Cubs add talented outfielder Ethan Conrad with 1st round pick |
Dustin Riese
· · 5 hours ago
With the 17th pick of the 2025 MLB Draft. The Chicago Cubs select Ethan Conrad, outfielder from Wake Forest University. Listed as the No. 28 overall prospect according to MLB.com, Conrad may seem like a reach at No. 17, but there is a ton of potential behind him.
Listed at 6-3 and 220 pounds, Conrad already has an MLB body and frame that brings with it plenty of strength. He is also a left-handed bat, which is something the Cubs have struggled to find since losing Kyle Schwarber, and if this pans out the way the hop it does, Conrad could give them what Schwarber once did. When you look at the numbers Conrad has posted, you will notice that most of his success came during the 2024 season with Marist, which could be a concern. The power numbers aren't what you would expect for a guy his size, but there is still plenty to love about his game. For starters, he slashed .389/.467/.704 with nine homers. He also added an NCAA-leading 13 triples to go with those nine homers, as that was a surprisingly huge part of his game that season. Four of those 13 triples came in one game, and that alone is a massive feat. Not only did he put together a strong 2024 campaign for Marist, but Conrad also went on to have a great Cape Cod season, where he finished second in the league in batting (.385) and OPS (.919). Coming off a summer like that, Wake Forest expected massive things from Conrad this spring, and up until March, he was off to a great start until he wound up diving for a ball, which resulted in a season-ending injury. Now on the mend from that injury, the Cubs are hoping they got one of the steals of the draft and that big things are to come from the left-hander. Not only does Conrad display the gap-to-gap power you like to see, but he does it with consistent contact due to a simple left-handed swing. Similar to Pete Crow-Armstrong, Conrad is an extremely aggressive hitter who chases all kinds of pitching, but for the most part, he has been able to get away with that up to this point. If he wants to blossom into a more complete hitter, some of that aggressiveness will need to be honed in, but right now, the Cubs don't plan to alter his approach too much. While the bat has yet to reach its potential, it still plays well enough to be an instant impact bat, but it's his above-average speed that tends to be overlooked. Conrad poses a threat to steal, covering plenty of ground on the outfield corners and excelling in center field. He has average arm strength and probably fits best in right field. Grade B-: This pick, although it comes with plenty of potential, does feel like a miss for the Cubs. Sure, Conrad has the size and potential power to be an impact bat, but he's coming off a season-ending injury, which will limit his impact this summer. You also have to consider where he was ranked on the top prospect list, and it gives you the impression that the Cubs may have reached more than they should've with this pick. Given the needs of this organization, especially on the pitching front, there were some better options available at this pick, but the Cubs and their scouting department fell in love with Conrad and his game. They are hoping this selection pays off, as it will be three or four years before the impact of this selection is felt.
