Neely is likely to start in Iowa but he might have tickets to the bullpen as well. He’s a good prospect with velocity and size.
Jack Neely, No. 47 in your program guide, was acquired by the Cubs last summer, along with Ben Cowles, for Mark Leiter Jr. He has a cool mustache and a good delivery, is 24 years old, and maybe has a future. He’s listed as 6’8” and 245 and blocks out the sun.
Neely’s first MLB strikeout [VIDEO].
He didn’t start things out right, but it got better from there. Neely pitched six innings in all, in 2024 in the Majors, a very small sample size. Spring Training has been kinder to him, so far, except for the home run he gave up, which distends the results in such a small sample.
Neely throws hard, as you’d expect. He throws a four-seam at about 97-98 miles per hour, and a darting slider with a lot of spin. He’s expected to be in Iowa, may get a cup of coffee, according to most projections. Neely, like Ben Brown, is someone who you hear bullpen talk about.
Jack Neely seals the win [VIDEO].
He does have the two pitch repertoire, and doesn’t do a lot of speed-changing. There’s only 7-8 mph between the velocities of his deliveries. If he was to become a starter, one would think that another pitch would be worth pursuing. He could hang out with Caleb Kilian and learn his spinny splitter, or Brown’s Death Ball, which the Pitch Lab teaches.
Neely strikes out the side in his Cubs Triple-A debut [VIDEO].
Even with just the two pitches, Neely can dominate when he locates. Consistent painting would be in his best interest as that’s how you eventually ‘get’ the umpire on your side. If they know you’re around the plate, they’ll be more likely to make the veteran call.
Right now we have him as starter No. 10, but that could change. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him getting leverage late innings at Iowa, for example. Iowa has starting depth, too, especially if Wicks and Brown get sent down to join Horton, probably Poteet, and another member of a cast of thousands.
Everyone’s a comedian. Thanks for reading.