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The 2025 MLB Draft is now over and the Cubs have made 20 selections over the past two days. This is a change from previous years, when the draft took place over three days. This year, the first three rounds were on day one and the final 17 rounds took place on day two.

With their 20 picks, the Cubs drafted 13 pitchers—11 right handed and two left-handed—four outfielders, two catchers and one infielder. The Cubs continued their recent history of focusing on college players, with 16 selections coming from the college ranks and just four high school seniors.

The Cubs 20 picks were:

Ethan Conrad OF Wake Forest B:L, T:L

Kane Kepley OF North Carolina L/L

Dominick Reid RHP Abilene Christian

Kaleb Wing RHP Scotts Valley HS (CA)

Kade Snell OF Alabama L/L

Josiah Hartshorn OF Orange Lutheran HS (CA) S/L

Pierce Coppola LHP Florida

Jake Knapp RHP North Carolina

Colton Book LHP Saint Joseph’s University (PA)

Justin Stransky C Fresno State R/R

Eli Jerzembeck RHP South Carolina

Connor Spencer RHP Ole Miss

Nate Williams RHP Mississippi State

Kaemyn Franklin RHP Victory Christian HS (OK)

Noah Edders RHP Troy University

Riely Hunsaker RHP Lamar University

Logan Poteet C UNC—Charlotte R/R

Connor Knox RHP George Mason

Caleb Barnett INF Mountain Brook HS (AL) R/R

Freddy Rodriguez RHP Hawai’i

Nineteenth-round pick Caleb Barnett has already announced his intention not to sign and to enroll at the University of Alabama. So for the first time in three years, the Cubs will not sign all 20 draft picks, unless they can get Barnett to change his mind.

I am extremely confident that the Cubs will sign the first 10 picks. They will likely sign the other nine in the second half of the draft as well.

The Cubs draft was clearly pitcher-heavy this year. That’s not uncommon. In 2022, the Cubs were even more pitcher-heavy with 16 pitchers and only four position players. But what is truly unusual is that no shortstops were taken. That’s a first for the Cubs in the history of the draft. Only one infielder was chosen, and he’s a third baseman/first baseman and he’s already saying he’s not going to sign.

The Cubs also went heavy on players with health concerns. That’s certainly a way to get a better talent that would normally be available at that draft spot. They’ve had some success with this method recently with the Cubs’ top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins. I already mentioned the shoulder injury Conrad suffered and how he was a possible top 10 pick had he not suffered it in Sunday’s recap. There are other draftees with similar stories.

I wrote about the first three Cubs picks on Sunday and I’m not going to repeat myself here. But here are some tidbits on the other picks.

Kaleb Wing’s dad Ryan was a second-round pick of the White Sox in 2001 who topped out in Triple-A for the Athletics in 2008. Kaleb appears to be growing into his 6’2” frame. He increased the velocity on his fastball from 89-90 mph to 92-93 this year and he’s touched 95 on more than one occasion. He has a standard four-pitch mix with a curve, slider and changeup that he uses against left-handers. He’s someone with some upside a few years down the line.

Snell was considered one of the top “senior signs” coming into the draft. He was a first-team All-SEC player this year and second-team All-American, which speaks to how well he hit this year with the Crimson Tide: .363/.464/.575 with ten home runs. He also excelled in the wooden bat Cape Cod League the summer before, and the Cubs have a deserved reputation for prioritizing players who do well on the Cape. The downside of Snell is that he’s a redshirt senior who turns 23 at the end of this month. He’s also considered a mediocre outfielder limited to left field. But as someone with no college eligibility left, Snell should sign cheaply, thus opening up bonus money for other, tougher signs.

Hartshorn may be one of the beneficiaries of Snell’s small bonus. Hartshorn is a big, 6’2”, 220 pound switch hitter with good power and a good eye from both sides of the plate. He has very good ball-contact skills, doesn’t strike out much and will draw a walk. He’s pretty much maxed out physically already, so the Cubs will be looking for him to tap into what he’s already got rather than add strength. He profiles as an average defensive right fielder with an above-average arm.

Coppola is tall — 6’8” — and can throw 96 mph from the left side. Coppola was a top draft prospect out of high school in 2021, but wanted to go to Florida rather than start his pro career. There his career was a series of injuries and he missed almost two full seasons with back and shoulder issues. He only threw 49⅓ innings at Florida. Coppola made seven starts for the Gators this year and had a 2.53 ERA and 43 strikeouts in just 21⅓ innings. He has a fastball that has touched 96 at times and a slider that has flashed plus. He also has a curve and changeup, but he might not need them in the pros as he’s likely a bullpen arm. Another senior sign.

Knapp was the oldest draft-eligible player this year, having already turned 25. He missed all of 2024 with Tommy John surgery, but he returned this year to win ACC Pitcher of the Year honors with a 14-0 record and a 2.02 ERA. He’s more of a pitcher than a thrower, but his fastball has touched 97 on occasion. His underlying data isn’t as impressive as that W-L record and ERA, but he does know how to use his four-pitch arsenal to get outs.

Book was the Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year. His upper-80s fastball has good movement so it plays better than its velocity. He’s also has a good mound presence and knows how to work his pitches to get strikes.

Stransky is another senior, but looking at him it seems hard to understand why he’s not more highly-regarded. He hit .312/.401/.523 for the Diamond Dogs this past year and was a finalist for the Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year and All-MWC first-team player. Stransky’s exit velocities aren’t great, which may be why he fell, but he also puts the ball in play a lot. He struck out just 20 times in 272 plate appearances in 2025. Stransky is considered a good defender who should stick at catcher.

Jerzembeck was another highly-regarded high school prospect who went to college anyway and then was wrecked with injuries. He hasn’t pitched since 2023 after Tommy John surgery and a stress fracture in his elbow. It’s hard to say what he’s like now after two major injuries and two missed seasons. I hope the Cubs have an idea. Jerzembeck does still have college eligibility left, so he may not be an easy sign despite the injuries.

Spencer was taken by the Athletics last year in the 16th round and didn’t sign. He came back and had 1.82 ERA and eight saves for Ole Miss this year.

Williams is also a senior who has struggled with injuries over the years. He didn’t pitch at all in 2023 and 2024. He struck out 51 batters and walked just 11 in 27⅔ innings this year though. Williams has an upper-90s fastball.

Kaemyn Franklin is the little brother of Cubs’ prospect Kohl Franklin, which also makes him the nephew of former All-Star pitcher Ryan Franklin. Kaemyn is also recovering from Tommy John surgery. (Kohl’s promising career also has been slowed by a UCL injury, which was one of those “technically not Tommy John but still going to miss a year” things) From the looks of his and his brother’s social media posts, it sounds like Franklin intends to sign.

Edders spent two years at Bradley University before transferring to Troy. He’s a fastball/slider guy with above-average control and a reliever projection.

Hunsaker was a first-team All-Southland Conference pitcher after transferring from Texas A&M—Corpus Christi. He had a 2.47 ERA in 14 starts and seems to have good control.

Logan Poteet played, or rather barely played, for two years at Vanderbilt before transferring to UNC-Charlotte. He’s from the Knoxville area, so the local media is already salivating about him making Double-A and playing for the Smokies.

Knox struck out over a batter an inning with George Mason this year, mostly as a starter. His control took a step forward. Knox looked good in two starts in the MLB Draft League this summer.

Rodriguez spent two years at Cal Poly before transferring to Hawai’i. He struck out 52 and walked just 16 in 52⅓ innings with the Rainbow Warriors. He also played in the Cape Cod League this summer and wasn’t bad with a 3.71 ERA in four starts.

So join me in welcoming these young men to the Cubs family. We know that they won’t all make the majors, but let’s hope that as many of them as possible do and that they all have a good experience with the Cubs.

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