Here are the Cubs' 2026 Draft picks

CHICAGO -- Given that the Draft can take unexpected turns, the Cubs needed to see how things played out while keeping a clear goal in mind. The ballclub wanted to inject more top pitching talent into its farm system, but did not want to do that at the expense of missing out on highly touted position players still on the board.

“We didn’t want to force it,” Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said. “We felt like it might happen, just given the way the pitching crop kind of lined up with a lot of the bats going a little bit earlier. But until you get in it, you never know.”

The Cubs liked how things played out at the top of the Draft this year.

Ole Miss righty Cade Townsend -- a pitcher who connected well with the Cubs’ pitching group both at the Draft Combine and in other meetings -- was available with the 23rd overall pick in the first round. Chicago took him with that selection, and then grabbed two more pitchers it was targeting, Nebraska righty Carson Jasa (third round) and Northwestern State righty Dylan Marionneaux (fourth).

This marked the first time the Cubs used their first-round pick on a pitcher since 2022, when they selected Cade Horton seventh overall. The Cubs also took three pitchers within their first five picks after selecting only four arms total within the 15 picks in the previous three years’ first five selections combined.

When it was all said and done, the Cubs used 16 of their 21 selections in this Draft class on pitching, including 15 from the collegiate level. It included a mix of potential starters and a few arms who project as relievers, but the underlying trait for this group of pitchers was an ability to generate high spin rates.

Even with that influx of pitching talent at the top on Day 1, the Cubs also snagged two power-hitting prospects in the second round (Texas A&M outfielder Caden Sorrell) and compensation round (Florida State first baseman Myles Bailey). With some true raw power available in those spots, Chicago pounced, and then returned to the pitching-focused approach.

“We’re really pleased with the outcome,” Kantrovitz said. “I think going in, we felt it was going to be slightly skewed towards more pitchers than hitters. I wasn’t sure if that was going to be one hitter or two hitters, but at the end of the day, when a guy like Caden Sorrell falls to us, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to grab him.

“With getting Cade up top, I think that really solidified our Draft strategy, and then allowed us to be a little bit flexible with two impact bats right after that.”

Here are the Cubs’ picks following Townsend:

Caden Sorrell, OF

• Round 2, Pick 62
• Bats/throws: L/L
• School: Texas A&M
• Calling Card: Sorrell (No. 33 on the Top 250) has Major League lineage (both his grandfathers, Billy Sorrell and Tom Griffin, played in the big leagues), so he has a chance to add to that family history. The 21-year-old outfielder has plus bat speed and power, belting 35 homers with a .757 slugging percentage over the last two college seasons (82 games) combined.
• Quote: “We felt it was going to be slightly skewed towards more pitchers than hitters and I wasn’t sure if that was going to be one hitter or two hitters. But at the end of the day, when a guy like Caden Sorrell falls to us, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to grab him.” -- Kantrovitz

Myles Bailey, 1B

• Compensation round, Pick 75
• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: Florida State
• Calling Card: Bailey has been a highly touted power prospect since his prep days and brings some of the best raw power to this year’s class. He had a .913 slugging percentage with 13 homers in 26 games this year before an ankle injury cut his season short. Bailey (No. 83 on the Top 250) posted a .734 slugging percentage and 1.222 OPS in two years at FSU.
• Quote: “It’s hard to find someone with top-of-the-scale power. Truly, it’s some elite raw power that Myles possesses.” -- Kantrovitz

Carson Jasa, RHP

• Round 3, Pick 98
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Nebraska
• Calling Card: After an extremely wild freshman season with the Cornhuskers (19 walks, seven hit batsmen and four wild pitches in 18 2/3 innings), the 6-foot-7 Jasa saw drastic improvements in ’26. Ranked No. 173 on the Top 250, the righty had a 3.59 ERA with 117 strikeouts and 47 walks in 87 2/3 innings. He has an elite curveball, which held batters to a .054 average (6-for-111) with 81 strikeouts this year.
• Quote: “The first thing that stands out is he’s just got this projectable frame, and he’s throwing upper-90s, can spin the ball. I think you give him a year or two and let him put on some more weight, then that just increases the power across the board.” -- Kantrovitz

Dylan Marionneaux, RHP

• Round 4, Pick 126
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Northwestern State (La.)
• Calling Card: The Cubs were able to have Marionneaux throw a bullpen during a workout and loved his ability to spin the baseball. The righty showed off a cutter that intrigued Chicago’s pitching group. This past season, Marionneaux had a 3.51 ERA with 81 strikeouts and 18 walks in 84 2/3 innings. The walk rate (1.9 per nine innings) was a noticeable drop from both ’25 (4.5) and ’24 (5.1).
• Quote: “We were able to see up close what we were seeing in the data, which is a really nice cutter, the ability to spin the ball, and just have a couple different shapes. Not to mention, he had a really good season this year.” -- Kantrovitz

More on the Cubs' 2026 Draft:

• Cubs grab RHP Townsend and his elite spin with 23rd overall pick
• Cubs Draft tracker

Rounds 5-10
The Cubs continued their pitching-heavy focus in this segment of the Draft, selecting six arms. A trend that continued from the earlier rounds was identifying pitchers praised for their ability to spin the ball. The one lefty taken in this group (Cole Tryba in the seventh round) profiles as a reliever.

The Cubs are not afraid to roll the dice on pitchers returning from an injury and showed that again with the sixth-round pick of righty Isaac Morton (Minnesota). Morton injured his right elbow in his final start this year and needed Tommy John surgery. Prior to that setback, he was viewed as a potential third-round talent.

Player to watch: Dylan Blomker, RHP

• Round 5
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: La Cueva HS (New Mexico)
• Calling Card: Blomker was the lone prep player picked by the Cubs in the first 10 rounds. The righty was committed to Louisiana State after winning the Gatorade Player of the Year for New Mexico. Blomker’s slider comes with elite spin. This year, he went 8-1 with a 1.99 ERA and 113 strikeouts in 53 2/3 innings, while also hitting .395 with seven homers as a first baseman.
• Quote: “He was somebody that we spent a lot of time on, just getting to know Dylan and his entire family. On the mound, the arm talent speaks for itself. He’s just got really good feel of three distinct shapes. We think there’s more in the tank with the heater.” -- Kantrovitz

Rounds 11-15
The Cubs grabbed three additional pitchers (all from the college ranks) in this section of the Draft. But after 10 straight picks used on arms, Chicago used its 13th- and 14th-round selections on position players. The Cubs drafted prep catcher Emanuel Hernandez (Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico) and UC Santa Barbara shortstop Corey Nunez, respectively, with those picks.

Player to watch: Griffin Naess, RHP

• Round 15
• Bats/throws: R/R
• School: Cal Poly
• Calling Card: The 6-foot-6 Naess saw his ERA climb this year (4.63 in 91 1/3 innings in ‘26, compared to 3.41 in 95 innings in ‘25), but his strikeout rate saw a dramatic jump. The big righty piled up 97 strikeouts with a rate of 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings. One year earlier, Naess averaged just 5.9 K/9. He featured an impressive changeup, while balancing his fastball with a curve and slider as well.
• Quote: “He ran into some better command. He ran into some more distinct pitch shapes and a little bit more spin. And he’s a pretty big kid. We noticed some differences in his arm angle. … We think there’s some untapped athleticism there that might translate into his delivery. It’s a pretty exciting package.” -- Kantrovitz

Rounds 16-20
The North Siders concluded their Draft with four more college pitchers taken within the final five picks. In Round 20, the Cubs finished their day with the selection of slugging catcher Brennan Hudson out of Georgia. That gave Chicago two catchers among the five position players taken in this class. Hey, someone has to catch all these new arms.

Player to watch: Brennan Hudson, C

• Round 20
• Bats/throws: L/R
• School: Georgia
• Calling Card: In four college seasons, the 22-year-old Hudson posted a .646 slugging percentage with 38 homers and 98 RBIs in 144 games. His power really blossomed this past year with Georgia. As a lefty-swinging first baseman and catcher, Hudson posted a .294/.466/.730 slash line with 22 homers, 51 RBIs and 39 walks in 56 games for the Bulldogs.
• Quote: “He’s probably my gut-feel guy from the Draft. … It’s a sweet stroke. And he’s got the tools to stay back there as a catcher. He’s probably one of my favorite picks of this class.” -- Kantrovitz