Cubs select a trio of college talent on first day of MLB Draft, including CF Ethan Conrad

New York Times

5 hours ago

The Chicago Cubs finished Day 1 of the MLB Draft on Sunday evening, making three total selections. In the first round with the 17th pick, the Cubs selected Ethan Conrad, a center fielder out of Wake Forest.
Conrad slashed .372/.495/.744 this season but played in only 21 games after his season ended early due to an injured left labrum that he hurt while diving for a ball. Conrad had similar standout numbers in his sophomore year at Marist, then dominated at the Cape last summer. Cape success has been a trend for Cubs draft picks in recent years.
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They've also taken advantage of players who are coming off injury and may have seen their draft value dinged in the process. Cade Horton was a late bloomer after injury, but the Cubs were aggressive in selecting him in the top 10 in 2022 after an impressive showing in the College World Series. Jaxon Wiggins was a 2023 second-round pick whose season was cut short at Arkansas and has emerged as a top pitching prospect in the organization.
'He complied with the medical portion of Major League Baseball's scouting combine,' vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz told members of the media via a video call Sunday night. 'So there wasn't a lot of uncertainty when it comes to the information there. We felt he was somebody that, if he played out the entire season, he would have been considered in the top 10 of the draft. We felt it was pretty exceptional value in terms of getting him at 17. We felt that he's a potentially dynamic talent.'
Conrad is a left-handed bat who pairs power with contact ability and some solid speed. He didn't regularly play center field until he transferred to Wake Forest, so scouts are still unsure if he can stick there. But if he returns to full health, his bat is seen as capable of being valuable enough for him to move to a corner spot. Talent evaluators see this as a risky pick, but the Cubs were confident Conrad would return to full health.
"It's honestly such an honor hearing my name called by the Chicago Cubs. It's a dream come true."
Ethan Conrad on being drafted by the Cubs. pic.twitter.com/ritymFmXEQ
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) July 14, 2025
'You don't want to close the door on a player based on his health if the forecast is that he's going to recover,' Kantrovit said. 'And in the case of Ethan, we expect a full recovery. I'm not sure if it's a trend, but it's definitely something that we're not going to dismiss players we think are going to get back to full strength.'
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Conrad showed impressive slugging ability at Marist and in his brief time with Wake Forest, but Kantrovitz said he's still filling out and that 'there's an increasing slug component there.' He's also lauded by scouting departments for having strong underlying metrics, something the model-heavy Cubs front office certainly values.
'His decision-making, his ability to make contact and his ability to make damage, all three of those pillars are there,' Kantrovitz said, adding that they believe Conrad is a five-tool player.
The expectation is that Conrad will take the rest of the summer and fall to recover and rehab. Then they hope he comes to spring training at 100 percent and ready to begin his pro career in earnest.
In the second round, the Cubs selected Kane Kepley, another center fielder, this one from the University of North Carolina. Kepley is a high-contact bat who takes his walks and brings value with strong defense in center and impressive speed on the basepaths.
'His game's not power; it's speed,' Kantrovitz said. 'He's a plus defender in center field, and he stole 40-plus bags this year. He led off on a good team there in North Carolina. He's somebody that can put a lot of pressure on the defense.'
Kepley posted a .451 on-base percentage at UNC after two brilliant seasons at Liberty. He stole 45 bases in 49 attempts this past season and had a walk rate above 14 percent and a contact rate approaching 90 percent. The concern would be that the lack of power leads higher-level pitchers to challenge him and make his patience less valuable.
'It's not too often that you see somebody that has his ability to make contact, spray the ball around and play center field the way he can,' Kantrovitz said.
In the third round, the Cubs selected Abilene Christian righty Dominick Reid. Reid is known for having arguably the best changeup in the draft.
The #Cubs tonight selected RHP Dominick Reid of @ACU_Baseball with the 90th overall pick in the 2025 #MLBDraft. pic.twitter.com/6BY49j8pwM
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 14, 2025
'He's just got a natural feel for it,' Kantrovitz said. 'It comes from a pretty nasty arm slot that's tough to pick up. He throws it to both lefties and righties. He's also got feel to spin it on a couple of different axes. He's touched mid-90s this year; he's probably 92 to 94 (mph) most of the time. He's got a body that's still filling out. We feel like there's some untapped potential there.'
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The Cubs have had some recent success in adding velocity to pitchers, so selecting pitchers with strong secondaries and/or good command makes sense. Whether the Cubs can tease more out of Reid velocity-wise and perhaps develop either his slider or curveball will be key to his development.
By drafting a trio of college players, the Cubs have a chance to be aggressive on Day 2 and maybe go for a high school player who is looking for a bigger payday. They believe they have some financial flexibility and can use it Monday.
'At this juncture, it's difficult to forecast how we're going to deploy that flexibility,' Kantrovitz said. 'But suffice it to say we're going to go into tomorrow with a good amount of financial flexibility.'
(Photo of Ethan Conrad: Vera Nieuwenhuis / Associated Press)