As the Arkansas Razorbacks hope to continue their College World Series dream, one prospect is already garnering a lot of attention from MLB contenders. That would be starting pitcher Gage Wood, who was perfect through at least six innings of play on Monday afternoon against Murray State in Omaha. Wood is, by most accounts, a future first-round pick for some lucky MLB team. The Chicago Cubs in particular could use his services given their lack of young starting pitching at the MLB level.
Of course, the Cubs current predicament isn’t entirely their fault. Injuries to Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga have left Chicago’s rotation in need of an upgrade. Heck, even prior to those injuries, the Cubs were likely to be in search of starting pitching at the trade deadline. Wood wouldn’t make an immediate impact (much like most MLB Draft prospects) but could have a quick road to the majors given his performance in the SEC this season.
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Gage Wood scouting report: What should Cubs fans expect if they draft him?
Per MLB Pipeline, Wood is currently rated as the 50th-ranked prospect in the upcoming draft. Should he choose to go pro – and there is a lot of money to be made for a prospect of his caliber – his CWS performance could carry him into the first round. What Wood does have is one of the best fastballs in this draft class, as he regularly hits the upper-90’s. In fact, his fastball is graded around 70 per MLB scouts. Where he has room to improve are his secondary pitches, which can be said about any pitching prospect going pro. Here’s what MLB Pipeline had to say about Wood’s pro prospects:
“Though his command was sporadic, his combination of stuff and strikes could still land him in the top two rounds…He has the ingredients to succeed as a starter, though he has also had shoulder issues in high school and will have to prove he can handle the workload.”
As MLB Pipeline notes, Wood did come down with a shoulder injury earlier this season at Arkansas. That could knock him down a peg, but his College World Series performance proves that, when healthy, he’s a force to be reckoned with.
Will Gage Wood fall to the Cubs in the MLB Draft?
The Cubs have the 17th pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. Given Wood is ranked as the 50th-overall prospect, he’d have to gain a lot of momentum to be selected prior to Chicago’s pick. Even better for the Cubs, if they were to take him it would likely be at under slot value, meaning they could package more of their overall draft dollars on a high school flyer who would otherwise head to college baseball.
Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins have several directions they could go in the MLB Draft. The best advice is to typically take the best player available. Given that criteria, it’ll be tough to argue against Wood.
