The Chicago Cubs need more top-end pitching talent in their farm system and could find some in the upcoming MLB draft.
As Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com put together the first round of his latest mock draft, he had Chicago selecting East Carolina Pirates right-handed pitcher Trey Yesavage with the No. 14 overall pick.
"The Cubs appear to be leaning college here," said Mayo. "With the arm getting the nod for right now over hitters like [Cam] Smith, [Vance] Honeycutt and Wake Forest’s Seaver King."
Going with a college player makes more sense than a prep addition for the Cubs as they try to maximize their championship window. A college player has a better chance to come up in the next couple of years before most high schoolers.
Yesavage has dominated the college competition at East Carolina, so it's no surprise that he goes in the first round here. He's the No. 11 overall player on the overall draft prospect rankings, so getting him at 14 is great value for Carter Hawkins and company.
The big-bodied pitcher, standing at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, can overpower batters with a great fastball and make them miss via either his splitter or curveball.
Over 65 appearances in college, he had a 2.58 ERA and 1.034 WHIP while striking out 13.6 batters per nine innings.
The 20-year-old began his college career as a freshman that only had situational appearances, finishing with 26 innings over 34 games. It was a solid first year but just set the table for eventual domination.
He was one of the best pitchers in the country this past season. In 15 outings, he had a 2.03 ERA with just a 0.868 WHIP and 14.0 K/9.
"Improved fastball command has keyed his success in 2024 after his heater got pounded at times in the past when he didn't locate it up in the zone," said his scouting report. "He now looks like a mid-rotation starter after refining the consistency and control of his stuff.
One of the things he excelled at as a Pirate was not giving up home runs. Batters took him yard just 16 times over 195.1 career innings.
The top prospect in the Chicago farm system is also a pitcher, Cade Horton, but there's a sizeable gap between him and Michael Arias at No. 9. More options for the future of the rotation makes more sense than adding more position players to the mix.
