The Cubs Select Cole Mathis with the 54th Overall Pick in the 2024 MLB Draft

[Jamie Cameron]

The Cubs selected Cole Mathis with the 54th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft

The Cubs selected Cole Mathis with the 54th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft.

Mathis plays for a smaller school at College of Charleston but has forced himself into the day one conversation through a combination of outstanding batted ball metrics in 2023 and an otherworldly Cape performance in 2023.

He smacked 11 home runs in his summer stint, in addition to posting consistently strong exit velocities in his 2023 college season, up there with some of the best in the nation. There's plenty to like about his approach and swing as he walks more than he strikes out, leading to a strong on-base platform. As you might expect, Mathis has excellent bat speed and punishes pitches in the zone with consistency.

He'd previously been a two way player, up to 97 mph on the bump but is focused on hitting in 2024. He warmed up after a little but of a slow start. His final line in 2024 was .335/.472/.650 (1.122) with 14 home runs (33 XBH), 46 walks, and just 32 strikeouts in 52 games.

Mathis has a cannon arm but not the best defensive actions and may end up limited in his defensive value. He should get a crack at third base as a pro, but if he shifts to first, the bat will have to continue to mash to accrue value. Mathis has ended up as one of the college data darlings of this cycle, I think he'll go higher than his consensus ranking.

More to come.

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