Although it’s far more common to see lengthy evaluations of a team’s draft just after the selection process completes, we know that the ACTUAL value of a draft class takes a lot longer to really show itself.
For the Chicago Cubs in 2026, that could prove all the more true, given how deep the Cubs went in on pitching, much of which will not debut until 2027. We *hope* the Cubs did very well on their pitching selections, but it’s gonna take a minute to know for sure.
Still, even as a number of new Cubs prospects have yet to make their professional debut in an affiliated game, that doesn’t mean they haven’t started work as professionals. And it also doesn’t mean there aren’t opinions percolating about how the Cubs did in the draft.
To that end, I enjoyed reading Baseball America’s report card for the Cubs’ draft after the conclusion of the season.
Lots to take in, but among the things that stood out for me was a little praise for Cubs 14th round shortstop Corey Nunez, 22, who didn’t hit at all in college until his senior year, when he was merely average at UC Santa Barbara. But clearly the Cubs saw something that could translate in the pros, because he hit well at Low-A in his pro debut (.283/.389/.370/118 wRC+), and got some nice words from BA: “UC Santa Barbara SS Corey Nunez (14) makes a ton of contact despite a career .262 average in college. He had a 91% in-zone contact rate during the spring. In his pro debut he managed a 91.1% in-zone contact rate.”
Myles Bailey comes in for praise on his raw power – Bailey “hits the ball as hard as any college hitter we’ve seen in the pitch-tracking era of college baseball” – so it’s all the more bummer that we didn’t get to see him make his pro debut this year due to the ankle injury that ended his college season.
As was discussed at length at the time of the draft, the Cubs went in heavy on stuff this year, which BA sums up thusly when trying to choose the best secondary pitch in the class: “The Cubs have a number of high-spin, freaky breaking balls to choose from this year.” First rounder Cade Townsend’s fastball gets love, as does his overall profile: “Townsend (1) has the power, arsenal depth and control that could allow him to move quickly if he stays healthy. He did miss some time this spring with shoulder soreness but came back and looked just fine.”
There’s much more to read there at BA, but the sense you get a few months later is about the same as it was when the draft was complete: the Cubs took some very big swings on the pitching side this year, trying to max out for premium stuff, albeit with plenty of risk. That’s exactly the kind of profile that can take a couple years for you to know whether it really worked out or not, but I sure hope we see some of the fruits as soon as next year. The Cubs desperately need lots and lots of pitching breakouts.
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