2026 Chicago Cubs player profiles: Jack Neely

Today we look at one of the Cubs’ camp arms, who might, MIGHT have a shot at the MLB bullpen. It’s up to him.

Jack Preston Neely came to the Cubs, along with on again/off-again Cub Ben Cowles, for Mark Leiter Jr. He’s got a live arm but tends to walk himself into trouble. Stop me if you’ve heard this before. He’s pitched a total of six innings for the Cubs during the regular season, resulting in a 9.00 ERA, 7 strikeouts, and a 1.67 WHIP.

In his MLB career, he’s pitched to a 4.85 ERA in 10 games, with one save, one hold, 9.1 innings pitched, 15 strikeouts, and 6 bases on balls. He’s given up 11 hits and two home runs, including statistics from this spring, where he hasn’t pitched badly or at length.

The 25-year-old 6’8”, 240 pound right-hander was picked in the 11th round of the 2021 draft by NYY from Ohio State. Neely was an Organization All-Star and a Post-Season All-Star for the Hudson Valley Renegades, a High-A affiliate of the Yankees. Other than his cups of coffee with the Yankees and Cubs, that’s pretty much a career retrospective.

He’s amassed a 0.2 bWAR (0.1 fWAR). Some projection systems have him reaching The Show this year, pitching in a few games, following the line of his career statistics. He’ll get some Ks, give up bases on balls and homers, and not really affect things one way or the other.

Not that he doesn’t have talent, but it’s never been harnessed to his advantage, due to his generosity with the free pass and the meatball. Another pitch would probably help. He throws a fastball in the mid-90s and a slider that runs about 85. Good disparity that a change or curve could set up admirably. His FB doesn’t have a lot of movement, so despite its velocity, batters wait on it and avoid the fast-breaking slider, which has a 35.5 inch vertical drop but not much lateral movement.

Neely is more or less a right-handed complement to Luke Little. Both are getting into the suspect class, but in the meantime, as they try to make The Show, both should remember the words of Ken Kesey.

“You’re either on the bus, or you’re off the bus.”