A number of Cubs prospect notes for you today …
Everything we see and hear coming out of Arizona on Cubs pitching prospect Kaleb Wing is so impressive:Absolute bulldog mound presence –works quickly and is on the attack. Gave up a homer and didn’t look remotely phased. Next pitch – just went about his business. Makeup read -> hyper-competitive borderline manic energy on the mound (in a good way). 2/x
Able to land spin in zone or as chase pitches. Likes to back door curve to lefties early in counts. Curve was tight 12/6 breaker with lower crest – LOOKED high spin. 4/x
— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) May 17, 2026Listed at 6’2” 180. Well proportioned, right mix of athletic/loose and strong. Not completely filled out yet. Not the biggest guy but believe he will be strong enough to log SP innings as he fills out. 6/x
— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) May 17, 2026Highest upside arm I have seen on the complex this year. Believe in #2 SP potential. Consistency of breaking ball shapes can be improved. Fastball can be touched lower half and believe more a N/S approach would be ideal. 8/8
— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) May 17, 2026 To put a little more metric-based context on what scouts are seeing from Kaleb Wing:Cubs have massive upside in Kaleb Wing. Pitch shape data from last start:4 sm up to 95.1 in velo, but more, up to 22 IVB (avg 19). Elite ride.Changeup generated 10 whiffs on 14 swings. 60/65 pitch already.Flashing 83-87 mph sliders with massive Max Meyer-ish vertical bite.
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) May 12, 2026 An average of 19 inches of inducted vertical (that’s the “ride” on a pitch, where it’s resisting gravity because of its spin), peaking at 22 inches, for a high school drafted prospect making his pro debut is … nuts. There are just 20 big league pitchers this year averaging more than 19 inches of induced vertical on their four-seamers, and almost all of them are relievers. None average 22 inches or more. Throw in the fact that Wing is apparently so advanced as a pitcher, and I don’t know how to think about him as a prospect, because he was actually late to being a full-time pitcher in high school. I don’t know that he was regarded as “raw” coming out of the draft, but the thinking last summer wasn’t that he was going to show up with THIS much polish. Almost no high schoold draftees do. Speaking of younger pitching prospects who are impressing folks:Career high 8 K's in relief for Mason McGwire! pic.twitter.com/uIrnHDDN0M
— Myrtle Beach Pelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) May 14, 2026 You wonder whether Mason McGwire’s next outing will come at High-A South Bend. He’s a 2022 draftee and 22 years old, but he did miss last season and is Rule 5 eligible after this year. It’s conceivable the Cubs might want to play it conservative even though his results so far at Low-A are extremely strong (1.85 ERA, 38.1% K, 8.2% BB, 0.74 HR/9). And speaking of promotion questions, is today the day Kane Kepley gets the bump to Double-A Knoxville? He was the hottest hitter in minor league baseball last week, per BA:Kane Kepley is the hottest prospect in baseball ?The @SBCubs OF hit .560 last week and went a perfect 8-for-8 on steals.(? @MiLB) pic.twitter.com/5RbKc3I1ov
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) May 18, 2026 Kepley was number one on the Hot Sheet: “Last season, there were inklings that Kepley was one of the more advanced hitters in the minor leagues. After moving to High-A South Bend, he’s building on that reputation. He’s bullying the competition in the Midwest League, including a tour de force over the past week that included hints of his best traits. He makes tons of contact, steals bases with ruthless efficiency and shows the occasional hint of power. He was a perfect 8-for-8 on the basepaths, bringing his total to 23-for-24 on the season and 39-for-44 in his career. He also crushed his first home run of the year.” To me, what’s more important than Kepley’s results in High-A (.313/.494/.443/157 wRC+), at least in terms of the promotion discussion, is that he’s been walking an obscene amount, not striking out at all, running a .365 BABIP, and hitting the ball on the ground 44.2% of the time without a TON of deep-in-the-outfield power. His game is his game, and none of this is a criticism – instead, I’m saying only that it feels like this profile needs more challenging pitching (and defense). Right now, he can just use his extreme plate discipline, contact ability, and speed to eat eat eat. The Cubs need to know where that profile hits a wall a bit, and where/how he can make some adjustments to keep on developing. The ceiling on this kid is so high that I’m eager to see what happens. Similarly, still quite eager to see the guy drafted ahead of him. Ethan Conrad (back injury) still hasn’t made his pro debut. We haven’t really heard anything since spring, either. Recall, he barely played in 2025 at Wake Forest because of the shoulder injury that required surgery, too, so he’s now going on a year between competitive at bats. Sticking with the 2025 drafted outfielder theme, here’s Bryan writing about sixth rounder Josiah Hartshorn:This month’s BA Cubs report is focused on Josiah Hartshorn who, don’t look now, has a 10 BB / 4 K split in May’s first 8 games here. The 19 year old is thoughtful, interesting, and (along with Pedro Ramírez) the biggest story on the farm so far. t.co/rAN8FVydjv
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) May 14, 2026 Maybe at some point, Kepley (to Double-A) and Hartshorn (to High-A) will get the combo promotion. There are several other Low-A bats that could justifiably be moved up, though, too. Ty Southisene got the bump first, and lordy has he raked in his first 12 games at South Bend since coming up from Myrtle Beach: .370/.470/.463/150 wRC+. He’s a smaller guy for whom power is probably going to be the last thing to come, if it comes, and the 55-ish percent groundball rate probably won’t play at higher levels. But if he can keep up the elite contact ability and spray line drives all over, he might be a guy who posts a high enough BABIP to prop up the rest of the line. (It’s similar to the question with Kepley, but there’s a little more projectibility with Kepley’s body, the outfield defense is elite, and he’s a little more advanced overall.) Owen Ayers had absolutely no business throwing out the runner on this pitch, but he did it:You need to see this ridiculous catch-and-throw by Owen Ayers tonight.H/t @ballskwok pic.twitter.com/7o0gBU4ijW
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) May 17, 2026 A sleeper name:Cubs Jubrayker Salaya a sleeper on the AZ complex. 2024 IFA out of VZ. 19 year old projectable righty with good feel for spin. Sat mid 90s, touched 97 and flashed a plus slider. 1/x pic.twitter.com/pwBlFMGZp8
— Jason Pennini (@JasonPennini) May 17, 2026 Some minor league broadcasts coming up this week on Marquee:MiLB action feat. the Iowa Cubs & Knoxville Smokies is coming your way starting tomorrow at noon!Catch it all on Marquee ? t.co/cqHvGSVuG6 pic.twitter.com/9FYxcXI3mF
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) May 19, 2026Hence then, the article about cubs prospect notes wing turning heads kepley taking off promotion questions more was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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