Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe Selected in 1st Round of MLB Draft

Two Ole Miss pitchers picked up in the early round of the MLB draft

Ole Miss Rebels' Cade Townsend (10) pitches as Ole Miss Rebels take on LSU Tigers during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Met in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday, May 24, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Ole Miss has a tradition of developing some of college baseball’s best pitchers.

On Saturday, that continued to be the case, with right-handed hurlers Taylor Rabe and Cade Townsend being picked in the opening rounds of the 2026 MLB Draft, making the Rebels home to two of the game’s most desired arms in the majors.

Taylor Rabe - Kansas City Royals - RD 1 Pick 30

Ole Mississippi Rebels' Taylor Rabe (50) pitches against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss., on Tuesday, March 18, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Taylor Rabe, the second Rebel off the board, went to the Kansas City Royals with the 30th overall pick in the draft. Rabe, having missed his freshman year due to Tommy John surgery, turned out to be the strongest pitcher in the SEC in the 2026 season.

Rabe ended his 2026 campaign with a record of 5-3 with a 3.55 ERA, striking out 105 opponents with just 15 walks in 76 innings. Rabe possesses outstanding control of the baseball and an electric upper-90s fastball, making him one of the fastest-rising pitchers in this year's draft.

Rabe is an ideal fit for the Royals’ philosophy of building upside starters. The Royals have focused on building out strike throwers who miss bats, and Rabe possesses an excellent K/BB rate, which gives the Royals another upside starter if he hones his secondary offerings.

Cade Townsend - Chicago Cubs - RD 1 Pick 23

University of Mississippi baseball player Cade Townsend (10) throws a pitch during the first inning of the annual Governor's Cup game played against Mississippi State University. April 22, 2025, in Pearl, Miss. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Cubs picked Cade Townsend seven picks earlier at No. 23 overall. Townsend had a solid sophomore season with an impressive 5-3 record, a 3.94 ERA and 88 strikeouts over 64 innings, only walking 22. Even after being hampered by a shoulder injury early in the year, Townsend was considered to have one of the most diverse pitch arsenals in the draft, consisting of a fastball, cutter, slider, curveball, and splitter.

Townsend is seen by the Cubs as a well-refined collegiate pitching arm who has plenty of room to grow. The advanced arsenal of pitches that he possesses, combined with his propensity to induce swings and misses, fits perfectly into the development model of the Chicago Cubs, as they have groomed a number of pitchers from within their organization over the past few years.

Rabe and Townsend being selected in the early rounds only serve to add additional names to the list of Ole Miss’ excellent reputation at developing major league baseball pitchers and players across the board.

Sign up to our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news.