This story was excerpted from Jordan Bastian’s Cubs Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Jackson Ferris was proud to be wearing a Cubs jersey as he sat in the home dugout and soaked in Wrigley Field on Thursday morning. The pitching prospect has a grandfather who grew up in the nearby suburb of Riverside, so this was the dream in one corner of the family.
“It’s something he wanted for me, so it’s super cool,” said Ferris, who was a second-round pick by the Cubs in the 2022 MLB Draft.
As far as Ferris’ immediate family, well, they rooted for the Red Sox. That made for a bit of a surreal moment when Cubs manager David Ross -- a former catcher and World Series winner in Boston -- came up to the 18-year-old Ferris as the pitcher and his family received a tour of the Major League clubhouse.
“Everyone was just like, ‘Oh my gosh,’” Ferris said. “He came up and talked to me and they were like, ‘Wow.’”
The Cubs hosted their top two ’22 Draft picks -- righty Cade Horton (first round) and Ferris -- at the Friendly Confines, giving them a glimpse of what could be their home ballpark down the road. Part of the visit was also to give the Cubs a chance to map out how the next six months of training will go for the up-and-coming duo.
Horton (No. 4 on Pipeline’s Top 30 Cubs prospects list) has been throwing bullpen sessions, and Ferris (No. 8) said he should be up on a mound again in the coming week. They have been getting a feel for professional baseball at the Cubs’ Arizona complex and will be part of the instructional league. With Horton, Chicago is being cognizant of his volume, given that he came back from Tommy John surgery this past season with Oklahoma.
“Both seem mature for their age,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “They've been excited to be in Arizona and just getting a taste of pro ball. And it's a little different taste, because they're not competing. They're throwing bullpens and it's sort of active rest, so to speak. But I think they've learned a lot being out there, getting around the environment.”
Horton set a College World Series record with 13 strikeouts in the final against Ole Miss, who still captured the title. That put the period on a brilliant run that pushed Horton up Chicago’s Draft board. He had a 2.61 ERA with 49 strikeouts and six walks in 31 innings in his last five outings, while showing off a new wipeout slider.
At IMG Academy, Ferris had a 1.33 ERA with 103 strikeouts and 15 walks in 54 1/3 innings this past season. As it happens, the lefty was committed to Ole Miss, but he opted to sign with the Cubs for a bonus of $3,005,000. That was roughly $1.3 million over slot value. The Cubs were able to do that, in part, because Horton ($4.45 million bonus) signed for around $1.3 million under slot value.
“Turning down Ole Miss was huge,” Ferris said. “It was one of the hardest decisions I've ever had to do, turning down school to come to pro ball. But this was a goal of mine since I was little. So, at the same time, it was kind of easy when I got the opportunity.”