Chicago Cubs Minor League Pitchers of the Month: August 2026

[Jeremy Tecktiel]

Image courtesy of © Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With the last full month of the minor-league season now behind us, let’s take a look at a few arms in the Chicago Cubs' farm system that are finishing the season strong and heading into the offseason with some confidence.

Ranking Cubs' Best MiLB Pitchers In August

Honorable Mention: Dawson Netz - RHP - Knoxville

An undrafted free agent last season, Netz worked his way to AA in his debut season and has remained there this entire year. He had been solid all season long but hit a bit of a speed bump in July with a 4.82 ERA, albeit still solid peripheral numbers. He rebounded well in August with a 2.65 ERA in four starts. He had 19 strikeouts to just six walks in 17 innings and limited opponents to a .180 batting average.  

Honorable Mention: Pierce Coppola: LHP - South Bend

Coppola has been in pitcher of the month articles all year until he hit a snag in July with a 4.80 ERA. It was an understandable slide, as it coincided with his promotion to High-A South Bend. His first start on July 10 at that level was less than stellar, but he has allowed more than one run one time since then, including a 2.18 ERA over his five August starts. The towering lefty had a strikeout rate of 22% and a walk rate of 8% while allowing just a .186 batting average against in August.   

Third Place: Brooks Caple - RHP - Knoxville

Last month’s winner of this award, Caple followed up his July with a 2.96 ERA across 24.1 innings of work over five August starts. He picked up 22 strikeouts and walked nine while allowing a .227 batting average against. He just topped 100 innings pitched for the season in his last start, a first for Caple. It is really promising to not see him fade at all down the stretch.   

Runner-up: Jostin Florentino - RHP - South Bend

After a dominant showing in Myrtle Beach as a 20-year-old, Jostin Florentino had some of the higher expectations of any Cubs prospect entering 2026. Unfortunately, the young righty has largely struggled to live up to those expectations; coming into the month, he had a 5.68 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, and a 14% walk rate. August was a different story entirely. In four starts, Florentino had a 2.95 ERA backed up by a 30% strikeout rate and a 7% walk rate over 18.1 innings of work. Even though the year hasn’t gone great overall, a strong finish is just what the doctor ordered. 

Winner: Kohl Franklin - RHP - Iowa

Perhaps the most unlikely of winners of this award, Kohl Franklin is deserving nonetheless. Drafted out of high school, Franklin looked great in 2019, his first full pro season. A combination of injuries and ineffectiveness had made him a bit of an afterthought at this point. He was subpar in 2022 (6.88 ERA in South Bend) and 2023 (5.99 ERA in Knoxville) and had thrown a total of eight innings since then.

He made his first start in Arizona in July before making three starts with South Bend. At the beginning of August, the 26-year-old was promoted to Iowa. He hadn’t pitched in two full years, and had pitched poorly in AA when he last pitched, and he got promoted past Double-A after just four rehab starts. Clearly, the Cubs saw something. Franklin posted a 2.70 ERA in 16.2 innings over four Iowa starts. Franklin had an 8% walk rate and a 25% strikeout rate and allowed a .611 OPS against. A great story of perseverance, here is hoping he can build on this momentum going into next season.

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[Jason Ross]