Oh yeah, we’re talking about that Mark McGwire, and so far, his son, Mason, is turning heads in the Chicago Cubs’ minor league system as the 2026 season begins. Unlike his father, the younger McGwire is beginning his baseball career on the mound, and after a couple of seasons of trying to acclimate to pro ball right out of high school, the 22-year-old is looking nasty with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in Single-A.
An eighth-round pick out of Capistrano Valley in the 2022 MLB Draft, McGwire was brought up slowly by the Cubs. The right-handed pitcher first appeared in Rookie Ball in the Arizona Complex League in 2023, and then he made it up to affiliate ball with the Pelicans last season. He spent some time on the developmental list, struggled at times, and missed time due to an injury. McGwire finished his first year in Single-A with a 5.71 ERA in 41 innings.
The struggles weren’t uncommon for young pitchers, as McGwire walked 34 batters, while striking out 30. But now, in his second look at the same level, the right-hander looks dominant. On Sunday, the righty only gave up one hit in four innings, and he struck out five, while not walking a single hitter.
In four appearances with Myrtle Beach in 2026, McGwire has 15 strikeouts to 5 walks, and he’s surrendered one earned run in 10 innings.
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It’s still early in McGwire’s minor league career to get too carried away with, but he’s certainly getting on the radar of prospect analysts. As for the Cubs, they need a bunch of these minor league pitchers to take big steps forward in 2026. The farm system has taken a hit in the past few years, and it’s not necessarily all that bad. The MLB team has obviously been competitive enough to warrant trading away prospects for more talent, while other top prospects have been promoted to the big leagues.
Looking at the current state of the Cubs’ system, pitching is severely lacking. Out of MLB Pipeline’s top-30 prospects for the Cubs, only 10 are pitchers. Out of that group, Jaxon Wiggins is currently the No. 1 rated prospect in the organization, but behind him, there are only two more pitchers ranked in the top-15.
So, fingers crossed that this will indeed be the start of a breakout year for McGwire. Not only would it be great for the Cubs if he develops into a good pitcher, but you know it would really annoy St. Louis Cardinals fans.
