Minor League Baseball

Chicago Cubs Agree to Sign 6th Round Pick to Record-Breaking Contract

Instead of letting Josiah Hartshorn head off to Texas A&M, the Chicago Cubs made sure their sixth round pick would turn pro by offering him a historic deal.
Sam Connon|
St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detailed view of Chicago Cubs third baseman Javier Baez's hat and glove against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field.
St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detailed view of Chicago Cubs third baseman Javier Baez's hat and glove against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. | Kim Klement-Imagn Images

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Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have signed outfielder Josiah Hartshorn to an above-slot deal, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis reported Tuesday night.

Hartshorn was the Cubs' sixth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft last week, coming off the board at No. 181 overall. MLB Pipeline had the Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.) product ranked No. 108 on their pre-draft big board.

In order to stop the young outfielder from following through on his commitment to Texas A&M, Chicago gave Hartshorn a $2 million signing bonus. On top of being well above his slot value of $355,800, it also marked an all-time record for a sixth-round pick.

Hartshorn hit .364 with five home runs, nine doubles, 24 RBIs, 27 runs, 18 walks, 12 strikeouts and a 1.104 OPS across 29 games as a high school senior in 2025.

The Cubs' first three selections – Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad, North Carolina outfielder Kane Kepley and Abilene Christian pitcher Dominick Reid – all signed below-slot deals, giving the organization enough savings to splurge on Hartshorn. Chicago followed up the Hartshorn signing by giving fourth-rounder Kaleb Wing an above-slot deal of his own, making sure they didn't lose either of their elite high school picks to the college ranks.

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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