- Full name Jaxon Lee Wiggins
- Born 10/03/2001 in Roland, OK
- Profile Ht.: 6'6" / Wt.: 225 / Bats: R / Throws: R
- School Arkansas
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Drafted in the 2C round (68th overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 2023 (signed for $1,401,500).
View Draft Report
School: Arkansas Source: 4YR
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 35.
Wiggins was a projectable prep pitcher with a big frame, solid fastball and advanced feel for a changeup, but took a few steps forward in the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Arkansas. After sitting in the low 90s in high school, Wiggins sat in the 94-96 mph range in 2021 and touched triple-digits. He posted a 5.09 ERA over 23 innings with 28 strikeouts (11.0 K/9) and 14 walks (5.5 BB/9) during his freshman campaign, mostly out of the bullpen. Moving into a full-time starting role in 2022, Wiggins continued to show loud stuff and erratic control, with 82 strikeouts and 43 walks in 66 innings. He wasn’t able to continue his development in 2023, as a Tommy John surgery before the season kept him off the field and will make him a complicated prospect for teams to evaluate given his impressive stuff and frame, and spotty track record of strikes. When healthy, Wiggins threw a fastball that sat 94-95 mph and touched 97 in a starting role, with impressive vertical break and extension to go with it thanks to his 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame. While he has mostly pitched off that fastball, he also mixes in a mid-80s slider that is still developing, a changeup in the upper 80s with solid tumble and an infrequently thrown 12-to-6 curveball.
Top Rankings
Organization Prospect Rankings
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BA Grade: 50/Extreme
Track Record: Wiggins tantalized as a 6-foot-6 righthander with an explosive fastball at Arkansas, but his results never quite matched his stuff. He logged a 6.17 ERA over two seasons while splitting time between the rotation and bullpen and missed his junior year after having Tommy John surgery. The Cubs decided to take a chance on his raw ability and drafted him No. 68 overall in the supplemental second round. He signed for an over-slot $1,401,500.
Scouting Report: Wiggins is a physically-imposing righthander with the stuff to match. His fastball sits 94-97 mph as a starter and ramps up to 98-100 in relief. His fastball gets on hitters quickly with the extension he generates from his large frame and is an overwhelming pitch when it’s in the strike zone. Wiggins complements his fastball with an 84-88 mph slider with two-plane depth that gets swings and misses and has above-average potential. He also has a potentially average mid-80s changeup with late tumble and a downer, upper-70s curveball that is a fringy but usable pitch. Wiggns’ stuff is loud, but he has well below-average control and is inconsistent in his execution. He is prone to overthrowing his fastball and frequently falls behind in counts.
The Future: Wiggins is set to return from surgery in 2024. He’ll get a chance to start but projects to be a hard-throwing reliever.
Scouting Grades Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 45 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 30
Draft Prospects
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School: Arkansas Source: 4YR
Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.8
BA Grade:50/Extreme
Tools:Fastball: 60. Slider: 55. Curveball: 45. Changeup: 50. Control: 35.
Wiggins was a projectable prep pitcher with a big frame, solid fastball and advanced feel for a changeup, but took a few steps forward in the first two seasons of his collegiate career at Arkansas. After sitting in the low 90s in high school, Wiggins sat in the 94-96 mph range in 2021 and touched triple-digits. He posted a 5.09 ERA over 23 innings with 28 strikeouts (11.0 K/9) and 14 walks (5.5 BB/9) during his freshman campaign, mostly out of the bullpen. Moving into a full-time starting role in 2022, Wiggins continued to show loud stuff and erratic control, with 82 strikeouts and 43 walks in 66 innings. He wasn’t able to continue his development in 2023, as a Tommy John surgery before the season kept him off the field and will make him a complicated prospect for teams to evaluate given his impressive stuff and frame, and spotty track record of strikes. When healthy, Wiggins threw a fastball that sat 94-95 mph and touched 97 in a starting role, with impressive vertical break and extension to go with it thanks to his 6-foot-6, 225-pound frame. While he has mostly pitched off that fastball, he also mixes in a mid-80s slider that is still developing, a changeup in the upper 80s with solid tumble and an infrequently thrown 12-to-6 curveball. -
Wiggins was still playing basketball when the Oklahoma state basketball tournament was cancelled because of coronavirus, so he never got on the baseball field. An all-state 3A forward who averaged 16 points a game as a senior, Wiggins is a 6-foot-6 righthander with plenty of athleticism and projectability. An Arkansas signee, Wiggins started to show more consistency in locating his above-average 90-94 mph fastball and he has an advanced changeup for an Oklahoman prep arm. Scouts haven’t seen much feel for spinning a breaking ball yet. In a five-round draft, he’s more likely to get to school, where he’ll have some time to fill out, gain consistency and try to learn a slider or curveball.
Career Transactions
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- RHP Jaxon Wiggins assigned to Arkansas Razorbacks.