2025 Chicago Cubs Draft Pick Tracker

Conrad has been one of the most impactful 2025 transfers after making the jump from Marist to Wake Forest. Unfortunately his season was cut short after shoulder surgery limited him to just 21 games.

It's a big league frame at 6'3, 220. Conrad has a simple, repeatable left-handed swing that used to provide more gap-to-gap power, but has added some punch in the early going in 2025. Conrad hit 7 home runs in his first 21 games (approaching his college career high of 9). He tore up the Cape in a summer stint and runs and defends well for a prospect of his size.

It's average or better tools across the board for me. Conrad is a name who, between his Cape summer and smooth transition to a tougher level of college competition, has vaulted himself into first round range in a college class with few balance profiles. Indeed, it's a testament to his ability and perhaps the limited pool of college outfielders that his profile has held steady on boards since April. There's some work to do on the approach against spin/off-speed stuff, but the tools are average or better across the board.

Kane Kepley is a diminutive, left-handed hitting outfielder who transferred to North Carolina after two excellent seasons at Liberty. Listed at 5'8, 180, Kepley is small but has plenty of assets. It's plus speed and plus defense in center field. Those tools in and of themselves, give him plenty of value. He's a threat on the base paths too, he's stolen 87 bases and counting in his three college seasons at a 91.5% clip.

The offensive tool set is more limited. It's a great approach, Kepley has almost maintained his outstanding walk rate in the step up to ACC play. He took a free pass 14.2% of the time this season. He rarely strikes out either, with a K% of just 7.1%. There's almost no power to speak of (30 grade), but the speed, contact ability, and defense bring plenty of value to a table setting type of hitter. Kepley finished with a .291/.451/.444 (.896) line with 3 home runs, a 114 wRC+, and 45 bags in the 2025 season.

From Reid's MLB.com draft profile:

"Reid pitched just 19 1/3 innings in two seasons at Oklahoma State, prompting his decision to transfer to Abilene Christian. He became the Wildcats' Friday starter this spring and set the program's NCAA Division I record with 112 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings. After allowing one run in his final three starts, including seven shutout innings with 12 whiffs against Utah Valley in the Western Athletic Conference tournament, he should become Abilene Christian's highest Draft pick since 1969 third-rounder Bill Gilbreth -- the lone big leaguer in school history.

Reid does a nice job of moving his running fastball around the strike zone, working at 91-94 mph and reaching 96 with the ability to get carry at the letters or sink at the knees. He throws his best pitch, an 82-84 mph changeup with fade and sink, nearly as much as his heater and will double and triple up on it, even against right-handers. He led all NCAA Division I pitchers with 66 strikeouts via the cambio. He doesn't have nearly as much trust in a slurvy low-80s breaking ball that rarely fools hitters.

With a strong 6-foot-3 frame and an athletic delivery that he repeats well, Reid provides consistent strikes. His fastball can catch too much of the plate at times, so he needs to command his heater to set up his changeup and find success. He'll probably need to come up with a better breaker to remain in the rotation at the next level."

Wing is a prep-righty out of Northern California currently committed to Loyola-Marymount. He's been a two-way player for most of his amateur career and therefore hasn't focused solely on pitching for long, a fact that could play in his corner with a drafting org.

It's a 6 '2, 180 pound frame that a team will hope they can hang some more good weight on, but he's a slender framed player. Nonetheless, his stuff took a major step forward this spring. His fastball, which previously sat in the upper 80s to low 90s, suddenly popped 95 mph. Additionally, there's a big curveball with good spin and depth, and a changeup that's more developmental. The delivery is solid too. There's a lot to like here with work to be done on the arsenal and developing a consistently usable third pitch. Even so, Wing has shot up boards this spring into day one consideration.

From Snell's MLB.com draft profile:

"Recruited by Auburn as a left-handed pitcher, Snell redshirted while dealing with injuries in 2021 before transferring to Wallace-Dothan (Ala.) CC and starring as a two-way player. The national junior college player of the year in 2023, he played both ways at Alabama in 2024 before becoming a full-time left field this spring. He’s one of the more attractive discount hitters available as a Southeastern Conference performer with intriguing data and also no college eligibility remaining.

Snell offers one of the better combinations of swing decisions, contact and exit velocities in the college ranks. He has a quality left-handed stroke, rarely misses a fastball while handling all types of pitches and drives the ball to all fields. While he’s a hit-over-power guy, he has enough strength to provide 15 homers per year and perhaps more if he learns to lift balls in the air more regularly.

While Snell will flash close to average speed at his best, he’s more of a below-average runner with limited range in left field. He has an average arm and topped out at 93 mph with his fastball as a redshirt junior. Scouts love his competitiveness and leadership, and his all-star summer with wood bats in the Cape Cod League in 2023 is another point in his favor."

Hartshorn is a prep outfield prospect out of Southern California currently committed to Texas A&M. It's a profile buoyed by a solid hit/power combo. Hartshorn is a switch hitter who has been limited to long stretches of hitting exclusively left-handed or right-handed due to various nagging injuries to his back and elbow.

The right-handed swing is currently more polished, and Hartshorn could end up with an above average hit and power combo if his development goes well. There's a good arm here too (he's been up to 94 mph on the mound) with the run and field tools grading out as solid average, too.

The Cubs have effectively decided that their Moneyball tactic is going to be having the best medical scouting department in the world, apparently.

Another big talent who fell due to injury issues — he made just one start in his first two collegiate seasons due to back and leg injuries — Coppola posted an 8.75 ERA in eight starts (23 2/3 innings) in 2024. He shook the rust off this year, though, authoring a 2.53 ERA in seven starts (21 1/3 innings). He did miss two months with an undisclosed upper-body injury.

Ultimately, this is just a bet on their ability to evaluate medical records. He threw less than 50 innings in college. As a 6'8" lefty, they may be thinking they can turn him into their next Luke Little.

Don't say Jed Hoyer doesn't have a type. Another big (6'5") starter with a serious injury history (he underwent Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2024 season), Knapp won National Pitcher of the Year this season at UNC.

A consensus All-American in 2025, Knapp logged a 14-0 record, as North Carolina won each of his 15 starts. He posted a 2.02 ERA (fourth-best in the country) in 102 1/3 frames. He also struck out 88 hitters while allowing just 16 walks, showing an unusual amount of polish for a college pitcher with a Tommy John surgery on his résumé.

One more fun tidbit from this pick: he'll join Tar Heels teammate Kane Kepley (second-round pick) in the Cubs organization, assuming both players sign.

Oh wow, another big college lefty (6'4") who thrived in his final collegiate season after earlier struggles? Color me shocked.

In all seriousness, Book converted to being a full-time starter at Saint Joseph's this year after bouncing between the rotation and bullpen earlier in his college career. In a career-high 86 2/3 innings, he posted a 3.53 ERA and huge 35% strikeout rate, all while walking just 20 batters.

He really did struggle prior to 2025, though, allowing 59 earned runs in 76 innings at Stony Brook. This is a bet on a projectable, big frame with rapidly improving talent, and the Cubs' recent history with getting the most out of college pitchers should have fans more excited than nervous with Book.

After nine rounds of nothing but pitchers and outfielders, the Chicago Cubs have made the daring decision to draft... a catcher.

Stransky played 91 games at the position in college, with all nine of his other appearances coming at designated hitter. In those 100 games at Fresno State, he slashed .312/.400/.501 with 15 home runs, 12 of which came during the 2015 season. As a pure catching prospect and semifinalist for the Buster Posey Award (best D1 catcher in the country), he's got a pretty well-rounded offensive profile, walking 41 times compared to just 32 strikeouts with Fresno State.

He's got limited upside, but it's hard not to like a strong glove behind the plate with a good eye and history of offensive success. As 10th-round picks go, he's a solid one.

The Cubs went back to drafting pitchers, but selected one who hasn't pitched since 2023 due to injuries. In his lone collegiate year, he posted a 2.84 ERA and a 36:7 strikeout:walk ratio over 31 2/3 innings. If this production returns, then it'll be worth an 11th-round pick on a pitcher who has massive talent but has missed a ton of time due to injuries.

Spencer struggled at Southeastern Louisiana in 2023 (5.65 ERA) and Ole Miss in 2024 (6.16 ERA), but something clicked this past spring. He's always been a relief pitcher, however, he was impressive coming out of the bullpen this season, posting a 1.82 ERA over 24 2/3 innings.

The Cubs chose another reliever from a Mississippi College, but this one has very little D1 experience. Williams' first two collegiate seasons were at Florence-Darlington Tech, and then he had two seasons dealing with injuries before heading to Mississippi State. He struggled for the Bulldogs, posting a 4.23 ERA over 27 2/3 innings, but what he did succeed at was missing bats. He struck out 51 batters in those innings, which is the type of production that is worth a 13th-round flyer.

It's clear what the Cubs wanted from this draft: pitching. This time, they picked a high schooler from Victory Christian in Oklahoma. He's a two-way player who has already committed to his home state school, Oklahoma. Along with pitching, Franklin also plays third base. Perfect Game has him ranked as the 68th-ranked prospect nationwide, but it may be ideal for him to go to Oklahoma and bulk up to get stronger before pursuing a professional career.

Edders spent two seasons at Bradley before joining Troy for one season. Over those three seasons, he posted a 5.50 ERA and struck out 185 batters. Control is an issue Edders has that'll need to be addressed. The righty has thrown 128 walks with 29 wild pitches in his career, but you can bet the Cubs are betting on their ability to help limit those free passes while keeping the strikeouts high.

In 2024, Hunsaker attended Texas A&M-Corpus Christi but posted a 6.82 ERA. He struggled with control, as evidenced by his 51:30 strikeout:walk ratio over 64 2/3 innings. He then joined Lamar, where he got his control tamed and showed success. The righty posted a 2.47 ERA with a 70:22 strikeout:walk ratio over 76 2/3 innings. The Cubs are hoping to be catching onto his late-rising stock at just the right time.

The Cubs ventured off the pitcher path to draft another catcher. Poteet redshirted in 2023 while at Vanderbilt and played sparingly in 2024. This past spring, he hit .283 with 10 home runs, 38 runs, and 40 runs batted in at UNC Charlotte. His flaw was striking out 50 times, which was only ten more than his walk total. Poteet will need to develop a way to be more aggressive at the plate while utilizing his advanced plate approach that yielded .393 on-base percentage this year.

Knox spent three seasons at George Mason, and he steadily improved each year. His career collegiate ERA is 6.11, but last season, he posted a 3.29 mark. There's a lot of development needed here, as he's only thrown 53 innings over this span. He has control issues (39 walks) and doesn't miss a ton of bats (56 strikeouts), but this is another late-riser that the Cubs clearly wanted a chance to develop in-house.

Barnett is another two-way player the Cubs have selected. He's a big kid at 6'6" and 220 lbs. who has plenty of power. He throws a fastball in the low-90s, so his future could be either at the plate or on the mound, and with that size, it's worth a 19th-round pick. The main issue will be breaking his commitment to Alabama, as he currently ranks as the second-best third baseman in his high school class according to Perfect Game.

Rodriguez has spent three seasons in the Big West Conference, but they haven't been pretty. His first two seasons were spent with Cal Poly, and last season he attended Hawaii. He posted a 5.08 ERA in this span, but this stat was heavily inflated by the 7.25 and 81.00 ERAs posted before transferring to Hawaii. Rodriguez has mainly been a reliever and will need to get more consistent on the mound. A big performance in the West Coast League in 2024 (1.02 ERA in 44 innings) is clearly what drew the Cubs' attention.