Cubs Lean Hard Into Pitching, Selecting Three Arms On Day 1 of the MLB Draft

Day 1 of the MLB Draft has been completed, as the league has shifted from all 20 rounds occurring on one day to splitting up the draft into two days. Saturday was for Rounds 1-4, and the Cubs had five selections, thanks to the compensatory pick received for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency.

With the 23rd pick, the Cubs selected RHP Cade Townsend. We wrote about the Ole Miss standout earlier, but he's a high-ceiling arm the Cubs will hope to turn into a front-end arm. Townsend actually told the media after being picked by the Cubs that he was hoping he would be joining their organization.

But the Cubs added four more prospects to their system: Two pitchers and two hitters, each with their pros and cons. So let's do a quick run through of who the Cubs acquired today in Day 1 of the MLB Draft.

Rd: 2, Pk: 62 - Caden Sorrell, OF - Texas A&M (JR)

Texas A&M Aggies' Caden Sorrell (13) comes up short on a fly ball as Auburn Tigers take on Texas A&M Aggies during the SEC baseball tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. on Friday, May 22, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The 21-year-old Caden Sorrell is a left-handed hitter with serious pop, finishing tied for 14th in Division I with 23 home runs last season. Sorrell does have some swing and miss in his game, striking out 23 percent of the time last season for Texas A&M, which likely hurt his value in this year's draft. Still, Sorrell is a solid all-around player who handled centerfield well for the Aggies this season, but likely profiles as a plus corner outfielder in the MLB.

Also, he apparently hit a freaking train with a home run ball last year!

Cubs 2nd round pick Caden Sorrell attacked a train with a baseball earlier this year pic.twitter.com/CFVn6kiNaf
— Greg Huss (@OutOfTheVines) July 11, 2026

Here's what Keith Law had to say about the Cubs 2nd round pick: "This year’s version of Jace LaViolette — or maybe Vance Honeycutt, without the elite defense — Sorrell has huge power that he got to plenty this year, finishing the season tied for 14th in Division I with 23 homers, and huge propensity to swing and miss, with a 32 percent whiff rate this spring. He missed more than half of the 2025 season with a hamstring injury and hasn’t played anywhere the last two summers, where he could be scouted and measured while hitting with wood. He’s a solid defender in center and would probably end up plus in right field if he moves back there in pro ball, but he has to hit and his history of touching the ball is not good."

Rd: 2, Pk: 75 - Myles Bailey, 1B - Florida State (SO)

Florida St. infielder Myles Bailey (12) eyes a pitch during the fourth inning of an NCAA college baseball matchup Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville, Fla. FSU rallied to defeat UF 8-4 off a walk-off grand slam from Alex Lodise in the ninth inning. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The Cubs selected Myles Bailey with their compensatory pick received for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency, and it sounds like they got their hands on one of the most explosive power hitters in the entire draft.

His home runs are majestic and powerful. He should be very fun to watch.

Florida State 1B Myles Bailey is quite polarizing. He whiffs an unbelievable amount for a notable draft prospect. But he has a 114.3 MPH 90th EV and 23.9° HH LA. May be some of the freakiest power ability on the planet? Hard profile to evaluate, but the homer tape is so fun. pic.twitter.com/WbBDJd6tQo
— Danny (@dannybarrand_) May 29, 2026

Bailey's 2026 season was ended due to a terrible ankle injury he sustained sliding into second base. He finished the year with 13 home runs but was on pace to beat his freshman year mark of 19. Bailey's injury caused him to slide despite his obvious power. However, a 23.0 percent strikeout rate also gives some teams doubts that he can hit at the big league level.

Here's what MLB.com had to say about Bailey: "A strong left-handed hitter, Bailey is on a short list of hitters with the most raw power in this class, right up there with fellow Florida collegian Daniel Cuvet at Miami. Bailey can drive the ball to all fields and reaches the seats even when he mis-hits balls. The one question around him that's traveled to Tallahassee is whether he'll hit enough to get to that power consistently at the next level. While his ability to draw walks helps offset it, a 31 percent strikeout rate with a bit of a grooved swing as a freshman will have to be improved to give teams more confidence."

Rd: 3, Pk: 98 - Carson Jasa, RHP - Nebraska (JR)

Nebraska Cornhuskers' Carson Jasa (39) pitches as Auburn Tigers take on Nebraska Cornhuskers at Plainsman Park in Auburn, Ala. on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. Auburn Tigers defeated Nebraska Cornhuskers 15-4. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The six-foot-eight Carson Jasa is a massive presence on the mound with a fastball that comes down on hitters at 98 mph on his best days. But Jasa's command and control were both a work in progress his redshirt sophomore year, posting an 8.68 ERA with 19 walks.

This season, Jasa emerged as the Huskers' ace, posting a 3.59 ERA with an impressive 12.01 K/9. Walks were still an issue, but the righty and his curveball were great at missing bats last season.

IP: 7
H: 4
R: 1
K: 11

Watch each of @HuskerBaseball SP Carson Jasa's strikeouts in a complete game victory against Penn State 👇 pic.twitter.com/1DtxR96SoN
— Big Ten Baseball (@B1Gbaseball) April 5, 2026

Here's what Keith Law had to say about the Cubs' 3rd round pick: "Jasa is a monster at 6-foot-7, but after a 2025 season where he walked 19 in 18 2/3 innings with an 8.68 ERA, he wasn’t exactly on the radar for a Day 1 selection. He’s a redshirt sophomore who missed 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, returning with big stuff this year but still questionable command ... There’s definitely some upside here from his size, ability to spin the ball and the potential for more command/control as he gets more innings under his belt, with clear relief risk."

Rd: 4, Pk: 126 - Dylan Marionneaux, RHP - Northwestern State - LA (JR)

The last pick for the Cubs on Day 1 of the MLB Draft is a bit of an unknown in RHP Dylan Marionneaux. He's a junior from Northwestern State (LA) who started 14 games with a 3.51 ERA last year with 81 strikeouts to just 18 walks.

End 2 | ⛽️⛽️⛽️@DylanMarionnea3 Ks the side in order 🤫#ForkEm x #BStroBoys x #138 pic.twitter.com/NpAYhPronv
— NSU Baseball (@NSUDemonsBSB) May 14, 2026

After a few seasons of shuffling through the Demon's bullpen and rotation, he posted career highs in innings (84.2) and strikeouts (81) and worked a 9 scoreless innings in his final start of the 2026 season. Sounds like the Cubs got a gamer in Marionneaux!

Jed Hoyer and the rest of the Cubs brass will have rounds 5 through 20 to handle Sunday. But, for now, they can take a step back at the top portion of their 2026 draft tonight and dream of the future.

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