The Cubs had a pretty diverse draft this year, grabbing one from each of the four major demographics (prep/college hitter/pitcher) with their first four picks. In the past, they've targeted pitchers that throw hard such as Brendon Little, Ryan Jensen, Burl Carraway, and Luke Little to name a few, but even with fireballers like Ty Madden, Gavin Williams, Ryan Cusick, and Chase Petty still on the board, they opted to break from their trend a little bit and get Jordan Wicks, who does not throw hard but stands out for his changeup. Next, they grabbed a prep bat from my high school in the second round, and in the fourth made one of my favorite picks of the entire draft. To save money for their two big overslot picks (preps James Triantos and Drew Gray), they later focused on college performers and five of their last six picks on day two were born in 1998. Easily my favorite pick of the draft for the Cubs was fourth rounder Christian Franklin.
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1-21: LHP Jordan Wicks, Kansas State. My rank: #31.
I wasn't huge on Jordan Wicks, but a lot of teams in the teens really liked him and the Cubs must have been excited just to see him available outside the top twenty. He put himself on the map with an excellent 2020 season, allowing just one run over 26 innings (0.35 ERA) while striking out 26 to just four walks. Wicks was hit a little bit harder in Big 12 play in 2021 and finished with a 3.70 ERA and a 118/28 strikeout to walk ratio in 92.1 innings, but still impressed evaluators enough to be considered the near-consensus best left handed pitching prospect in college baseball. The 6'3" lefty doesn't throw crazy hard, sitting in the low 90's and topping out around 94, but the pitch plays up with high spin rates and ride. His main weapon is arguably the best changeup in the class, a plus-plus fader that just up and dies on its way to the plate. The central Arkansas native's curveball and slider were previously distant third and fourth pitches, but this spring they took a step forward to average or at times a tick above. Everything plays up because he has above average command and is a dogged competitor, throwing all of his pitches with conviction and pounding the strike zone. Those intangibles should enable him to work his way up through the minors rather quickly, and he could reach his ceiling as a mid-rotation starter soon. The lack of a plus breaker probably keeps him from being a #1 or #2, though it's hard to see the entire package allowing him to be anything less than a back-end guy. He signed at slot value for $3.13 million.
2-56: 3B James Triantos, James Madison HS [VA]. My rank: #62.
This is a unique one for me, because I played baseball at Madison from 2012-2015 and used to go to the Triantos house to hit in the batting cage in their back yard. James was only about twelve years old when I used to go over there with some of the other Madison players and I've since moved from Virginia to Texas, so I don't have any extra insight on his skillset, but it's still a fun connection for me. Triantos is the first player drafted out of my high school since Andy McGuire in 2013, who was two years ahead of me, and the second highest pick in school history behind 1971 second overall pick Jay Franklin. Originally a member of the 2022 class, he reclassified to 2021 to be age-appropriate and a massive spring catapulted him into top 100 conversation relatively late. He absolutely demolished northern Virginia pitching with above average raw power to all fields, whipping the barrel through the zone with great leverage and a swing path that allows him to make solid contact even when he's not on time. The hit tool has held up extremely well this spring, though it's relatively untested against higher level arms and the Cubs are showing a little bit of faith by taking him this high and giving him this large of a bonus. He shows a plus arm that helped him serve as the Warhawk ace this spring and throw a complete game in the state championship game, but he lacks the range to stick at shortstop and profiles better as a third baseman. Triantos is a hard worker who has been working out regularly since at least when I knew him as a pre-teenager, so he should make the most of his ability in pro baseball. He signed for $2.1 million, which was $820,000 above slot value.
3-93: LHP Drew Gray, IMG Academy [FL]. My rank: #166.
Here is a semi-hometown pick. Drew Gray is from Swansea, Illinois, just outside of St. Louis, and he transferred from Belleville High School to the IMG Academy this year to increase his stock. Gray was actually a position player until recently, only beginning to seriously focus on pitching last year, so there is a lot to project on. The 6'3" lefty sits in the low 90's with his fastball, topping out around 93-94 early in starts but often dipping into the upper 80's towards the end. The pitch has high spin and great riding action, so the hope is that as he gets stronger and more accustomed to the mound, it will turn into a true weapon for him. The secondaries are more of a work in progress, with his breaking balls looking slurvy (albeit with high spin as well) and the changeup in its early stages. He does a great job of incorporating his legs into his delivery, though his mechanics could use a little synching up going forward. Gray had a chance to shoot up boards this spring, but nagging injuries kept him from doing so. This is exactly the kind of profile that could head to school and come out a completely different prospect, so the Cubs recognized that and are buying in early so that he can make those gains in their system. With added strength and more time to develop his offspeeds, he has a tremendous ceiling. Gray was committed to Arkansas but signed for $900,000, which was $272,100 above slot value.
4-123: OF Christian Franklin, Arkansas. My rank: #38.
This was one of the best picks in the draft in my and many others' opinions, especially considering that he signed below slot. Christian Franklin was solidly in the first round picture for me until his swing and miss issues started to bite him a bit late in the season, but even once the draft rolled around he seemed like at least a second round pick to me. I guess the industry was lower on him and he fell to the Cubs in the fourth round, who could be getting arguably the best value in the draft. He was right in the middle of the best offense in college baseball this year, slashing .274/.420/.544 with 13 home runs, 11 stolen bases, and a 78/44 strikeout to walk ratio over 61 games against a very tough schedule. First we have huge raw power despite a lean 5'11" frame, as he's such a great athlete that he can channel that lean strength into big exit velocities and has now crushed 22 home runs, 27 doubles, and four triples in 141 college games, even as he's faced a steady diet of big SEC arms. He's an above average runner that channels his speed into excellent center field defense, and that strength comes back into play with a plus arm from center field. Really, the only question in the Kansas City-area native's game is around his hit tool, as he struck out at a 28.5% rate this year and he seemed to be trending in the wrong direction by the season's end. That's certainly an issue, but to me, there are so many other positives in this profile that the fourth round feels way too low, and his .402 career on-base percentage (.407 in SEC play alone this year) shows that he can absolutely handle advanced pitching. He signed for $425,000, which was $39,500 below slot value.
5-154: SS Liam Spence, Tennessee. Unranked.
Liam Spence travelled a long way to get to Chicago. A product of Geelong, Australia (about 40 miles outside Melbourne), he began his college career at Central Arizona before transferring to Tennessee. The Australian has been an absolute hit machine for the Volunteers, slashing .338/.471/.459 with six home runs and a 60/66 strikeout to walk ratio over 81 games since the start of 2020 and serving as their primary leadoff man during the team's College World Series run. He has a quick right handed stroke that enables him to find the barrel very consistently against good pitching, and there is some moderate power in his skinny 6'1" frame. Spence is a very patient hitter who has walked in 23.7% of his plate appearances at Tennessee, really juicing his on-base percentages and giving him ample opportunities to use his solid speed. Given that he doesn't quite have enough glove to man shortstop every day, this is a pretty clear utility infield profile, especially given that he turned 23 in April. Spence signed for $135,000, which was $208,400 below slot value.
7-214: OF Parker Chavers, Coastal Carolina. My rank: #210.
Parker Chavers was trending towards being an early pick when he slashed .319/.435/.554 with 22 home runs over his first two seasons at Coastal Carolina, but he hurt his shoulder over the offseason and didn't get into action during the shortened 2020 season. He was still talked about in the back of the five round draft, but wound up undrafted and went back to school. This year, he hit a strong .318/.407/.477 with five home runs and a career-high 14 stolen bases in 49 games, but he didn't quite put it together like scouts had hoped. Chavers shows above average raw power from a smaller 5'11" frame, and over his first two seasons in Conway, he got to it consistently in games. However, in 2021, he toned down his approach a bit and dropped his strikeout rate from 19.3% over his first two seasons to 8.8% this year, but that came at the expense of his power as his five home runs and .477 slugging percentage were both career-lows. The Montgomery, Alabama native is a plus runner that will be able to handle all three outfield spots in pro ball, so he does a lot of things well. At this point, given that he turned 23 shortly after the draft, it's hard to see him putting it all together to the point where he can play full time, but the fact that he has (at separate times) shown the ability to hit for both power and average on top of being a good runner should give him quite a few ways to contribute as a fourth outfielder down the road. He signed for $125,000, which was $81,500 below slot value.
8-244: C Casey Opitz, Arkansas. Unranked.
Casey Opitz, like Parker Chavers, was eligible last year and had looks in the back of the five round draft (and both Chavers and Opitz just turned 23 five days apart). A relatively light hitter over the first two years of his career, he elevated his stock that year by jumping out to a hot .302/.361/.509 start in the shortened season, but that's looking like more a fluke now that he hit .257/.367/.346 with two home runs and a 33/32 strikeout to walk ratio over 55 games. It's an average hit tool and an ability to handle the strike zone well against advanced pitching that stand out on offense, but the below average power limits his ceiling. Where Opitz shines, though, is one defense. The Denver-area native has a plus glove and a plus arm, making him an asset behind the plate as is, but it's not just the tools that make him special. Opitz is also a high-energy leader back there who could be called Pitching Ninja's favorite catcher, firing up his pitchers after every strikeout. Pitchers absolutely love to work with him, and just his presence in the Chicago farm system could have a very positive impact on other young pitchers. This is a fun one even without much of a ceiling. He signed for $90,000, which was $78,500 below slot value.
