CHICAGO -- Cade Townsend kept using the word “surreal” to describe being selected by the Cubs in the first round of the MLB Draft. His parents got engaged in Chicago. He already had a connection with Cubs lefty and fellow Ole Miss product Ryan Rolison. He hit it off with Chicago’s pitching group in conversations leading up to the event.
“That was our dream pick,” Townsend said. “And of course, it came true. I’m just super blessed and super happy that it came true.”
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And on Friday, Townsend took the first official step in beginning his career with the Cubs, putting his pen to paper with a $3.1 million signing bonus, per MLB.com’s Jim Callis. Selected 23rd overall in the first round, the right-hander signed for below the suggested slot value of $3,947,600.
Besides Townsend, the Cubs also announced the signings of righty Carson Jasa (third round), righty Dylan Marionneaux (fourth round), lefty Cole Tryba (seventh round) and righty Luke Alwood (10th round). Callis reported that Jasa’s signing bonus was $750,000 (also slightly under slot value of $800,000).
Townsend topped the Cubs’ pitching-heavy Draft class, which saw the North Siders use 16 of their 21 selections on arms. That included 15 pitchers from the college ranks. Cubs vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz said going into the Draft that he and vice president of pitching strategy Tyler Zombro planned on working closely to identify and target pitching talent to add to a farm system in need of help on that front.
“We’re really pleased with the outcome,” Kantrovitz said after the Draft.
This year at Mississippi, the 21-year-old Townsend posted a 3.94 ERA with 88 strikeouts against 22 walks in 64 innings, registering a 31.9% strikeout rate. Townsend ranked No. 35 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects, earning high praise not only for a solid fastball (94-97 mph), but his ability to spin the ball and feature three plus pitches (slider, cutter and curve).
Townsend called spinning the ball his “super power,” and he said he enjoyed the early taste of what it will be like to dig into the data with Chicago's pitching group. The prospect said the Cubs were atop his wishlist going into the Draft, so signing quickly with the organization comes as no surprise.
“We just really thought a lot alike,” Townsend said. “We really just connected well. That’s what I was looking for -- a good fit. I didn’t care what the pick was. I didn’t care what the money was. I really just want a team that’s a family.”