Cubs Draft Blunder Keeps Looking Even Worse

In the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft the Chicago Cubs selected left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Wicks out of Kansas State with the 21st overall pick. With the very next pick the White Sox drafted high school shortstop Colson Montgomery and as we get ready for the 2026 season the Cubs probably want a re-do on that one.

Besides the obvious comparison of the two players, which is hard to ignore as they’re both in Chicago, Wicks’ career has been quite disappointing with the Cubs. It’s a shame because the left-hander made a great first impression when he was called up at the end of the 2023 season, but the first-round pedigree is doing a lot of work to raise Wicks’ value in 2026.

In 2024, Wicks was locked in to the Cubs’ starting rotation, but injuries destroyed his season and now after a year of being overlooked by the organization Wicks has suffered a setback in spring training. Cubs manager Craig Counsell announced on Wednesday that Wicks has been shut down for nearly a week because of inflammation in his left forearm.

Luckily, Counsell said there is no UCL damage and Wicks should be up and ready to go relatively soon. The manager described the timetable for Wicks as being down for days, not weeks.

In 2025, Wicks was never given an opportunity to step into the rotation during the regular season even when the team was desperate for help in the summer. It was odd to say the least as the Cubs seemingly passed over Wicks, a guy who did have flashes of success in the major as a rookie. Instead, Wicks was limited to eight relief appearances and 14.1 total innings with the Cubs.

On the positive side, the 25-year-old had a good year at Triple-A, where Wicks posted a 3.55 ERA in 71 innings of work. The lefty had a 26.1 K% and only allowed four home runs.

The latest setback is a bit more than your surface-level concern. Another forearm issue for Wicks, who missed about seven weeks in 2024 with a forearm strain. He also had a couple oblique strains that cut his 2024 season short.

Even before this setback, Wicks was way down on the depth chart for the Cubs. Now, he’ll have to work even harder to get back healthy and hopefully regain the trust of the organization.

Meanwhile, Montgomery made his MLB debut with the White Sox last season and from the date of his first big-league game through the end of the regular season the left-handed hitter crushed 21 home runs. That ranked ninth most among all MLB players. Montgomery’s 129 wRC+ was good enough for sixth best among all rookies and his 2.7 fWAR was tied for fifth best in his rookie class.

It happens every year. There are some big misses and this one certainly keeps looking worse for the Cubs.