General view of a Chicago Cubs glove, hat and glasses in the first inning against the Cincinnati Reds during a spring training game at Sloan Park. Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

Cubs Pitching Prospect Could Earn Big Promotion With Strong Arizona Fall League Play

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Matt Postins | Last updated Oct 1, 2025 12:17 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs have a postseason run to deal with. But several of their prospects are heading to Arizona to begin play in the Arizona Fall League this weekend.

The Cubs will play out of their spring training home in Mesa as part of the Mesa Solar Sox, which will include players from the Athletics, the Miami Marlins, the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees.

The Cubs on the roster include Top 30 prospect and corner infielder Cole Mathis, shortstop Ed Howard and catcher Owen Ayers. It also includes right-handed pitchers Thomas Mangus, Koen Moreno, Mathew Peters and J.P. Wheat.

But one pitcher has a great deal to gain by a great performance in the AFL — right-handed pitcher Luis Martinez-Gomez.

About Luis Martinez-Gomez

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The 22-year-old right-hander got on the Cubs’ radar with a solid season at Temple Junior College in Temple, Texas. The Cubs selected him in the 10th round of the 2023 MLB draft and let him get his feet wet with four games in the minor leagues, as he had a 0-1 record and a 21.21 ERA.

He lost some time to injury in 2024, but in 10 games (four starts) at the Arizona Complex League and at Class-A Myrtle Beach he went 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA, with 32 strikeouts and 15 walks in 33.2 innings.

This season represented a breakthrough for him at Myrtle Beach and High-A South Bend, where he was promoted midseason. He emerged purely as a reliever and potential high-leverage prospect. He went 4-2 with a 1.46 ERA with six holds and two saves in four opportunities. In 55.1 innings he struck out 68, walked 34 and allowed batters to hit just .211.

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A great performance in the AFL could propel him to a promotion to Double-A Tennessee to start the 2026 season. The Cubs could use young relief candidates, and his pitch combination could put him in position for a Major League job sometime in 2027.

The AFL seasons starts on Oct. 6 and ends on Nov. 15, which is the championship game. Included in the season is a tripleheader in Tucson on Oct. 11, a tripleheader in Goodyear in Oct. 18, the home run derby on Nov. 8 and the Fall Stars Game on Nov. 9, which is broadcast live on MLB Network.

This year all six teams will make the postseason, with the top two teams by record getting a first-round bye.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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