2025 MLB Draft Day 1 Thread: Chicago Cubs Draft on North Side Baseball

And there goes Young.

Eyanson is my hope now.

 

Cubs select Kane Kepley, OF, UNC

I'm underwhelmed, but will wait for The Model to tell me why I'm wrong.

Ewww. Was not looking for a high floor/low ceiling player in the 2nd

Lmao. What a terrible start to this draft

BA ranks him 60th:

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60. Kane Kepley

OF

Ht: 5'8" | Wt: 170 | B-T: L-L

School: North Carolina Drafted/Committed: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4

BA Grade: 50/High

Kepley leaned into his throwback style of play in 2025, his first Power Four conference season after transferring from Liberty to North Carolina. The ultra-athletic, contact-over-power center fielder hit .291/.451/.444 with three home runs, seven triples, 13 doubles, 47 stolen bases and twice as many walks (44) as strikeouts (22). His first and only season in the ACC came with career-best marks in steals, triples, doubles and strikeout rate (7.1%). It produced career lows in batting average and walk rate (14.2%). At 5-foot-8, 180 pounds, Kepley has made a name for himself with his ability to avoid bad swings and produce gaudy contact numbers, though that contact is rarely powerful. He’s a contact hitter who is tough to strike out and will get on base consistently thanks to a strong eye. But with well below-average power and little physical projection, he might never hit more than 10-14 home runs a season. Kepley’s carrying tools are his premium glove in center field and plus speed, which translates both in the field and on the basepaths. He pairs his speed with great athleticism and instincts and he should be a plus defender in center field with little risk to move off the position. Kepley’s contact and defensive profile could help him fit in the first three rounds.

Scouting Grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 30 | Run:60 | Field: 70 | Arm: 45.

 

Just now, Hrubes20 said:

Ewww. Was not looking for a high floor/low ceiling player in the 2nd

Seems to be a reoccurring theme so far.

He hit under .300? 

 

👀

Intersting... Thinking some minor league OFs are getting traded.

Kepley seems exactly like a Brewers OFer. Small, slap-hitting guy who can go get the ball but doesn’t have a great throwing arm. Trying to mimic their weird voodoo?

So he's Juan Pierre?

I could be convinced on Conrad pretty easily, but I just don't see it on Kepley. Excellent defense but a poor arm, excellent speed but little to no power.  I mean this is like a Nick Madrigal type ceiling unless there's something that's missing.

 

4 minutes ago, Hrubes20 said:

Kepley seems exactly like a Brewers OFer. Small, slap-hitting guy who can go get the ball but doesn’t have a great throwing arm. Trying to mimic their weird voodoo?

Yeah, I was getting poor man’s Frelick vibes

Just now, ILMindState said:

So he's Juan Pierre?

Seems to have a better eye at the plate from the reports.

He sounds like the CF version James Triantos or Nico Hoerner, which is, fine, I guess? A profile like that should be a quality 4th OF as a realistic outcome, but it's the sort of pick you'd expect after taking an overslot in the 1st.

Pipeline ranked him 84th: 

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Listed at 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, Kepley received no NCAA Division I scholarship offers because of his small stature. He quickly claimed a starting job as a walk-on at Liberty in 2023 and broke out last season, when he led Conference USA with 53 walks and 25 steals before earning All-Star accolades in the Cape Cod League. After transferring to North Carolina, he has had a somewhat disappointing junior season while hitting the ball with little authority. Kepley is an on-base machine who executes quality swing decisions from the left side of the plate. He excels at putting the bat on the ball, especially within the strike zone, and rarely chases pitches. His lack of physicality and flat swing lead to worries about how much impact he'll make at the plate, though he does have some sneaky bat speed and strength that could give him some modest pull power. Kepley plays with constant energy and looks to make things happen on the bases with his plus speed. He also will make highlight plays in center field, where his quickness and fine instincts give him plenty of range. His arm is below average but playable in center.

 

1 minute ago, Outshined_One said:

Seems to have a better eye at the plate from the reports.

He sounds like the CF version James Triantos or Nico Hoerner, which is, fine, I guess? A profile like that should be a quality 4th OF as a realistic outcome, but it's the sort of pick you'd expect after taking an overslot in the 1st.

We're at the point where there had better be a major overslot coming up here,  because neither of the two first draftees should be seeing slot.

Edited July 14, 2025 by Tryptamine

I don't know, it just doesn't feel right taking a guy that early who has 30 grade power.

High End 4th outfielder is the most likely scenario, but it's not impossible to end up witb a Steven Kwan type

1 minute ago, Tryptamine said:

We're at the point where there had better be a major overslot coming up here,  because neither of the two first draftees should be seeing slot.

BA ranks Kepley 60 and he went 57th. Not sure there's going to be any savings.

Cape Cod League success is a theme with the Cubs... That makes sense.

I'm hoping I come around on that pick like I did a few of the ones I didn't like last year, but it's real hard for me to come to terms with using your full 2nd round slot on a guy who maybe is a 4th OFer.

Thinking the org feels like the raw material they're optimizing for is bat control, and they can help squeeze some better outcomes through mechanics and swing decisions better than they can keep guys on barrel(especially against MLB stuff and gameplans).