NEWSLETTER
Great news tonight, as the Chicago Cubs have now signed the last member of their 2020 draft class, third round outfielder Jordan Nwogu.
https://twitter.com/jg500087/status/1285704600079806464
The former Michigan slugger showed huge power, great speed, and tremendous production, but a unique swing and questions about his defensive ability left him there in the third round for the Cubs.
Here’s what Bryan had to say about Nwogu after the draft:
Best asset: This combination of brute strength and surprising athletic agility is rare for the baseball diamond. Nwogu crushes baseballs that he barrels up, and is just tapping into power that can be special. He’s also consistently produced results on the diamond, even while changes were being made to his swing behind the scenes. He’s a smart and passionate guy that takes to coaching well. This was a consistent theme all draft.
Development area for Cubs to focus: Finding a swing that best allows him to access his power. Michigan is a fantastic baseball program, and they clearly worked on Nwogu’s swing over the years, as you’ll see below. That final swing in the video is so different than the rest (he deliberately loads up, transfers so much more weight, and his contact point is much better). I think the Cubs are probably excited about those changes … while also having a few more things in mind with which they can tinker. I think the connection from his lower body/hips to his upper body/hands still could use improvement, as I broke that last swing down frame by frame. I’d expect a higher loft angle to be a goal, as well.
Here are some swings over time from Jordan Nwogu, borrowed from our friends @TheProsPipeline @d1baseball @2080ball @tedcahill. The first two from 2019. The third from Feb 2020, the last from Nwogu’s final weekend. Lots of changes to set-up and load, clearly takes well to coaching pic.twitter.com/HctcKasm51
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) June 12, 2020
The Cubs invested a lot in building a hitting program, with coaches meant to carry out technical analysis. Nwogu will be a great test case for that department.
Stat factoid: Despite a pretty difficult non-conference schedule before the shutdown, Nwogu was showing real improvements in his contact rate. After striking out in 21% of his at-bats in 2019 as a sophomore, Nwogu struck out just 11 times in 68 at-bats (16%) in his shortened spring.
Development schedule I’d expect: I’d expect Nwogu starts in Low-A next year, with the hope that he hits enough to finish the season in High-A. But the instruction that he receives, and the development of those changes, will dictate if maybe he can skip the South Bend stop up the ladder.
