(670 The Score) Left-hander Jordan Wicks has felt the benefits of the Cubs’ pitching lab since the team drafted him at No. 21 overall in the first round of the amateur draft last summer.
“You learn about analytic stuff early in college,” Wicks said. “But you don't really understand the meaning of it or what to put emphasis on. Here, they actually teach you about it and at the same time they say what it means. They say, ‘This is what you are looking for, this is what you want.’ It's a big help.”
Wicks worked on his spike curveball in the offseason, in which he tucks his index finger off the ball and applies pressure with his other fingers. He found a comfortable grip that’s working well.
“I didn't realize it, but I kind of transitioned into the spike curveball,” Wicks said. “It's kind of a soft spike. It’s using the finger on the pad as opposed to the fingernails. So the (index finger) is like a placeholder for the pitch.”
Wicks has also been working on his slider with Cubs coaches, with the goal of adding more lateral movement to it. A new grip has helped him accomplish that, and he has been encouraged by his progress on his breaking balls. The changeup in his arsenal was already considered big league-ready when he came out of Kansas State.
"The first thing you do as a young pitcher is learn to establish throwing strikes with all of your pitches," Wicks said. “None of the hitters are going to swing at anything unless you establish that. They will just not chase your stuff out of the zone until you can do that. I learned that early on about hitting spots. There is a lot of emphasis on throwing hard and velocity. In my case, I take pride in the fact I learned how to pitch first. I just let the weight room and long toss take care of the velocity aspect of it.”
Wicks isn’t concerned with receiving too much intel or overthinking while on the mound as he takes the next step in his professional career. Wicks ended the 2021 season at high Class-A South Bend.
“I do a good job of funneling in what I need and what I don't,” he said. “I can handle the information, but credit to (the Cubs staff), they do a really good job of supplying you with all the information and can look at it and say, ‘This is what I like and this is what I choose not to use.’ The Cubs people are 100% OK with that. I feel I communicate really well with them. That is all they really ask for.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.