What Cubs first-rounder Cade Townsend lacks in size, he makes up for in confidence

CHICAGO — Ahead of the MLB draft this July, perhaps the biggest knock on Cade Townsend was his short stature. The Cubs’ 2026 first-round selection is listed at a generous 6-foot-1, but in his eyes, height won’t be something that holds him back from success.

“I’m actually wearing the number 65,” Townsend said recently, while meeting members of the media at Wrigley Field. “People say, ‘Why are you wearing number 65?’ A lot of people said, ‘Man, you’re just a 6-foot right-hander.’ When I’m on the mound, I think I’m 6-5. I really think I’m better than you in every way. I don’t care how small I am. Look at Sonny Gray, he’s 5-10 and he’s played a long time.”

What Townsend lacks in height, he clearly makes up for in confidence. Gray is just one of many starters over the last 20 years who may not tower over the competition in stature, but make up for it in production. The list includes Tim Lincecum, Tim Hudson, Johnny Cueto and Jake Peavy. Nobody accused any of those pitchers of lacking in competitiveness.

Townsend seems to have that edge teams look for in a starter. It’s part of why many with the organization already believe he is Chicago’s top pitching prospect. Yes, above Jaxon Wiggins, who entered 2026 as a top-100 prospect but dealt with an elbow issue that derailed much of his year.

Wiggins has been working in relief of late and has looked better after struggling mightily since returning as a starter postinjury. His fastball velocity is starting to tick up again. But with multiple relievers on the precipice of returning from injury and space limited, Wiggins has an uphill battle to making the big-league roster this year.

It hasn’t been a great year for homegrown Cubs pitching. Cade Horton, once seen as the staff’s potential ace, made just two starts before going down with season-ending elbow surgery. Justin Steele is still rehabbing after elbow surgery ended his 2025 season. He has yet to appear in a minor-league game.

But Townsend, who was one of 16 pitchers Chicago selected with its 21 picks in this year’s MLB draft, gives the organization hope. The Ole Miss product, who posted a 3.94 ERA in 64 innings (14 starts) with a 31.9% strikeout rate this past summer, is already working to improve himself.

Along with his confidence, the Cubs were immediately attracted to Townsend’s understanding of data and tech. In his pre-draft interview with the club, Townsend came prepared with ideas on how to get better. He quickly clicked with the pitching infrastructure the Cubs have in place and has been at work since he was selected.

“Ever since then, it’s just been on go,” Townsend said. “It’s just working out every day, throwing every day. Just trying to get better. It’s a process and that’s what I love.”

The first step has been lowering Townsend’s arm slot.

“I already changed it and did it,” Townsend said. “It’s lowered to 55, 56 degrees. It’s going to keep me throwing harder and healthier and throwing a lot more innings.”

The drop in arm slot is significant. Townsend was in the 60-62 degree range with Ole Miss, something that happened gradually. He said he knew it was happening, but he wasn’t sure about the data, and it wasn’t something he wanted to correct midseason.

After the change, Townsend is hitting 93-94 mph in bullpens in Arizona. In the past, he was sitting 90, maybe maxing out at 91 mph in a bullpen. In games this past season, Townsend said he averaged 95.6 mph with his fastball. Now he hopes to average above 96. Both he and the Cubs believe it is possible.

Townsend hopes to use his sinker more in pro ball, and along with the four-seamer, he has a sweeper, cutter and splitter. It’s unlikely he sees game action this year, but progress has already been made.

The hope is that by lowering his arm slot, not only will Townsend’s stuff play better, but he’ll be able to get deeper into games because his arm will stay fresher and he’ll stay healthy. Today’s game doesn’t feature many pitchers who can rack up more than 180 innings in a season. If Townsend can average more than five innings per start and be out there 30-plus times a year, he’ll be incredibly valuable to the Cubs.

Townsend could move quickly. The Cubs won’t rush the process, but Townsend seems eager to find ways to improve and join the big-league club as soon as he realistically can.

“I don’t think there’s another organization like it,” Townsend said. “I told my agents the day before the draft, get me here no matter what. This is where I want to be. You really see that now.

“It’s really cool to see the process of having every guy work together. It’s really a family and I really appreciate that.”

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