2023 Season Report Cards: Starting Pitchers Part 3

Wicks was impressive in his rookie season (Matt Marton - USA Today Sports

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Fri Oct 20 10:00:11 GMT-05:00 2023

We are nearly finished with our season report card series as we continue to make our way through the starting rotation. Today will be part three of the starters, also known as the young guns portion of the review. This is filled with talented prospects who all saw time in the rotation, making at least six starts with the team during the year.

Not only will they be counted on in the years to come, but the Cubs continue to emphasize their desire to implement homegrown pitching, and you have started to see that over the past few seasons. While one of the names on this list is technically not homegrown, as he was acquired in a trade, he is still a prospect and one that the Cubs hope can take significant strides next season.

Jordan Wicks

Going back to the 2020 MLB draft, the Cubs have made it a point to stockpile their farm system and do that with a ton of pitchers. Jordan Wicks is one of those guys, as he was the Cubs first pick in the 2021 MLB draft. Typically, it takes a player a few years to reach the majors, but Wicks progression through the system since day one was promising as he reached the majors in August this season.

He's not an overpowering guy by any means; Wicks reminds Scouts a lot of Cole Hamels, especially regarding his change-up. All he did this season was win games, going a perfect 7-0 in the minors with a 3.53 ERA and then going 4-1 in the Majors with a 4.41 ERA across seven starts. That is a combined 11-1 record and a 3.89 ERA for those wondering, which are outstanding numbers. Look for Wicks to be in this rotation come opening day next season, as he will look to solidify the back end.

Grade B: From the moment Wicks arrived at Wrigley, he did nothing but impress, proving to everyone he was well worth the callup. Sure, he had a clunker at the end of the season, and his strikeouts were lower than anticipated, but that is bound to happen when you have a young arm learning the game. He could be the X-Factor in the Cubs rotation next season should he continue to pitch the way he did this season.

Hayden Wesneski

Acquired from the New York Yankees in 2022 as part of the Scott Effross deal, Wesneski immediately found himself as a top 10 prospect in the Cubs system and one of the best pitching prospects they have had. Despite his overall struggles in four appearances with Iowa that season, the Cubs promoted Wesneski for the final month of the season, and he was as good as advertised, going 3-2 with a 2.18 ERA across six games and four starts.

Then came 2023, where Wesneski was expected to be the team's No. 5 starter out of camp and won the job in a landslide after an excellent spring. Once the season started, Wesneski was a shell of himself as his inability to locate his pitches consistently put him in tough spots, while left-handers murdered him for close to a .400 average this season.

Across 34 games this season, Wesneski made 11 starts and posted a 3-5 record with a 4.63 ERA. He also walked 32 batters while striking out 83, as the strikeout ability was still there. Wesneski is one of the many questions the Cubs will have to address next season as they try to figure out what the ideal role for him will be.

Season Grade C-: Most fans were expecting a ton out of Wesneski this season, only to be disappointed. Many factors go into his struggles, but the inability to put away lefties and the fact that he is still a young pitcher could be the biggest reasons for his struggles. Wesneski isn't even 26 years old, and there is a lot of great baseball in front of him. He needs to iron out some of the kinks while the Cubs try to figure out how to maximize his potential on the bump.

Javier Assad

Apart from the back end of the Cubs bullpen, which we will get into tomorrow, the MVP of the Cubs pitching staff was Justin Steele, with Javier Assad as a close second. An International Free Agent pickup in 2016, the 26-year-old Assad has bounced around the Cubs system before finally landing in the MLB the past two seasons.

Assad has pitched in both a starter and relief role throughout his minor league career, going 25-37 across 116 games and 108 starts while posting a 3.95 ERA. That included an 0-1 record this season with a 3.68 ERA across four games. The record may not be great, but he pitched consistently enough to earn a spot on this roster. It was in 2022 when his career changed as he went 5-3 in the Minors while posting a 2.68 ERA.

Since his callup to the Cubs last season, Assad has been outstanding, appearing in 41 games with 18 coming as starts. In those games, he posted a 7-5 record with a strong 3.06 ERA across 147 innings. Any time you can put up those numbers, you will stick on a roster, and Assad is certainly earning his spot on this team.

Grade A-: Talk about a player who turned his season around. After a rough go of things the first month of the season, Assad went down to the minors for a few weeks before returning. He was one of the stories of the WBC this past spring and quickly became a massive weapon in the Cubs pen in June.

Once Marcus Stroman hit the IL, Assad was given an opportunity to start more consistently and delivered when the Cubs needed him most. Expected to pursue at least one starter this offseason, Assad is in a tough spot as he has shown the ability to start, but could be pushed into more of a swing role like Alec Mills once had with this team.