The Chicago Cubs showed true to form once again in the 2025 MLB Draft, placing an emphasis on collegiate talent — namely, college position players.

Cubs VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz and the rest of the front office selected outfielder Ethan Conrad out of Wake Forest with the 17th pick in Sunday’s draft.

It marked the third straight year in which the Cubs took a collegiate hitter in the first round. And just like Cade Horton in 2022, the team also was not afraid to invest in a player coming off a serious injury.

Conrad injured his shoulder in March and missed the rest of the season. But if it weren’t for that injury, many believe he would not have even made it to the Cubs at No. 17 overall.

“I love that pick,” MLB Pipeline senior writer Jim Callis said. “We had him ranked in the 20s; he was gonna go in the middle of the first round. I think it’s a great pick for the Cubs, honestly.

“If he was healthy all season, he might’ve gone higher than that. I think he might’ve been a Top 10 pick. This was not a good year for college hitters. They got one of the best all-around hitters, one of the best all-around players in the college class. If he doesn’t hurt his shoulder in March and have season-ending surgery, he goes higher.”

Callis compared Conrad to Cleveland Guardians outfield prospect Chase DeLauter, who fell to 16th in 2022 due to an injury before the draft.

DeLauter is now the No. 34 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

While Callis is high on Conrad, he doesn’t think the newest Cubs first-rounder will be up in the big leagues quite as fast as the last two picks, Matt Shaw (2023) and Cam Smith (2024).

Both Shaw and Smith made their respective team’s Opening Day rosters in 2025 (Smith was traded by the Cubs to the Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal in December).

So, assuming Conrad signs and joins the Cubs organization, where would he rank among the team’s top prospects?

“He might be their No. 2 or 3 prospect,” Callis said. “I’m putting Owen Caissie definitely ahead of him and then it’s kind of a discussion vs. the other guys.”

Bleacher Report also liked the Conrad pick, giving the Cubs a “B” grade and comparing him to Mets star outfielder Brandon Nimmo.

Here was Bleacher Report’s summary of the selection:

Conrad might have been the slam dunk top college outfielder in this class if he had stayed healthy this spring, and he should move quickly through the minors, so this fits the type of college player the Cubs have often targeted. 

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