Final Mock Draft: With The 23rd Overall Pick, The Cubs Draft An Electric College Arm

[Jamie Cameron]

Image courtesy of © Angelina Alcantar/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

I take MLB mock draft rankings from major industry outlets like MLB Pipeline, ESPN, The Athletic (and many others) to form a consensus board, with a working hypothesis that using this approach will eliminate some of the noise and variance in MLB Draft mock rankings. This is the final mock draft board, locked in just before the 2026 MLB Draft on Saturday, July 11.

Round 1: Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss

Townsend was a solid prep prospect ahead of the 2024 draft, cracking T200 and T300 lists, but made it to campus at Ole Miss. After splitting time between starting and relieving in his freshman season, he entered 2026 strictly as a starter.

It was an explosive start to his season. In his first 35 innings pitched, he managed a 2.32 FIP, striking out over 32% of hitters and walking just 4.8%. Unfortunately, he left his fifth start with shoulder discomfort, missing some time on the shelf.

It's an appealing fastball that sits 93-95 mph but can grab 98 mph. It has good carry and plays best at the top of the strike zone. It's supplemented by a nasty curveball, a hammer with a ton of drop that he imparts upwards of 3,000 rpms of spin onto with consistency. Rounding out Townsend's arsenal is a cutter that sits in the high 80s, a slider, and a changeup with good fade.

The missed time and smaller frame might give some teams pause, but Townsend has a diverse, exciting arsenal. He managed a 4.13 FIP with a 31.9 K% and a much-improved 8 BB% in 64 IP in 2026. He should go well in July despite not pitching in the Rebs Omaha run.

Round 2: Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State

Mendes pitched out of the bullpen in his freshman season at Ole' Miss before transferring to Florida State to be closer to home. He's continued to develop and improve throughout his three collegiate seasons, including as the Seminoles Friday night starter in 2026.

Mendes typically works from the third base side of the rubber with a loose, efficient delivery from the left side. He doesn't have overpowering velocity, but he has a well-developed arsenal of pitches to deploy in starts.

His fastball sits 92-94 mph, and has grabbed 97 mph. It plays well up in the zone thanks to solid carry. Mendez backs this up with a gyro slider with some depth and lateral tilt, in addition to a curveball with greater depth. His best secondary pitch is his changeup, which sits in the low 80s with a ton of horizontal movement. Mendes sells it well with good arm speed. It's already a plus pitch.

In working as a starter, Mendes has steadily improved his repertoire, strikeout rate, and lowered his walk rate. He ended 2026 with a 3.10 FIP, a 32.6 K%, and a 6.5 BB% in 93 innings of work for the Seminoles.

Free Agent Compensation Round: Ethan Wachsmann, RHP, Grandview HS, CO

Wachsman is a sharp riser on the draft board this spring. A CO prep arm hailing from the same high school program as Kevin Gausman, it's a fascinating blend of size and stuff, with plenty of rawness still present.

Wachsman's fastball has touched triple digits already; it'll more routinely sit in the 94-96 mph range in the middle innings. He's added a cutter that sits in the high 80s this season as a bridge to the rest of his arsenal. While the velocity is excellent, there's work to do on both the control and command of his arsenal, which are currently fringe-average.

Wachsman will fire off a breaking ball that can be slurvy but exhibits good spin rates. There's a changeup that he sells well with good arm speed and velocity separation from his fastball. It'll be worth monitoring the strike-throwing if a team can pry him away from his Wake Forest commitment, but if he can round out his arsenal with better breaking pitch shapes, he'll be a tough look for hitters.

Round 3: Sean Dunlap, C, Crown Point HS, IN

After sustaining a broken femur in his sophomore year of high school, Tennessee commit Sean Dunlap has returned to be one of the better prep catching prospects in the class, with a chance to be a power arm/power bat if the development goes well.

Hitting from the right side of the plate, Dunlap sets up deep in the batter's box is a fairly narrow base. There's quite a bit of bat waggle pre-pitch that gives way to a powerful, if slightly long swing. There's plus raw power there, for sure, with some doubts about the hit tool due to the swing and the tendency to chase.

Dunlap is a tremendous athlete. He's an above-average runner with good reactions and twitch. There's a big arm there, too. While the catching needs some work, it's a profile that would transition well to either third base or a corner outfield spot.

Round 4: Matt Ponatoski, SS/RHP, Archbishop Moeller HS, OH

Matt Ponatoski is a two-sport high school athlete currently committed to the University of Kentucky for both baseball and football, a fact that undoubtedly clouds his draft status. On the diamond, there are plenty of skills and tools that set him up as a T100 prospect in the class.

Ponatoski is a left-handed hitter who sets up with a fairly significant barrel tip in his stance. He had an unbelievable summer in 2025, putting up some of the best hitting numbers in the country with the bat, demonstrating particularly good bat-to-ball skills backed up by an excellent approach in which he walked plenty and rarely expanded the zone.

While he doesn't have the explosive athleticism to stick at shortstop, Ponatoski has a double-plus arm (as you might expect from an elite quarterback). He's been over 100 mph with throws from the infield, and in the mid-90s as a right-handed arm off the mound with a big curveball to boot. He's a profile who may accelerate when focusing solely on baseball, but the split focus remains a possibility with his quarterbacking responsibilities.

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