Chicago Cubs Select Carson Jasa No. 98 overall Pick in 2026 MLB Draft

[Andrew Wright]

The Chicago Cubs have selected Carson Jasa the with No. 98 overall pick in the MLB draft. Slot value for the selection is $800,000. Jasa went 10-2 with a 3.59 ERA across 87 2/3 innings pitched for Nebraska last season. He limited opponents to just a .204 average last season and posted a 30.4% strikeout rate.

Jasa used his fastball just 28% of the time last season, but that was because opponents struggled mightily against his off-speed pitches last season, managing just six hits and punching out 81 times against his curveball.

His player profile from MLB.com says the following about his talents.

"Jasa averages 96 mph and reaches 98 with his fastball, but it lacks life and command and tends to get hit harder than would be expected, so he has used it just 28 percent of the time this spring. He leans much more on a tight upper-80s slider that tops out at 91 and plays well off his best pitch, a downer 78-82 mph curveball. Opponents went 6-for-111 (.054) with 81 strikeouts against his curve in 2026. Though he doesn't employ his low-80s changeup very often and has difficulty landing it for strikes, it shows promising tumble and fade at its best. Jasa has much better feel for his breaking balls than his dead-zone fastball, and while his control has improved, it's still below average. That means he comes with a good deal of reliever risk, though he also has huge upside as a starter if a team can help him improve his ability to shape and locate his heater. He's athletic and has improved tremendously in college, leading to hope he can continue to do so at the next level."

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[craig]

With Jasa being a Nebraska guy, I wonder if the the regional/area scouts that scouted Wiggins and Horton were also in on him?  

For fastball movement, how much is that Treadline adjustable?  Seems like reshaping sliders or changeups, guys are tinkering with that all the time.  Is it feasible to reshape your fastball and it's movement?  Or is that kinda hard and rare? 

The scouting report for Jasa kind of ring like Cabrera.  Wild, with fastball that's fast but easy to hit. 

I'm wondering whether with Jasa whether they can tweak his fastball and make it other than "dead zone" fastball.  

[Jason Ross]

14 minutes ago, craig said:

With Jasa being a Nebraska guy, I wonder if the the regional/area scouts that scouted Wiggins and Horton were also in on him?  

For fastball movement, how much is that Treadline adjustable?  Seems like reshaping sliders or changeups, guys are tinkering with that all the time.  Is it feasible to reshape your fastball and it's movement?  Or is that kinda hard and rare? 

The scouting report for Jasa kind of ring like Cabrera.  Wild, with fastball that's fast but easy to hit. 

I'm wondering whether with Jasa whether they can tweak his fastball and make it other than "dead zone" fastball.  

Ty Nichols was the scout for all of them. Yes.