Like several other clubs around the league, the Cubs went very college-heavy atop the 2026 MLB Draft. Chicago will hope that Cade Townsend will develop into a good homegrown story. Townsend was just one of several notable pitchers taken this past July by the Cubs.
The picks
| Round | Player | School | Signed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cade Townsend | Ole Miss | Y |
| 2 | Caden Sorrell | Texas A&M | Y |
| 2 | Myles Bailey | Florida State | Y |
| 3 | Carson Jasa | Nebraska | Y |
| 4 | Dylan Marionneaux | Northwestern State | Y |
| 5 | Dylan Blomker | La Cueva HS | Y |
| 6 | Isaac Morton | Minnesota | Y |
| 7 | Cole Tryba | UC Santa Barbara | Y |
| 8 | Lance Williams | Maryland | Y |
| 9 | Chase Meyer | West Virginia | Y |
| 10 | Luke Alwood | Seattle | Y |
| 11 | Ariston Veasey | Clemson | Y |
| 12 | Brandon Arvidson | Tennessee | Y |
| 13 | Emanuel Hernandez | Beltran Baseball Academy | Y |
| 14 | Corey Nunez | UC Santa Barbara | Y |
| 15 | Griffin Naess | Cal Poly | Y |
| 16 | Ashton Pocol | FGCU | Y |
| 17 | Ryan Marton | UNLV | Y |
| 18 | Luke McGrath | James Madison | Y |
| 19 | Luke Guth | Vanderbilt | Y |
| 20 | Brennan Hudson | Georgia | Y |
The players
As noted above, it was a heavy college draft for the Cubs, one that saw the club pick Cade Townsend with their first-round pick.
Townsend wasn’t the ace on what was a deep Ole Miss pitching staff. But he was perhaps the pitcher with the most upside. Townsend struck out 88 over 64 innings this past season, solidifying a strong rotation with Taylor Rabe and Hunter Elliott. We went over Townsend’s arsenal briefly in July, so we’ll do it again here. Power arsenal with a hard, mid-to-upper-90s fastball, coupled with a slider, curveball, and cutter.
The Cubs had two second-round picks, opting for college hitters in both rounds. Caden Sorrell is a well-rounded hitter, as he had three double-digit home run seasons. This past year, Sorrell cracked 23 home runs for the Texas A&M Aggies, although he did strike out (61) a good number of times.
However, Sorrell’s hit tool likely will grade out slightly higher than Myles Bailey, one of the most intriguing hitters available in 2026. Bailey missed most of the second half with a season-ending leg surgery but the FSU first baseman had some of the best pure power available. On the other hand, there’s a lot of swing-and-miss in his bat.
After those three, most of the Cubs’ draft picks across the top 10 rounds were used on college pitchers, taking Carson Jasa, Cole Tryba, Dylan Marionneaux, Isaac Morton, Lance Williams, and Chase Meyer.
Jasa was the Cubs’ third-round pick. From Nebraska, the Cornhusker struck out 117 over 87 innings this past season. Hard fastball, one that ran 95-98 MPH, as well as a slider, curveball, and other stuff to keep hitters off balance.
Morton was the strikeout leader for the Minnesota Golden Gophers this past season, with 63 strikeouts over 60.2 IP this past year. Heavy groundball pitcher, which is not a shock given that he often used a true mid-90s sinker in college. Also had a fastball with cut and a sweeping breaking ball, too.
Williams transferred to Maryland for 2026 after a good season with East Carolina in 2025. Throughout his two seasons in college, he showed good velocity and the ability to strike out hitters.
Cole Tryba was a good left-handed reliever for UC Santa Barbara, a school that the Cubs have dipped into several times over the years. Tryba’s fastball also sat around 90 MPH but he does have secondary stuff to play off it. He induced a healthy amount of strikeouts and ground balls in all three years with the Gauchos.
Chase Meyer is the big wild card here. Meyer was removed from the West Virginia roster after two outings this season. However, a strong record as a reliever with the Mountaineers, although he certainly had his issues with walks.
Aside from that group, the Cubs also took Griffin Naess, the staff ace from Cal Poly, and Tennessee pitcher Brandon Arvidson. Neither pitcher throws hard, although the two did have success in college.
The Cubs also brought in Dylan Blomker on an overslot deal. Showed mid-90s velocity in the high school showcase circuit, along with a mid-to-high-80s changeup.
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