How Cubs Prospect Kade Snell Reinvented Himself and Became a Fall Star

Everyone has a dream growing up, and Kade Snell's dream was to play baseball at Auburn University. When Snell was informed he was being cut, he had a decision to make: quit and pivot entirely or find another way to get to the professional ranks.

Now, just a few years later, he holds one of the more impressive comeback stories in the Chicago Cubs’ pipeline. 

Kade Snell's Rise to the Fall Stars Game

Snell was born in Dothan, Alabama, and from the world “go," all he wanted to do was be an Auburn Tiger. The southpaw made a name for himself at the prep level, becoming a standout left-handed pitcher at Wicksburg High School. This led to Snell unlocking a huge first step in his aspirations: getting the call from Auburn. 

“There was a point in time when I got to campus where I thought I had already made it,” Snell, who is currently in the Arizona Fall League, said to me in a recent interview. “That’s a dangerous game to play.”

Snell’s status on the team fizzled out, as the Tigers cut him. The Mesa Solar Sox outfielder said he even remembers one of the coaches asking him if he’d consider being a student and putting baseball aside entirely. That never crossed Snell’s mind. 

Switching Positions, Hitting the Reset Button

The next morning, Snell’s dad started getting calls from Junior College coaches. Some players would cast this idea aside and take it as an ego hit. Snell didn’t, and he capitalized on the opportunity.

During this process, he picked up the bat again. He had always prided himself on being an athlete in high school, and the Junior College that would allow him to do that again won the bid.

“Wallace-Dothan [Community College] was the one real school that was like ‘we’ll definitely give you an opportunity to hit’,” he said. “Junior College was huge for me.”

Snell dazzled as a two-way star, slashing .396/.503/.545 (.948 OPS) en route to earning Junior College Player of the Year honors in 2023. From there, he earned plenty of recruiting stock at the NCAA-Division I level again. 

This time, his decision was clear. Play the outfield, become a valuable hitter, and join the only team that made sense: the rivals. 

“It was an easy decision to go to Alabama,” Snell said. “The fire got lit under me when I got cut [by Auburn]”.

Drafted At Last

Snell spent two years at Alabama, hitting .347 with 16 homers and 82 runs batted in over a 101-game span. His remarkable approach (53 walks to 36 strikeouts) among other aspects caught the attention of the Cubs, the team that picked him in the fifth round of the 2025 MLB Draft.

Just a couple of years after being cut by his dream school, the kid from Alabama was headed to the pros. 

After a cup of coffee in High-A South Bend in 2025, the 24-year-old excelled in his first real taste of the minor leagues this year. Snell slashed .269/.350/.426 (.776 OPS), striking out only 20.6 percent of the time (68th percentile).

The bat-to-ball skills are clearly there, as the outfield farmhand has some of the better metrics in whiff rate (24.6 percent, 73rd percentile), zone-swing percentage (72 percent, 78th percentile) and zone-contact percentage (86.7 percent, 79th percentile) among his High-A peers. 

Growing In the Arizona Fall League

After spending a full season with a High-A Cubs team that landed in the postseason, Snell was one of eight Cubs minor leaguers to be sent to the Arizona Fall League. 

The Alabama native has capitalized, throttling three extra-base hits (a home run, a triple and a double) with nine runs batted in over 17 games. He has also gained a knack for stolen bases.

After not stealing a single base in 101 games of college ball, Snell has parlayed a 19 SB regular season with nine more bag swipes (without being caught) in AFL play. His .286 batting average and .438 on-base percentage (14 walks, nine strikeouts) makes it evident that this is someone who is comfortable at the plate and can be a real asset to the Cubs soon.

All of that has earned him—alongside fellow Cubs prospect Dominick Reid—a trip to the Fall Stars Game, the annual showcase for the AFL's best performers. He's done all of this while also learning a new position.

“I’ve been able to play some center [field],” he said. “Anywhere I can be plugged and played, that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Snell is at the top of his game now. Once cut from his dream school, Snell has learned to weaponize a low moment and turn it into motivation on his remarkable journey to the top.

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