The Chicago Cubs do not draft in the first round based on big league need, because doing so would be quite silly – you can’t project that far out, realistically speaking, and you might forgo total value in exchange for some imagined future need. In the first round, the Cubs (and all smart organizations) draft based on projected future value, likelihood of success, total cost relative to the impact on the bonus pool, etc., etc.
Where positional considerations MIGHT come into play are things like organizational expertise (maybe you feel you’re better at scouting and developing certain types of players), or in contemplation of the value in the draft as a whole (for example, you might take the strength of the draft as a tiebreaker in the first round if you think you can load up in other ways later on).
All that said, do you allow organizational needs to impact your decision in the first round? You obviously do in the later rounds, and I think it probably does have at least a slight impact in the first round as well. The Cubs would never draft a clearly inferior player in the first round solely because he’s a pitcher and the system is hyper thin on impact-caliber pitching prospects. But if it’s a close call and you can get a pitcher you really like at your preferred price tag? Yeah, I could see that.
Anyway, that is all to set up a couple of the latest 2026 MLB Mock Drafts out at MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both have the Cubs going with a college pitcher in the first round.
MLB Pipeline’s first mock of the season sends the Cubs Florida righty Liam Peterson:
“23. Cubs: Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida (No. 14)Peterson can miss bats with four different offerings and looks worthy of a top-10 selection at his best, but he lacks feel for pitching. The hope is that he’ll be better in pro ball than he has been at Florida (career 4.97 ERA).”
The results aren’t quite matching the stuff for Peterson, who is a consensus top-25 prospect in the draft, but who hasn’t dominated by the results in his collegiate career.
The Cubs, it should be noted, will have seen a whole lot of Peterson going back to last year, I suspect. They drafted his teammate, Pierce Coppola, in the seventh round in 2025.
By contrast, Baseball America’s latest mock sends the Cubs USC lefty Mason Edwards, who has been getting outrageously good results this year:
“23. Cubs — Mason Edwards, LHP, Southern CaliforniaBonus Pool: $9,644,100Slot Value: $3,947,600It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Edwards come off the board 10 or more picks ahead of this. He’s struck out 10 or more batters in five straight starts, leads the country with 143 strikeouts and with a 44.9% strikeout rate and has generally been one of the most consistent starters in college baseball.”
Interestingly, MLB Pipeline does not have Edwards in their top 40 picks (he’s ranked 36th on their top draft prospects list). BA does have Peterson going down at 28, for what that’s worth, citing that disconnect between the great stuff and the lack of production.
Ultimately, we can’t predict yet with too much certainty what direction the Cubs will go in the first round in July. We know the pitching needs are significant, and if the Cubs do draft a college arm, it’d be a welcomed infusion into the system. But if there’s a bat out there that they love, and that is available to them at pick 23, it’s just not the case that they’re going to default to taking an arm no matter what.
Hence then, the article about two mock drafts have the cubs going after college pitching this summer was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Two Mock Drafts Have the Cubs Going After College Pitching This Summer )
Also on site :
- RCB head coach Andy Flower fined after heated argument with umpire during Raipur thriller in IPL 2026
- S8UL qualifies for KWC at EWC 2026; to represent India in INR 28+ crore prize pool tournament
- Shubman Gill’s India set to field KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Jaiswal in non-WTC Test against Afghanistan