Getting to Know Cubs Draft Pick: Thomas Mangus |
Day Three of the 2024 MLB draft should be known as the pitcher draft, as that was the Cubs' primary goal throughout the day. Despite finding a few hitters with the potential to do big things, pitching was the team's main focus, which continued with their 18th-round selection, making it four straight pitchers taken by the Cubs.
This time, it comes from a lesser-known name and program, Thomas Mangus, who was the Cubs' 18th-round selection and was taken 542nd overall. Another fairly big pitcher looking at his overall body, and the former Navarro College (TX) righty, checks in at 6-3 and 215 pounds with the potential to add even more to his frame. This is one of those rare cases where the Cubs went away from a traditional college approach and instead went the junior route. There is a lot to like about this selection, even if it is more of a long-term play than an immediate impact player. Another pitcher whose velocity isn't considered elite, Mangus still consistently hits 91-93 MPH with his fastball, but there is more to it than that. With analytics becoming increasingly valued in today's game, teams are exploring what spin rate can not only do for baseball but could potentially do for a player. No one is saying that his spin rate alone got him drafted, but there is a great chance it helped, as he has some of the best spin rates in this year's class. Elite spin rates are considered pitches with an RPM of 2350 -2500 and Mangus at 2650. That is very similar to what Shota Imanaga has on his heater, which is why a lot of teams have a tough time squaring him up consistently. To go with his heater comes two secondary offerings, with his slider being the best of the two. Again, another high spin pitch with RPMs close to 2600, his slider can tough 83 MPH and does so with a sharp breaking motion. Mangus also adds a splitter to his mix as that also sits in the 83-84 MPH range and acts more like a change-up than an actual split-finger. Should he be able to put these three pitches together consistently, you are looking at a potential back-of-the-rotation starter throughout the minor leagues, as he has shown the ability to be that guy several times in college. Take his eight-strikeout performance this season, where every pitch was working about as well as it could, making it difficult for anyone to square up. Diving further into this past season, Mangus committed to Oklahoma University before his draft selection and is coming off a season where he punched out 68 hitters in just under 63 innings of work. With one Tommy John surgery under his belt, Mangus has had to change his delivery a bit and now features a much longer delivery than in the past, helping to create a more downward plane on his ball. Now that his rehab process is over, Mangus can focus on becoming the best pitcher he can be. That will be hard, given his commitment to Oklahoma. However, money talks and the Cubs were able to pry him away from the Sooners, as he will now join their organization for the remainder of the summer. I don't expect to see him much this summer, as the Cubs will likely put him in their Mesa Complex and continue working with him on some of his spin rates to see what he can do with those pitches. He will most likely make his professional debut in the 2025 season, and once that happens, his developmental clock will start. RHP Thomas Mangus@ThomasMangus1 | @NavarroBasebal1
FB: 90-93 | 2650 + max rpm
SL: 80-83
SPLT: 83-84
A big time performance yesterday from the @OU_Baseball recruit. In a big series for the top spot in conference, Mangus went CG shutout in Navarro’s 8-0 win. Relied on FB/SL… pic.twitter.com/VVhVlz11dL
