The Chicago Cubs entered the 2026 MLB Draft (held July 11-12 in Philadelphia) looking to bolster their farm system, particularly with pitching depth after focusing on position players in recent years. They used their first-round pick (No. 23 overall) on a college arm and followed up with two high-upside college bats in the second round/compensation round before continuing to load up on arms.
The class skews heavily toward pitchers (especially college right-handers with improving command or intriguing stuff), while adding legitimate power threats early. This gives the organization a nice mix of immediate high-floor college talent and developmental upside.
Full Draft Class
| Round | Player | Pos | School |
| 1 | Cade Townsend | RHP | Ole Miss |
| 2 | Caden Sorrell | OF (L) | Texas A&M |
| Comp | Myles Bailey | 1B (L) | Florida State |
| 3 | Carson Jasa | RHP | Nebraska |
| 4 | Dylan Marionneaux | RHP | Northwestern State |
| 5 | Dylan Blomker | RHP | La Cueva HS (NM) |
| 6 | Isaac Morton | RHP | Minnesota |
| 7 | Cole Tryba | LHP | UC Santa Barbara |
| 8 | Lance Williams | RHP | Maryland |
| 9 | Chase Meyer | RHP | West Virginia |
| 10 | Luke Alwood | RHP | Seattle |
| 11 | Ariston Veasey | RHP | Clemson |
| 12 | Brandon Arvidson | LHP | Tennessee |
| 13 | Emanuel Hernandez | C | Carlos Beltran Academy (PR) |
| 14 | Corey Nunez | SS | UC Santa Barbara |
| 15 | Griffin Naess | RHP | Cal Poly |
| 16 | Ashton Pocol | RHP | Florida Gulf Coast |
| 17 | Ryan Marton | RHP | UNLV |
| 18 | Luke McGrath | RHP | James Madison |
| 19 | Luke Guth | RHP | Vanderbilt |
| 20 | Brennan Hudson | 1B | Georgia |
Day 1 Picks (Rounds 1-4)
Cade Townsend, RHP – Round 1, Pick 23 overall – Ole Miss
Bats/Throws: R/R | Height/Weight: 6’1″, 185 lbs
Townsend was the Cubs’ top target and a strong connection with their pitching staff at the combine and in meetings. The SEC right-hander features a wide arsenal (fastball, curveball, slider, splitter, cutter) and sits in the mid-90s at his best. He dealt with minor shoulder soreness in March but rebounded well. His stuff grades as big-league quality, though his frame and mechanics carry some reliever risk. He pitched nearly twice as many innings in 2026 as 2025 and cut his walk rate in half while improving his strikeout rate.
Quick Scout: Plus spin rates and pitch mix give him starter upside; control/command is the main developmental key.
Projection: High-upside mid-rotation starter or high-leverage reliever. Could reach the majors by 2028–2029 with strong development. Immediately slots as one of the Cubs’ top pitching prospects.
Caden Sorrell, OF – Round 2, Pick 62 overall – Texas A&M
Bats/Throws: L/L | Height/Weight: 6’3″, 210 lbs
Sorrell brings plus bat speed and power. He mashed in the SEC, posting strong power numbers over multiple seasons (including 35 homers and a .757 SLG in 82 games across his last two years) and was highly productive in 2026. He hit .341 with 1 1.177 OPS this past season.
Quick Scout: Advanced college bat with real pop; should hit for average and power from the left side. Corner outfield profile likely.
Projection: Everyday corner outfielder with 20–25+ homer potential. High-floor college bat who could move quickly through the system.
Myles Bailey, 1B – Compensation Round (Pick 75) – Florida State
Bats/Throws: L/R | Height/Weight: 6’4″, 257 lbs
One of the biggest raw power bats in the entire class. Bailey was a highly touted prep prospect who showed massive pop at FSU before an ankle injury ended his 2026 season early (he still posted a .913 SLG and 13 homers in just 26 games).
Quick Scout: Elite raw power and size at first base; hit tool has room to grow but has shown enough to project as a solid contributor.
Projection: Power-hitting first baseman with 25–30+ homer upside in his prime. Potential everyday regular or strong platoon bat.
Carson Jasa, RHP – Round 3, Pick 98 overall – Nebraska
Bats/Throws: R/R | Height/Weight: 6’7″, 215 lbs
The tall right-hander made huge strides in 2026 after a very wild freshman year. He posted a 3.59 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 87⅔ innings and featured an elite curveball that was nearly unhittable (.054 opponent average). Boasted a 2.49 K/BB ratio (a substantial improvement from his 1.26 K/BB in 2025).
Quick Scout: Big frame, plus breaking ball, and significantly improved command/control. Starter profile with swing-and-miss stuff.
Projection: Mid-rotation starter or high-leverage reliever. Size and stuff give him a nice ceiling.
Dylan Marionneaux, RHP – Round 4, Pick 126 overall – Northwestern State
Bats/Throws: R/R | Height/Weight: 6’3″, 165 lbs
The Cubs were likely intrigued by his spin and cutter. He had a solid 2026 season (3.51 ERA, much improved walk rate). He saw a massive spike in his K/BB ratio (1.72 in 2025 to 4.50 in 2026) suggesting improving command and pitchability!
Quick Scout: Good spin rates and a developing cutter; solid college performer with room to grow.
Projection: Depth starter or bullpen arm. Developmental piece with organizational value.
Day 2 Picks (Rounds 5-20) – Pitching-Heavy Depth
The Cubs continued adding arms throughout Day 2, focusing on college pitchers with some high school upside mixed in:
Round 5 (159): Dylan Blomker, RHP – La Cueva HS (NM) — A 6’4, 210, raw high school arm with upside. Fastball sits low-to-mid 90s (up to 96 mph) with life; strong multi-pitch mix including a sharp breaking ball (slider/sweeper with good bite/sweep), firm changeup. Polished for a high schooler with good command/strike-throwing and repeatable mechanics.
Round 6 (188): Isaac Morton, RHP – Minnesota — 6’3″, 195 lbs; funky/sidearm-ish low release for deception and movement. Fastball 93-95 (touch 97) with sink/run; premium spin on sweeping slider (best pitch), low-90s cutter, average changeup. Comes off a solid 2026 with a 3.26 ERA. Recorded 63 strikeouts to 25 walks (2.52 K/BB ratio)
Round 7 (217): Cole Tryba, LHP – UC Santa Barbara — 6’0″, 185 lb left-handed reliever. Recorded 4 saves in 2026, a 3.50 ERA, 57 Ks and 14 BBs for a pretty incredible 4.07 K/BB ratio.
Round 8: Lance Williams, RHP – Maryland — 5’11”, 200 lbs, power righty with velocity (fastball up to 99 mph). Mixed starter/reliever role in 2026 (8 starts, bullpen work); good strikeout ability. Intriguing power arm and a good value here in the 8th round. The results were not great in 2026 in his first season with the Terrapins (transferred from East Carolina) with a 6.16 ERA but 69 strikeouts to 29 walks is encouraging.
Round 9: Chase Meyer, RHP – West Virginia — 6’2″, 175 lbs; electric stuff with strikeout upside. Showed swing-and-miss in college/summer ball. Did not pitch in the 2026 season after he was dismissed from team after what was reported as disagreements with the coaching staff. He is slotted to play at Arizona State next season if he does not sign.
Round 10: Luke Alwood, RHP – Seattle University — 6’5″, 225 lbs; big-bodied senior with innings experience, originally from Hawai’i. Had control issues in his first three seasons at Seattle, posting more walks than strikeouts in all three. But in 2026 he may have found something. Posting 48 Ks to just 19 BBs, a massive improvement. Below we see that massive spike in strikeout to walk ratio in 2026. That’s enough to get me liking this selection.
Round 11: Ariston Veasey, RHP – Clemson — 6’1″ 185 lbs, transferred to Clemson after two season at Alabama with very limited action. He served as a reliever for the Tigers in 2026, posting a 3.29 ERA and2.05 K/BB ratio in 20 appearances.
Round 12: Brandon Arvidson, LHP – Tennessee — served as a reliever for the Volunteers. He’s a guy who had a really promising 2025 but his stock fell after his 2026 season. His batting average against jumped from .196 to .262 and his strikeout rate fell from 42.2% to 27.8%. The Cubs will hope they can get him back to that 2025 version.
Round 13: Emanuel Hernandez, C – Carlos Beltran Academy (PR) — Early signs are that he’s a defense first catcher. Hernandez has a commitment to play at Miami (OH).
Round 14: Corey Nunez, SS – UC Santa Barbara — Glove and contact-first shortstop. Hit .280 with 2 HR, 15 RBI, 23 K and 14 BBs.
Round 15: Griffin Naess, RHP – Cal Poly — Big righty at 6’6″ 185. The numbers have gone the wrong way over the last few years. Batting average against has gone .237 -> .253 -> .260. ERA jumped from 3.58 -> 3.93 -> 5.33. Cubs are likely looking at the 6’6″ frame and seeing some potential to correct the rest.
Round 16: Ashton Pocol, RHP – Florida Gulf Coast — Posted a 3.24 ERA as a reliever. 5.00 K/BB ratio (50 Ks to 10 BBs) and allowed just 1 HR in 33.1 IP.
Round 17: Ryan Marton, RHP – UNLV — 6’4″, 235 lbs. Posted a 6.16 ERA as a reliever in his first season at UNLV (transferred from Midland college). That’s not great on the surface level, but he he allowed 10 of his 13 earned runs in a 3 game stretch at the very beginning of the season (games 2-4). From April 5th on, he had a 2.13 ERA in 12.2 IP.
Round 18: Luke McGrath, RHP – James Madison — 6’2″ 185 lbs. Profiles as a bullpen depth arm with strikeout stuff. At James Madison, he pitched out of the bullpen and recorded 4 saves in 2026. However, the control was an issue. 1.4 K/BB ratio but he also hit 15 batters in just 28 innings!
Round 19: Luke Guth, RHP – Vanderbilt — 6’1″ 188 lbs. Guth had an unbelievable 2025 season with just a 0.93 ERA in 19 appearances. But in 2026, he saw an increase in his role and usage and he saw his ERA balloon to 5.18 in 23 appearances.
Round 20: Brennan Hudson, 1B – Georgia — 6’1″ 222 left-handed hitting first baseman. .294/.466/.730 slash with 22 HR and 51 RBI in 56 games (50 starts, mostly at 1B). He shows good plate discipline and plus raw power. As a late round college senior, he’s a bat first 1B/DH type.
The Cubs’ 2026 draft class is a clear win for pitching depth while smartly adding two high-impact college bats early. Townsend gives them an immediate high-upside arm, Sorrell and Bailey inject real power into the system, and Jasa/Marionneaux (plus the Day 2 arms) help restock the pitching pipeline.
This class addresses a perceived need for more arms while not ignoring offensive upside. Expect most of the college players to sign quickly and begin their pro careers in the lower minors or Arizona Complex League this summer/fall. The high school arms (like Blomker) will take longer to develop.
It’s a balanced, pitching-heavy group that should meaningfully improve the farm system’s depth over the next 2–4 years. The Cubs now have several new names to watch in their prospect rankings heading into 2027.