so, he is going to make mincemeat out of the Carolina League with his experience and  talent. Even if he starts in the South Bend, which would probably be a little more challenging, he still gonna end up at the same place. So it’s six of one and a half dozen of the other. Either way, he shouldn’t have any issues until he gets to Tennessee and that might even just be a speed bump. As a result, I am rolling with Sanders.

Greg Huss

There’s a reason why Todd chose Birdy and Will Sanders — they make all the sense in the world if you’re placing bets on this award. I’ll go a different direction and be a little hopeful in my pick: Drew Gray. The reigns will be loosened a bit as he is further removed from his Tommy John surgery, he’ll likely spend the majority of the year in South Bend, and he’s got nasty stuff.

I might be digging a little too deep here but I’d imagine there is a little part of the Cubs front office that felt more comfortable moving on from young lefty Jackson Ferris in the Michael Busch trade knowing what they had in Gray. I’m really excited to see more than just flashes — instead, some legitimately production.

Rich Biesterfeld

Like Todd and Greg Huss, I had to consider Brandon Birdsell for this category as he put up very good stats in 2023 and his unusual short-arm delivery makes hitters uncomfortable. But I decided to go with my first thought and that was Drew Gray. I watched him in his professional debut in 2021 in the ACL. I wasn’t familiar with Drew before that start, but after watching his pitches and his mound presence, I thought for certain he was a college pitcher and not a recent high school grad. His pitch counts were very limited in 2023 as he was building up strength following TJS but he should have more latitude to go deeper into games this year. I’m looking forward to seeing him build off of the talent he flashed in 2021 and 2023.