The Cubs spent the first day of the MLB Draft going after arms and upside, then doubled back for power bats with plenty of risk baked in. By the time Saturday’s Rounds 1-4 wrapped, Chicago had made five picks, including the compensatory selection it received after losing Kyle Tucker in free agency.
The first name off the board for the Cubs was right-hander Cade Townsend at No. 23. The Ole Miss standout was described as a high-ceiling pitcher the organization will try to shape into a front-line arm, and Townsend himself told the media after the pick that he had been hoping to land with the Cubs.
Chicago then moved through the rest of Day 1 with a mix of thunder and uncertainty. In the second round, the Cubs took Caden Sorrell, a 21-year-old left-handed hitter who brings real juice to the box.
He tied for 14th in Division I with 23 home runs last season at Texas A&M, though the swing-and-miss is part of the package too. Sorrell struck out 23 percent of the time last season, and Keith Law pointed to a 32 percent whiff rate this spring.
Even with that, he’s viewed as a solid defender in center field who could settle in as a plus corner outfielder in pro ball.
Sorrell also comes with one of the more memorable viral clips in the draft class: a home run ball that hit a train.
The Cubs’ compensatory pick went to Florida State first baseman Myles Bailey, and that selection brought another huge-power profile into the system. Bailey’s home runs are the kind that jump off the screen, and the raw power is obvious enough that he’s been placed on a short list with the biggest pop in the class.
MLB.com described him as one of the hitters with the most raw power in the draft, noting that he can drive the ball to all fields and still reach the seats on mishits. The concern is just as clear: the hit tool has to come along.
Bailey finished with 13 home runs after a season-ending ankle injury suffered while sliding into second base, and he carried a 23.0 percent strikeout rate that leaves some teams wondering whether the bat will play enough against big-league pitching.
The Cubs kept adding to the pitching side with Carson Jasa, the 6-foot-8 right-hander from Nebraska. Jasa can get his fastball up to 98 mph on his best days, and his curveball helped him miss bats this season.
He posted a 3.59 ERA and a 12.01 K/9 as the Huskers’ ace, though the command issues never fully disappeared. Keith Law noted that Jasa had walked 19 in 18 2/3 innings in 2025 with an 8.68 ERA, and that after missing 2024 because of Tommy John surgery, he returned with big stuff but still questionable control.
Chicago’s final Day 1 pick was another right-hander, Dylan Marionneaux from Northwestern State. The junior started 14 games last season and put up a 3.51 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 18 walks.
After bouncing between the bullpen and rotation in earlier seasons, he set career highs in innings with 84.2 and strikeouts with 81, then finished 2026 with nine scoreless innings in his final start. The Cubs clearly saw something they liked in that profile.
Jed Hoyer and the front office still have rounds 5 through 20 to navigate on Sunday, but Day 1 gave them a clear shape: pitching first, then upside, then more pitching.
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