Cubs Prospect Profile: Will Sanders |
It's another day, and it's time to dive into another Cubs prospect, as we have reached No. 24 on their top 30 list. For those keeping track of this series, you may notice that there is no 25th-ranked prospect. Well, that is mainly because Brennen Davis checks in at No. 25, and with him being DFA by the organization, it's unclear where his future lies with this team.
Should he land back in the organization and still be on this list, we will eventually get to him, but until that process plays out, here we are. For the second day in a row, it is time to focus on a pitcher, which the organization has put a lot of effort into recently. It's all about right-hander Will Sanders, who spent the entirety of 2024 with the South Bend Cubs. Drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 MLB draft, the 22-year-old Sanders made his debut this past season and immediately started to show what he could do as a starter. Before we get into his season as a whole, you need to look back at his past. Sanders was a prep star in Georgia and initially threw his name in the 2020 MLB Draft class. Due to the COVID-shortened draft, lots of good players would fall through the cracks, and Sanders was one of those guys who didn't get drafted that summer and thus enrolled at the University of South Carolina, where he began to build up his resume. During his time at South Carolina, Sanders not only built up the strength in his body to round out his massive 6-6 and 230-pound frame, but at one point, he was seen as a first-round pick and was a fast-rising prospect. Then came a foot injury during his final season with the Gamecocks that raised some concerns. Throw in a terrible Spring that same season, and Sanders draft stock began to plummet to the point where the Cubs snatched him up in round four. Looking back at it now, you could make the case that the Cubs may have ended up with the steal of that draft in Sanders, as he is a first-round talent they picked in round four. As much as the Cubs wanted to see him pitch in 2023, they had to wait an entire summer as he debuted with the South Bend Cubs this season. Despite a rough showing at times, going 2-7 with a 4.56 ERA in South Bend, Sanders also showed plenty of potential as he gave the Cubs 96 innings this season, walking 44 and striking out 109. Sanders did allow plenty of hard contact at times, as opponents hit a combined .251 off of him, which will need to be corrected. Despite his massive frame, which makes him an imposing figure, Sanders isn't known for his big fastball, which tends to sit in the 92-93 MPH range. That isn't to say he can't become an overpowering guy at some point, but at this stage in his career, he is fine with being a pitcher first and learning how to get hitters out of his own way. Sanders did see a slight uptick in velocity toward the end of the season as he went with more four-seam fastballs as opposed to two-seamers, and that was getting his velocity to 94 MPH consistently with an occasional 96. However, Sanders is known for one pitch, and he relies on it so heavily that he becomes too dependent on it at times. That would be his slider, which not only sits around 85 MPH but also offers a late and sharp break, making it tough for hitters to square up. Sanders also has an 83 MPH curve and an 87 MPH change in his back pocket, and both of those pitches need to be used more for him to develop into a more complete arm. Given his size and body build on the mound, Sanders creates plenty of extension on his release point and uses an interesting arm angle to create deception. Unlike most pitchers his size, he does a great job of keeping all his moving parts in check, but he did struggle with his command once some of those parts were out of sync. He is nothing more than a depth piece at this point in his career, and some even feel he could make the move to the bullpen if the command issues persist again. However, if the command fixes itself and you start to see an increase in his fastball, you are looking at a middle-of-the-rotation arm that would fit in nicely in the future.
