Roster Move: Cubs sign pitching prospect Jackson Kirkpatrick

Jerry Lai - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Saturday, March 08 2025

The Cubs are no strangers to making flyer deals, as they have made plenty of them this offseason. You could consider Justin Turner a flyer deal and Jon Berti, but the Cubs prioritized pitching depth this offseason by signing three players from Thread Athletics to flyer deals.

It all started with AJ Puckett and was followed by Cole Reynolds and Jordan Goldmann, as the Cubs trust Tyler Zombro with this team's pitching infrastructure. While the Cubs' game against the White Sox was rained out on Friday, Chicago continued to monitor the free-agent market. Jackson Kirkpatrick and the Cubs have come together on a minor league deal for the 2025 season.

The imposing 6-7 right-hander is a relief prospect who finished his collegiate career last season before going undrafted in the Summer. Kirkpatrick didn't pitch for anyone last season, and given that he was still available, the Cubs felt the time was right to get him here and see what he could do.

If the 6-7 frame doesn't excite you, maybe the 250 pounds do, as he is an imposing figure on the mound, which affects hitters at any level. Over four seasons between the University of Indianapolis and Western Carolina University, Kirkpatrick appeared in 29 games (11 starts). In those games, the numbers weren't great, as he combined to go just 1-3 with a 10.23 ERA across 44 innings.

Another massive issue was his command, as he walked 70 and struck out 77, which has to change for him to have success at the professional level. While his college numbers weren't good, Kirkpatrick also spent some time in the summer leagues, appearing in 52 career Summer league games with eight starts.

Once again, the results weren't great, as he posted a 4-7 mark with an 8.72 ERA across 64 innings. Even worse was his command, or in this case, his lack of command, as Kirkpatrick walked 98 compared to just 80 strikeouts. That is a massive concern and marks the biggest question of why the Cubs bothered to bring him in.

Well, for one, you can't coach size, and Kirkpatrick has plenty of size, to the point the Cubs are hoping they can find something worth keeping him around. As is the case with the three earlier signings, Kirkpatrick spent some time with Thread Athletics, and from all accounts, his workouts went well.

Already with an electric arm prior to the camp workouts, Kirkpatrick impressed the scouts as he put together two solid weeks of workouts, which put him on the radar of many teams. Averaging 95 mph consistently with his heater, Kirkpatrick saw an uptick during his workouts and even touched 99 several times.

Mix that with his upper 80s slider, which has the potential to be a wipeout pitch, and there is a reason why many scouts were intrigued by what he saw. While he does appear to have the stuff capable of lasting in the majors, his command has always been an issue, which was the focus of his workouts. All it took for him to find the strike zone was slightly changing the pitch grip, as he looked like a completely different pitcher this summer.

Anytime you throw as hard as he does with solid command, you'll gain the attention of scouts. Kirkpatrick was one of the more impressive workouts throughout the summer. Not only did he improve his command, but he is also starting to show a more complete arsenal when it comes to his pitches, and that alone could be huge for him to stick as a professional player. Look for the Cubs to get him into their pitching lab and maximize his potential.