It’s been a life-changing week for Jordan Wicks.

Sunday night he was the 21^st selection in the MLB draft and by Friday afternoon he and the Cubs had agreed to terms on a deal, ensuring the 21-year-old will start his path in the Cubs’ system.

But one of the cooler experiences for Wicks came between those two events, when he was in Denver for the draft and met Cubs’ All-Stars Craig Kimbrel and Kris Bryant. It was a quick first taste of the major leagues and a chance to interact with current Cubs players.

“They congratulated me and told me just be ready to work,” Wicks said.

That’s exactly what Wicks wanted to hear. It’s why he was eager to finalize a deal with the Cubs quickly and start his work with the Cubs’ development team.

“The idea of joining the Chicago Cubs organization was really a no-brainer for me,” Wicks said. “I’m a guy where I wanna get out there on the field and start competing as soon as possible.”

That’s an aspect that the Cubs admired about Wicks.

“Jordan’s a very goal-oriented person,” Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said. “So, it doesn’t surprise me that he’s prioritizing getting out there on the field as soon as he can.”

For Wicks, that means having him in Arizona at the Cubs’ facility in Mesa to start his journey. But that doesn’t mean the process will be quick or expeditated.

The Cubs are going to let him get down to Mesa, learn the organization a little more and then take the next steps from there. That alone has Wicks chomping at the bit to get started.

“I’m excited for the new experiences, the learning along the way,” Wicks said. “I’m excited to do it with such a world-class organization.

“To be able to get out there and compete at a new level, compete against new players and get to have this as your job, is a childhood dream. To be living that is just amazing.”