Cubs Prospect Profile: Jack Neely |
Each season, there are plenty of prospects that could emerge as X-Factors for their parent club, and the Cubs have plenty of guys who could be X-Factors next season.
One of those is RHP Jack Neely, who checks in at No. 18 on our Cubs Prospect list. The massive 6-8 righty is another one of the reliever-only prospects that the Cubs have, and he made his way to the majors last season. Initially an 11th-round pick in the 2021 MLB draft by the New York Yankees, Neely made his way up the Minor League ranks before being dealt to the Cubs as part of the Mark Leiter Jr. deal last season. It was another one of those under-the-radar trades that Jed Hoyer made that not only helped the Cubs out last season but will reap benefits in the future should he continue to produce. Neely was very active in his three years of college, pitching at three different schools. His career started in Texas before transferring to Iowa Western Community College, and then he finished his career at Ohio State. Even though he bounced around as much as he did, the Yankees still saw something in him to give him a chance as they drafted him in the 11th round and promptly gave him 150,000. More of a swing guy in college who could start and relieve, the Yankees took no chances and immediately put him in a relief role and he has thrived there ever since. Technically speaking, he made his professional debut in 2021, but with only two games under his belt, that season is often forgotten about. It was 2022 when Neely officially got rolling and instantly showed what he could do. Across 38 games that season, Neely posted a 4-1 record with a 3.58 ERA in 50 innings pitched. Neely walked 26 and struck out 87 while locking down seven saves. The strikeouts are what stood out the most from that season, as he ranked fifth in Minor League baseball with a 40% strikeout rate. That is considered elite among statistical standards, and many scouts felt he had closer potential. One year later, Neely was at it again, pitching in a career-best 42 games and topping 66 innings. In those games, he was extremely busy, going 6-5 with a 2.17 ERA and once again saving seven games. As was the case from 2022, Neely continued to rack up high strikeout rates, walking 20 and striking out 100. Knowing what he did in those two seasons, 2024 was supposed to be the next step in his development process, and for the most part, it was. Neely posted a 2.86 ERA across 39 games between the Cubs and Yankees this season, including a 3.12 ERA with Iowa. He converted three of his nine saves with the Cubs before earning a call-up to the majors. Although he dominated Minor League hitting since day one, Neely struggled in the majors as he posted a 9.00 in six games, throwing just six innings. Not only was he hit harder than he had been in the past, but he had a hard time getting ahead of hitters despite walking two and striking out seven. That is to be expected from a young rookie, and the next step for Neely is to come into Spring and be willing to make the adjustments needed to be more consistent. Anytime you have an imposing 6-8 and 245-pound frame, you would think that velocity is your biggest strength. That is the case with a 95-96 MPH heater, but his 86 MPH slider stands out as that is by far his best pitch. It looks like a curveball out of his hand but breaks like a sweeper, making it more of a hybrid breaking pitch than an actual slider. Mix that with his fastball, which gets plenty of arm-side runs, and it shouldn't shock you to see him generate a near 57% swing and miss rate on both of those pitches. That is elite, no matter how you put it, and there is a reason why so many felt he could be a lockdown closer in the future. Could that still happen? Sure, but Neely has a lot of work to do to get to that point, as he is just looking at landing on the MLB roster this season.
