North Side Baseball's Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month: March/April 2025

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Honorable Mention
RHP Grant Kipp – Knoxville Smokies - 4 GS, 3.12 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 17 1/3 IP, 12 H, 6 BB, 21 K
Kipp made a quick adjustment to life in Double-A ball over his first three starts with the Smokies, going 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA (1 ER/15 IP), totaling 19 strikeouts while issuing just four walks. Kipp tallied at least six strikeouts in all three of those starts and would go on to be named Southern League Pitcher of the Week on April 13. In his last start of the month on April 26, he got hit for six runs, five earned, over 2 1/3 innings, which saw his ERA balloon to 3.12 but the Yale product is still posting a 1.04 WHIP, which ranks tied for sixth among qualified Southern League arms, and is holding opponents to a .200 average at the plate, which is the seventh-lowest mark among qualifiers. His 29.6 percent strikeout rate is more than five percentage points higher than the 24.5 mark he posted at High-A South Bend last season in 10 games, seven starts.

April’s Top 3 Cubs MiLB Starting Pitchers of the Month

3. RHP Nazier Mulé – Myrtle Beach Pelicans - 3 GS, 2.40 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 15 IP, 7 H, 8 BB, 17 K
The Cubs’ No. 26 prospect (MLB.com) made a solid professional debut at Myrtle Beach last season and has continued that momentum into 2025. Mulé, a fourth-round selection by the Cubs in the 2022 MLB Draft, made his organizational debut at the Arizona Complex League last May after missing all of 2023 following Tommy John surgery. After going 1-1 with a 3.95 ERA (19 ER/43 1/3 IP) over 13 games/starts with the Pelicans in ’23, Mulé has gone 2-0 with a 2.40 ERA (4 ER/15 IP) over his three starts, striking out 17 batters and holding opponents to a .130 average. In all three of those outings, Mulé has generated double-digit swings and misses, posting a season-high 14 whiffs on April 24 vs. Kannapolis. Most important during this month, as with most pitchers with electric stuff, has been his ability to cut down on the walks. After issuing walks at a rate of 17.9 percent last season, Mulé has currently brought that number down to 12.5 percent while rocketing his strikeout rate from 18.4 percent to 26.6 percent. If he can continue limit the walks, Mulé is set for a big season.

2. RHP Jaxon Wiggins - South Bend Cubs - 4 GS, 1.10 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 16 1/3 IP, 8 H, 10 BB, 22 K
Wiggins, like Mulé, missed all of the 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery and simply overpowered hitters at Single-A Myrtle Beach in 2024, striking out 26 batters and issuing just five walks in 21 innings of work, holding opponents to a .162 average. Wiggins, who had struggled with walks at Arkansas, faced the same issue after getting promoted to High-A South Bend last July, handing out 19 free passes in 31 2/3 innings. Wiggins still possess an electric fastball following his surgery, sitting at 96-98 mph, and has continued to dominate hitters in the Midwest League this season. The Cubs’ 2023 second-round selection has gone 0-2 with a 1.10 ERA (2 ER/16 1/3 IP), whiffing 22 batters and holding opponents to a .140 average, which would be the second-lowest mark in the Midwest League if he qualified. His strikeout rate in South Bend has jumped from 27.7 percent in 2024 to 32.4 percent so far this season but the walk rate has remained largely the same, making a slight jump from 13.9 percent to 14.7 percent. A promotion to Double-A Knoxville is coming at some point this season but the Cubs would most likely want to see some improved command before making the jump.

The North Side Baseball Cubs Minor League Pitcher of the Month
RHP Cade Horton – Iowa Cubs - 5 GS, 1.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 23 IP, 10 H, 12 BB, 28 K
The Cubs’ No. 2 prospect (MLB.com) could not have gotten to a better start to 2025 after a right lat strain ended his 2024 campaign in May. Horton has been nothing short of dominant with the I-Cubs this season, going 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA (3 ER/23 IP) in five starts, racking up 28 strikeouts and limiting opponents to a .135 average. Horton has been progressively working longer into games as the month has gone on, capping April with his first quality start of the campaign on Tuesday vs. Buffalo, tossing a career-high six innings and allowing one run on three hits, whiffing five batters. Horton has posted at least five strikeouts in all five of his starts, which has seen his strikeout rate reach 32.6 percent, mirroring the 33.5 percent strikeout rate he posted in 2023, when he dazzled at three levels, recording a .996 WHIP and amassing 117 strikeouts over 88 1/3 innings of work. While his walk rate is still fairly high at 14 percent, Horton finishes the month with consecutive one-walk efforts. Finishing April with a career-long outing is a great step forward for Horton, who seems destined to make his Major League debut later in the season.

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