2026 Chicago Cubs MLB Draft Day 1 Thread

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

I'd lean Sorrell, he played in the SEC

[Outshined_One]

1 minute ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

I'd lean Sorrell, he played in the SEC

Borrowing an old phrase from these parts, it's just like AA!

[Tryptamine]

I kind of want Gasperino at 75

[Tryptamine]

Well that's the Cub special.  A guy who would have gone much higher but had a severe injury.

[Outshined_One]

That was unexpected. And kinda fun.

[JBears79]

I like this pick. Lefty 1B with 65 power in the 3rd. Ill take that

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

Potential huge reward

[Bertz]

Interesting that they went hard on hit tool last yeah and they're going hard on power this year.

Fun detour into bats, back to arms now Dan

[Hortonhearsawho]

Cubs don't have a lot of guys with high power tools so I am here for them trying to find those guys. 

[Bertz]

Longenhagen.  Good lord on that exit velo

Quote

 

On paper, Bailey has some of the best raw power in the entire draft: The 112 mph EV90 he posted at Florida State this spring is a full tick higher than any big leaguer has notched in 2026. He brought it into games too, homering 13 times in 26 contests before suffering a nasty ankle injury sliding into second base that ended his season.

Despite that, risks abound here. Bailey has a grooved, scooping swing. He’s often late on even average fastballs, particularly if it’s not over the heart of the plate. For all his pop, he didn't hit much on the Cape after his sophomore year, either. Finally, one other trend bears mentioning. Every Florida State hitter drafted last year has notched significantly lower exit velocities in pro ball than they did in school, even after accounting for an anticipated drop off switching from metal to wood. I have no idea why, or if Bailey is in line for a similar dip, but my instinct here is that interested teams should pay particular attention to what he’s done with wood.

 

 

[Tryptamine]

Where are we thinking they are on pool atm? I think Townsend is around slot, maybe just slightly below. Sorrell I think goes decently over slot, maybe a few hundred K,  Bailey I have around slot as well. 

[KCCub]

 

[Outshined_One]

9 minutes ago, Tryptamine said:

Where are we thinking they are on pool atm? I think Townsend is around slot, maybe just slightly below. Sorrell I think goes decently over slot, maybe a few hundred K,  Bailey I have around slot as well. 

I'd put them at or a smidge below. Townsend and Sorrell just under, Bailey just over as a draft eligible sophomore. 

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

There is def gonna have to be a cheap senior sign here soon if they want to take a high upside HS arm

[Tryptamine]

1 minute ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

There is def gonna have to be a cheap senior sign here soon if they want to take a high upside HS arm

Probably a few of them if they want a notable arm

[Rcal10]

7 minutes ago, Tangled Up in Plaid said:

There is def gonna have to be a cheap senior sign here soon if they want to take a high upside HS arm

I don’t think it is as easy to do that as it was before kids started getting paid to play ball in college. They may not do that this year. 

[Jason Ross]

Roboscout has a tendency to really like high K, high power college kids. Keep that in mind. But Bailey was their second best projected college bat behind just Daniel Jackson.

[Jason Ross]

5 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I don’t think it is as easy to do that as it was before kids started getting paid to play ball in college. They may not do that this year. 

Seniors effectively have to sign. It won't change the math for a senior. 

[Outshined_One]

4 minutes ago, Rcal10 said:

I don’t think it is as easy to do that as it was before kids started getting paid to play ball in college. They may not do that this year. 

College seniors are out of eligibility and frequently sign for bottom dollar.

Juniors and certain sophomores are draft eligible, though. Baseball is weird.

[Jason Ross]

1 minute ago, Outshined_One said:

College seniors are out of eligibility and frequently sign for bottom dollar.

Juniors and certain sophomores are draft eligible, though. Baseball is weird.

Dibbs on Carl Weathers.

[Outshined_One]

1 minute ago, Jason Ross said:

Dibbs on Carl Weathers.

Dibs on Stallone.

[Jason Ross]

2 minutes ago, Outshined_One said:

Dibs on Stallone.

This is the correct choice. 

[Jason Ross]

This construction noise needs to stop. I keep thinking my cat is horsefeathers with the horsefeathers in the sink because of it and all she's doing is behaving for once.

[Tryptamine]

Wow Bumila got popped, I wasn't sure that was going to happen.

[Rcal10]

20 minutes ago, Outshined_One said:

College seniors are out of eligibility and frequently sign for bottom dollar.

Juniors and certain sophomores are draft eligible, though. Baseball is weird.

That isn’t the issue. The issue is the HS senior being talked into signing instead of taking money from the college and not going pro. How much do teams have to overslot that guy for him not to go to college?