It’s always notable when Chicago Cubs prospects win awards, but I wanted especially to spotlight these two, as they aren’t necessarily Cubs pitching prospects you hear about every day.
First, Double-A starter Porter Hodge – a 2022 breakout arm – really turned it on in May, and wound up winning pitching honors for his league:
Hodge, 22, was a 13th rounder in 2019, and has taken significant developmental steps the last couple seasons (Bryan has been all over him). Regarded by plugged-in folks as a top 20-ish prospect in the system coming into this season, Hodge got the challenging Double-A assignment to open the year (despite throwing just 40.1 innings total at High-A last year). He has definitely been taking some time to adjust to the level jump, but as you can see, his May was incredible.
Hodge is Rule 5 eligible after this season, and given that he’s got a very good fastball and slider already (relief floor), you can expect that the Cubs will add him to the 40-man roster after the season. I’d expect him to spend most, if not all, of the year at Double-A, though. There’s some crowding ahead of him, and there’s nothing wrong with spending a full year at Double-A anyway.
Meanwhile, another less-hyped arm that Bryan has been talking up, Michael Arias, won weekly honors in the Carolina League:
Arias, 21, is getting his first real taste of full-season ball this year (he was a 2021 international signing who’d briefly been in the Blue Jays organization as a shortstop, but the Cubs converted him), and he’s taking to it quite well. Through eight starts, Arias has posted a 3.58 ERA over 27.2 innings, with a 36.1% K rate (16.0% BB).
The fastball is explosive, and it’s not hard to see Arias getting better and better as the season goes on. I wouldn’t rule out a late-year promotion to High-A, in fact.