Brody McCullough’s Excellent Fastball Leads To Strong Start With Cubs
Righthander Brody McCullough’s four-seam fastball always had the type of pitch characteristics the Cubs value organizationally.
The Cubs drafted McCullough in the 10th round in 2022 out of Division II Wingate (N.C.) in large part because of the carry he gets on his fastball. Specifically, they liked the way the vertical movement allowed the pitch to be effective in the upper third of the strike zone.
The pitch helped fuel McCullough’s dominant performance at Low-A Myrtle Beach, a stellar stretch to start his first full pro season. In 12 starts he recorded a 2.86 ERA with 74 strikeouts and 17 walks in 50.1 innings. That earned him a July promotion to High-A South Bend.
The 23-year-old McCullough’s fastball often forces hitters to be more aggressive and commit to their swing a little earlier.
“At the level he’s playing at it probably plays a little bit more in the rest of the zone too, but it plays particularly well up and has that profile that gets over the bats,” Cubs senior pitching coordinator Casey Jacobson said.
“He’ll throw it with a little bit of cutting action on it, too, so it’s got that extra life that, visually, it looks like it’s taking off to his glove side and up, which makes it really difficult to get the barrel on it.”
The dominant fastball also allows McCullough’s other pitches—slider, curveball and changeup–to play up.
For as great as McCullough’s fastball/slider combination can be, though, the Cubs don’t want him to become a two-pitch pitcher. To that end, they’ve been pushing him to continue to incorporate his curveball and changeup.
“We’re trying to improve the shapes on those pitches so he can have a well-rounded arsenal that will help him in the long run,” Jacobson said.
