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What We Know About Cubs’ Top 10 Draft Picks

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanJuly 16, 2024

We already ran the Cubs’ media release with basic information on their top 10 picks in the 2024 MLB Draft, but what do we really know about these guys? The short answer, at least for me, is very little. But even without having done a ton of research ahead of time, we can get a decent snapshot of what the Cubs are looking for in this latest crop of future prospects. We can also see what they aren’t looking for…yet.

The first thing that jumps out is that they selected several college corner infielders, which tells you VP of scouting Dan Kantrovitz and crew have prioritized hitters who should be able to move quickly through the system. And don’t worry about having a logjam, any positional redundancy will work itself out if these guys can hit. By that I mean they’ll either find a spot in the Cubs organization or they’ll be moved to another team that needs the tools they offer.

Beyond the corners, it’s pretty obvious the Cubs targeted college bats in general during the first half of the draft. Six of their 10 selections were post-prep position players, almost all of whom look like they could be football players. They also got a guy from the University of San Diego, which has worked out well for them in the past. Interestingly enough, there’s a whole ‘nother connection tying back to their former superstar.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway is that they only selected two pitchers in the first 10 rounds, and both were college guys as well. That probably indicates a desire to go overslot on some riskier high school arms in the later rounds to build up their pitching at the lower levels of the minors. With several young pitchers at or near the big leagues right now, the Cubs can play the long game with the system while maybe finally spending a little more on the bullpen.

With all that in mind, let’s go through the first 10 picks and lay out a little bit about each.

1 (14) Cam Smith – 3B, Florida State
He’s a big-bodied 21-year-old who the team believes can stick at third, especially if the power continues to develop. They’ve had eyes on him since his high school days in South Florida and view him as a complete player with a very high floor. It helps that he grew up in a family of Cubs fans.

2 (54) Cole Mathis – 3B, College of Charleston (S.C.)
A two-way player in college, Mathis is listed as a third baseman but played first last season and could even move to the outfield. Katrovitz confirmed that he will not pitch professionally, so the focus will be on maintaining his very strong contact skills while maximizing the power from a “natural swing plane that lends itself to consistently hitting the ball in the air.”

3 (90) Ronny Cruz – SS, Miami Christian School (Fla.)
The youngest player selected by the Cubs on Monday, Cruz won’t turn 18 until late August and still has a lot of room to fill out his 6-2, 170-pound frame. He already has plenty of pop, as evidenced by a home run during the MLB Draft Combine that clocked 108 mph off the bat. Even with juiced baseballs, that’s a really strong number.

This was their first pick based mainly on long-term potential, thus balancing out what might be safer picks in the first two rounds.

4 (120) Ty Southisene – SS Basic High School (Nev.)
It’s very interesting that they took a pair of prep kids back-to-back, with Southisene being by far the smallest player from a physical standpoint. None of their other picks here are shorter than 6-1, though the Henderson native is relatively stout at 170 pounds. As teased earlier, there’s a Cubs tie here because Southisene worked with Kris Bryant‘s dad, Mike Bryant, for nine years as a youth player.

As you can probably guess, this kid is described with words like “twitch” and “high-energy.” Kind of throws off Dustin Pedroia vibes for me. Word on the street is that younger brother Tate Southisene is coming up next year and may have even more upside.

5 (153) Ariel Armas – C, University of San Diego
Some notes on Twitter have Armas as being among the best pitch-framers in the country, not that it will matter much by the time he reaches MLB and they’ve got the automated ball-strike system in place. But given the Cubs’ catching situation and his high-contact plate approach with potential for more pop, he could be a fast mover through the system.

6 (182) Ryan Gallagher – RHP, University of California, Santa Barbara
Cue the jokes about the Cubs only taking pitchers with elbow surgery, as Gallagher missed the 2023 season due to TJ. He was very strong this past season, however, going 10-1 with a 2.22 ERA. His fastball is only around 90 mph and will probably need to see a significant velo increase to succeed in the pro ranks, but he’s got feel for the changeup and clearly knows how to pitch.

7 (212) Ivan Brethowr – OF, University of California, Santa Barbara
Some evaluators believed Brethowr should have gone three or four rounds earlier, so the Cubs may have gotten a steal here. After starting out at Arizona State, the 6-6, 250-pounder hammered 26 homers in 96 games for UCSB and was named First Team All-Big West in 2024.

8 (242) Edgar Alvarez – 1B, Nicholls State University (La.)
Another example of a very strong trend here is the Cubs’ prioritization of guys with strong contact profiles. Probably an underslot pick, Alvarez could make some waves if the power comes along.

9 (272) Brooks Caple – RHP, Lamar University (Tex.)
A very large human being, Caple was the Southland Conference Player of the Year in 2024 and can reportedly touch upper 90s with his fastball. That said, the graphic during the draft showed him at 89-91, so he’s got lots of room to develop.

10 (302) Matt Halbach – 3B, University of California, San Diego
Possibly a sleeper pick, Halbach had a great season in the Cape Cod League last summer. Another big corner man who could probably play tight end for the Bears, we see yet again that size matters for this organization. It’s evident Katrovitz is a fan of physical stature, now we wait to see how that plays out.

Below is a chart of their picks so far, more to come as the Draft wraps up.

Photo of Evan Altman Evan AltmanJuly 16, 2024
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