Cubs Prepared to Change Their MLB Draft Strategy to Fill Obvious Void

The Chicago Cubs' Dan Kantrovitz didn't hesitate to address the elephant in the room.

The organization's VP of Scouting sat down with reporters earlier this week to discuss the upcoming 2026 MLB Draft. Things will officially begin on Saturday, with the Cubs positioned to have five Day 1 picks. The first will sit at No. 23 in the first round before they hear their name called again at No. 62, No. 75, No. 98, and No. 126.

In previous years, the Cubs have walked into most drafts with a "best player available" approach. While it's a strategy that's hard to ridicule, it's also one that has led to a pretty weak pool of pitching prospects. In fact, the Cubs have now taken a bat in the first round of three straight drafts.

Marquee's Lance Brozdowski also compared how teams have used their bonus pool money on pitchers dating back to 2023. Chicago has joined Washington at the bottom of the league.

To be sure, it's not like the Cubs have made bad picks. Ethan Conrad is a highly intriguing prospect, while both Cam Smith (2024) and Matt Shaw (2023) are already in the majors. They have also been able to fill their farm system with several other breakout position players, most recently seeing Josiah Hartshorn shoot up the minor league ranks.

Still, there is no denying that pitching has become a weakness for the organization, and it's only stood out more amid this season's injury troubles. Jaxon Wiggins might as well be the only Top 30 arm in the organization close to potentially earning a real MLB role.

It sounds like the Cubs plan to fix that later this week.

Cubs Finally Prepared to Go Pitcher-Heavy in MLB Draft?

Sep 13, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer is seen prior to a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Dan Kantrovitz wouldn't commit to going with a pitcher in Round 1, he sure made it sound as if the organization plans to throw plenty of darts at the position this time around.

“You can’t take good pitching if you don’t take pitching," Kantrovitz said. "I think one of the things that we’ve looked at in years past, in the last few years in particular, is how do we allocate more of our draft pool to pitching without leaking wins or overall just draft value, which has always been our North Star.

We go into draft being pretty agnostic of position player vs. pitcher, just wanting to take the best player available … I think this year the reality is we’re going to try to be a little less dogmatic about maybe sticking to that and realizing that practically to get more good pitching, we might just have to take more pitching. I think that’s just the most obvious lever to pull.”

More specifically, Kantrovitz emphasized finding guys with strong spin and velocity, referring to those skills as foundational components to the Cubs' system. Nevertheless, what stood out above all else was simply the fact that he admitted to the necessary change in philosophy. You don't always want to draft for fit or need, particularly in baseball when the farm system is so deep, but sometimes you're left with no choice.

So, who might be some high-ranking names to keep an eye on? Jonathan Mayo's most recent mock draft for MLB.com has the Cubs grabbing Coastal Carolina's Cameron Flukey. Tennessee's Tegan Kuhn, South Carolina's Mason Edwards, and Ole Miss' Cade Townsend have been some other very popular pitchers expected to go in that range.

It's not out of the question that the Cubs target a high school player or still go with a position guy at the top of the board. But when factoring in both the obvious void and what Kantrovitz had to say, it sure feels like targeting a successful college pitcher would be the wise move.

Lastly, it feels worth noting that the Cubs don't expect a miracle on Saturday. While there is always a chance someone stumbles down the board, Kantrovitz doesn't see that as being the case this time around.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a situation after the first round where I’m talking to you guys, and I’m saying this guy just fell into our lap … It’s probably less optimistic in years past that we have that person ranked really high on a board that’s just going to drop," Kantrovitz said.

Oddly enough, this may be for the better. The top half of the draft is heavy in position players, so as long as that stays put, the Cubs' decision to grab the best pitcher on their board should be even easier.

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