2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps: Drew Gray
InsidetheCubs.com will review each of the Chicago Cubs’ Top 30 prospects, as ranked by MLB.com at the end of the 2023 season.
No. 15: LHP Drew Gray, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single-A), Arizona Complex League Cubs (Rookie)
Statistics for 2023: (11 games, all starts) 0-3, 4.50 ERA, 34 innings, 22 hits allowed, 18 runs (17 earned), 29 walks, 56 strikeouts, .186 opponent batting average, 1.50 WHIP.
With ACL Cubs (three games) 0-0, 5.68 ERA, 6.1 innings, three hits, five runs (four earned), six walks, 11 strikeouts, .143 opponent batting average, 1.42 WHIP.
With Myrtle Beach (11 games) 0-3, 4.23 ERA, 27.2 innings, 19 hits, 13 runs (earned), 23 walks, 45 strikeouts, .196 opponent batting average, 1.52 WHIP.
Season Transactions: Started season on Myrtle Beach 7-day injured list. Sent to ACL Cubs on June 6 for a rehab assignment. Activated by Myrtle Beach on June 24.
Season Summary: Starting the season on the injured list as he continued to recover from Tommy John surgery kept him from playing a full season of pro baseball for the first time. When he went to Arizona to rehab, he had a high ERA but a low opponent batting average, a strange combination for any pitcher. With Myrtle Beach, he only threw 27.2 innings. But, he dropped the ERA by more than a point, kept the opponent batting average below .200 and saw his WHIP … go up.
Path Through the Organization: Until he came around as a pitcher in the latter stages of his high school career, there were questions about whether he was a hitter or a pitcher. But a stint with IMG Academy smoothed out the pitching enough to get the Cubs to take him in the third round in 2021 and pay him $900,000 in over-slot money. Per MLB.com, there were concerns about his arm, and those seemed to come to pass when he required Tommy John surgery in 2022, which derailed his development.
What’s next: It’s likely that the Cubs will take their time with Gray, as he is only 20 years old and 2024 will be his first full season after Tommy John surgery. MLB.com scouts say his fastball has a 95-mile-per-hour ceiling, and he’s developing a curveball and a slider to go along with it. Look for the Cubs to start him at Myrtle Beach once again next spring and allow him to pitch his way into a promotion to High-A South Bend. If he reaches Double-A Tennessee next season, that would be an exceptional season for Gray.
2023 Chicago Cubs Top 30 Prospect Wraps:
No. 30: Christian Franklin | No. 29: Brody McCullough | No. 28: Kohl Franklin | No. 27: Pablo Aliendo | No. 26: Porter Hodge | No. 25: Luke Little | No. 24: Jaxon Wiggins | No. 23: Caleb Kilian | No. 22: Josh Rivera | No. 21: Luis Vazquez | No. 20: Cristian Hernandez | No. 19: Brennen Davis | No. 18: B.J. Murray Jr. | No. 17: Haydn McGeary | No. 16: Derniche Valdez |
