CHICAGO (104.3 The Score) – Cubs pitching prospect Cade Townsend, the team’s first-round pick in July, always had his heart set on pitching in Cubbie blue. Though his journey took him from Santa Margarita Catholic in California to Ole Miss, Townsend held a strong love for the city of Chicago.
“I don’t think there’s another organization like it,” Townsend said. “I told my agents (the) day before the draft, ‘Get me here no matter what. This is where I want to be.’”
It felt surreal for Townsend to sit in the Wrigley Field dugout Wednesday talking to reporters after going to a few games as a kid back in 2016. Chicago is a special place for him and his family, as it’s where his parents got engaged.
“My parents love this city, like so much,” Townsend said. “I think my mom has cried like 10 times.”
The 21-year-old Townsend isn’t just happy to be here because of his personal connection to Chicago. He voiced a strong confidence in the Cubs’ plans to maximize his development and help him reach his goals as a big league pitcher. In the short period of time since Townsend was drafted in July, the Cubs have already had him make the adjustment of lowering his arm slot as he has gotten to work at their complex in Arizona.
“It’s lowered probably to 55, 56 degrees,” said Townsend, who posted a 3.94 ERA in 14 starts for Ole Miss in 2026. “It’s just going to keep me throwing harder, keep me throwing healthier and just throwing a lot more innings.”
The part mentioned there that will capture the most attention is throwing harder. The lack of velocity in the Cubs’ pitching infrastructure has been a consistent question mark.
Townsend averaged 95-96 miles per hour on his fastball during game action in his college career, so he wasn’t a soft-tosser by any means. Although he naturally doesn’t throw as hard in bullpen sessions, since lowering his arm slot he has noticed his velocity in those sessions jump from 90-91 to 93-94 mph. He has a strong belief that increase will transfer to games.
“I want to average above 96,” he said.
It might be a while before the Cubs fans get to see Townsend on the Wrigley Field mound, but the start of his professional career seems to be one filled with a lot of promise.
Jakob Stutz is a video producer and reporter for 104.3 The Score.
