Chicago Cubs pitching prospect wins top honors amid under-the-radar rise

The Chicago Cubs drafted sixteen pitchers—of twenty-one picks—in the 2026 draft. That should tell you everything you need to know about where the organization feels its priorities need to lie.

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It’s impossible to tell right now how many of those 2026 picks will pan out and how long they may need before moving up to the major league level.

In the meantime, Chicago needs pitching if they want to seriously compete for a championship, but there’s just not a lot coming from the upper levels of the organization. Jaxon Wiggins, who was once regarded as the next big pitching thing after Cade Horton, had an off year full of injury concerns and, as a consequence, saw his standing fall considerably.

Frankly, there’s just not a lot going on when it comes to top pitching prospects. And that’s why, when a new name pops up, it garners attention.

MLB Pipeline Cubs pitching prospect of the year

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MLB Pipeline just announced its team-by-team top prospects and at least one of the Cubs’ honorees generated a good amount of pleasant surprise.

Outfielder Josiah Hartshorn being named Cubs position player top prospect wasn’t a surprise at all. His quick and phenomenal rise has been nothing short of amazing. But 24-year-old Brooks Caple taking top pitcher honors was, indeed, eye-catching.

Caple was a ninth-round draft pick in 2024 and had a mediocre 2025, compiling a 4.48 ERA through twenty-one starts in Myrtle Beach and South Bend.

Something clicked for the righty this past season, though, and he turned a corner in his development.

Per Brandon Glick of Cubbies Crib:

“Caple pitched to a 3.09 ERA and 3.66 FIP over 107⅔ innings, most of which were accrued in Double-A Knoxville. Just about everything he did on the mound improved from his first season in the organization, including a better strikeout rate (25.5 to 17.3 percent), walk rate (7.3 to 10 pe), batting average allowed (.213 to .259), and whiff rate (28.1 to 20 percent). He did yield a few more fly balls in place of some grounders, but that’s a small nitpick considering he kept getting better against higher levels of competition.”

Caple’s under-the-radar rise

Currently listed as the Cubs’ No. 9 prospect overall, Caple’s talent has always been evident, but he hadn’t blown anyone away since college. However, MLB.com even noted his potential in their scouting report:

“The shape of Caple’s fastball combined with the extension in his delivery make it very difficult to hit. He works from a three-quarters arm slot and high release point while providing consistent strikes. He’s a potential No. 4 starter if he can maintain his stuff and success against upper-level hitters.”

MLB.com also lists Caple’s big league ETA as 2027, although that seems to be a bit too optimistic considering that he just hit Double-A this past season. But Caple’s arrival is definitely something worth looking forwards to. Actually, any farm system pitching help right now would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

The post Chicago Cubs pitching prospect wins top honors amid under-the-radar rise appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-top-prospects-brooks-caple-josiah-hartshorn/