Ross D. Franklin/AP
INDIANAPOLIS — Cubs prospect Jordan Wicks, turning 24 at the start of September, is always being told that he’s “old-school.”
He talks about “reading swings” more readily than the movement characteristics of his pitches. Though he comfortably sits in the low-90s, Wicks eagerly reposted Marcus Stroman when the Cubs All-Star wrote “Pitchability/movement over velocity for longevity and sustained success.”
Whereas changeups are often a feel pitch that young hurlers are slow to master, Wicks first learned the grip for his when he was 10 years old and strives to get his other five pitches — yes, five — to the same level of “any count, anytime” comfort he has with his signature offering.