Chicago Cubs 2025 MLB Draft Day 2 Recap: Addressing Pitchers and Outfield Depth

[Bryan Jaeger]

Image courtesy of © SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs have made all of their picks for the 2025 draft, and suffice to say, it's a pitcher-heavy class for Jed Hoyer and company. We'll have a recap of all their Day Two picks below, and you can use the following links to see our prior analysis and in-depth reviews of their previous picks.

Round 1 Recap

Round 2 Recap

Round 3 Recap

Day One Recap

Rounds 6-10 Recap

Without further ado, the full list of Day Two selections for the Chicago Cubs during the 2025 MLB Draft:

Round 4: Kaleb Wing, RHP (HS, Senior)

Wing was a two-way player at Scotts Valley High School in California. This past spring, he found success on the mound, appearing in 10 games while posting a 1.23 ERA. He's still raw on the mound, but has shown capable stuff in his senior year. At the plate last season, he hit .307 with four home runs, 22 runs, and 24 knocked in. He's committed to Loyola Marymount, so it'll be interesting to see his decision.

Round 5: Kade Snell, OF (Alabama, Senior)

Snell was a two-way player at Alabama in 2024, before focusing entirely on left field in 2025. This past spring, he hit .363/.464/.575 with 10 home runs, 49 runs, and 52 knocked in. He has great discipline with an 18:38 strikeout:walk ratio. The left fielder won't contribute much in the power game, but possesses excellent bat-to-ball skills to get on base.

Round 6: Josiah Hartshorn, OF (HS, Senior)

Hartshorn is a switch-hitting outfielder for Orange Lutheran High School in California. He possesses good contact ability, hitting .364, but has a lot more raw power than in-game power right now (five home runs last year), which means he may stick with his commitment to Texas A&M.

Round 7: Pierce Coppola, LHP (Florida, Redshirt Junior)

Coppola struggled in his freshman and redshirt sophomore seasons after missing all of 2023 due to an injury, posting ERAs of 4.15 and 8.75, respectively. He figured out his mechanics this past spring, throwing a 2.53 ERA with a 43:13 strikeout:walk ratio over 21 1/3 innings. He's been injury-prone over his career, so he still needs some time to develop, but when healthy, he's a name to watch.

Round 8: Jake Knapp, RHP (North Carolina, Senior)

Knapp missed all of the 2024 season due to needing Tommy John surgery, but he returned strong, winning the National Pitcher of the Year Award. He posted a 2.02 ERA with an 88:27 strikeout:walk ratio while going 14-0 in 15 starts. His 6'5'' height could be a massive asset in his pitching game if he can stay healthy.  

Round 9: Colton Book, LHP (Saint Joseph's, Redshirt Junior)

Book is a 6'4" lefty that posted a 3.53 ERA and had a 122:28 strikeout:walk ratio over 86 2/3 innings this year. This was his first full season as a starting pitcher, but a team can't pass up a lefty with that size. He can further develop as a starter in the farm system.

Round 10: Justin Stransky, C (Fresno State, Senior)

Stransky is the first player drafted by the Cubs who isn't a pitcher or outfielder. His bat won't blow you away, but he's a good contact hitter and has a great eye at the plate. Last season with Fresno State, he hit .316 with 12 home runs, 49 runs, and 45 knocked in, but he only had three home runs in 2023. The catcher was drafted for his defensive skills. In the summer West Coast league, he threw out 40 percent of would-be base stealers.

Round 11: Eli Jerzembeck, RHP (South Carolina, Senior)

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.

Round 12: Connor Spencer, RHP (Ole Miss, Senior)

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.

Round 13: Nate Williams, RHP (Mississippi State, Senior)

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.

Round 14: Kaemyn Franklin, RHP (HS, Senior)

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.

Round 15: Noah Edders, RHP (Troy, Senior)

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.

Round 16: Riely Hunsaker, RHP (Lamar, Senior)

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.

Round 17: Logan Poteet, C (UNC Charlotte, Redshirt Junior)

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.

Round 18: Connor Knox, RHP (George Mason, Redshirt Junior)

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.

Round 19: Caleb Barnett, 3B (HS, Senior)

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.

Round 20: Freddy Rodriguez, RHP (Hawaii, Redshirt Junior)

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.

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What do you think of the Cubs' Day Two haul? Let us know in the comments!

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[Victor Reichman]

Not impressed with the Cubs draft at all. They selected many players without a commit to drop college. They picked a few players coming off serious injuries. I see quantity, but not quality with very few exceptions.