Lefty Bat, Elite Eye: Cubs add Alabama’s Kade Snell to outfield pipeline

Photo courtesy: Alabama Athletics

Dustin Riese · Senior Writer · 15 hours ago

By the time the MLB Draft reached the fifth round, you started to see most teams gravitate toward the best player available. That included the Chicago Cubs, who entered the draft with a clear plan of attack for how they wanted to address their picks, and, from all accounts, seemed to achieve that goal.

Despite taking two outfielders in the first two rounds before going to the pitching ranks, the Cubs went back to the outfield ranks in round five as former Alabama star Kade Snell joined the Cubs at pick 151. Despite being listed as the No. 227 overall prospect, Snell has plenty of potential, and if he reaches that potential, he could become one of those fast-moving prospects that move through the system relatively easily.

The 22-year-old outfielder is 6-1 and 220 pounds, which is the perfect size when it comes to describing MLB quality outfielders. He is also a left-handed batter, which is something the Cubs have spent a considerable amount of time targeting, as they recognize the need for more left-handed power in their organization. Initially an Auburn recruit, Snell was forced to redshirt his first season before transferring to Wallace-Dothan (Ala.) CC and starring as a two-way player.

That move proved to be a crucial step in his development, as he went on to become the national junior college player of the year in 2023 before landing at Alabama in 2024. Once with the Crimson Tide, Snell continued to star as a two-way player before moving to left field full-time in 2025.

When you look at what Snell did with Alabama, you can see why the Cubs love his potential, but there is still plenty left in the tank for him to become a great player. He started off by hitting .324 during the 2024 season, hitting six home runs, driving in 30 runs, and taking 15 walks compared to 18 strikeouts.

Then came the 2025 season, where Snell saw his average increase to .362, connecting for 10 homers and driving in 52. He also worked an impressive 38 walks to 18 strikeouts as he displayed one of the best, if not the best, eyes in the entire college field. That type of strike zone recognition is rare, and that alone could help him make his way through the minor league system much quicker than most players would.

Snell offers one of the better combinations of swing decisions, contact, and exit velocities in the college ranks, which is evident by his overall results. He achieves this by offering a quality left-handed stroke, making consistent contact on all pitches. Fastballs are the pitches he loves to connect with the most as he hits north of .400 on fastballs and very seldom misses squaring those up.

At this point in his career, Snell is more of a hit-over-power guy who wants to use his contact ability to get on base. That isn't to say he has no power at all as he could come into the Minor League system on day one and deliver 15 plus homers per season with the potential of being a 20 or more homer guy before too long.

While the Cubs aren't drafting him to be a pitcher, should he be given the opportunity to pitch again Snell was a guy that could touch 93 MPH with his heater. He also offered a steady dose of offspeed offerings, but neither of them stood out all that much, which is why he shifted his focus to the hitting-only aspect of his game.

Snell has already proven that he can hit with a wooden bat, as he was one of the more complete hitters during his time in the Cape Cod League. When asking scouts what they love most about Snell, the general consensus is that they love his competitiveness and leadership, both of which are uncoachable parts in today's game.

Grade A-: Although the overall power numbers may not be what you expect from a left-handed hitting outfielder, Snell is a hit-first prospect who knows how to get on base. In an era where batting average and on-base percentage don't matter as much as the home run ball does, Snell is more of an old-school player who knows what it takes to get on base.

Seen as a potential lead-off hitter when given the reps, this is one of the few picks from this year's draft class that could find his way in full-season ball by the end of the season. If you had to pick out a player comparison for Snell, a young Christian Yelich without the speed comes to mind, as he has the potential to mold into a power hitter, but is just an overall great hitter at his point.