On the surface, it seemed like the Cubs took a pretty big risk when they selected Wake Forest’s Ethan Conrad at No. 17 overall in the MLB draft on Sunday night.

[MLB Draft 2025: Cubs select Wake Forest OF Ethan Conrad at No. 17]

In his first 21 games of the NCAA season in 2025, Conrad slashed .372/.495/.744 (1.238 OPS) with seven home runs and 27 RBI. But those 21 games became the extent of his season.

Disaster struck for the 21-year-old when he dislocated his left shoulder — his throwing shoulder — while diving for a ball in the outfield.

“I was shaded in the right-center gap, a lefty sliced the ball in the left-center gap and I was running full speed after it,” Conrad told media in his post-draft availability via Zoom on Sunday night.

Conrad tore his left labrum on the play and was ruled out for the remainder of the season when he got surgery in early April.

His impressive offensive season up until his injury had scouts projecting him as an early first-rounder, with one scout even pinning Conrad at No. 8 overall on an anonymous Baseball America mock draft. MLB Pipeline had Conrad ranked as the No. 28 overall prospect.

But the Cubs, namely vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz, saw a lot of value in the slugger at No. 17 despite the injury.

“He complied with the medical portion of the scouting combine. There wasn’t a lot of uncertainty,” Kantrovitz told media via Zoom on Sunday night following the first three rounds of the draft. “We felt he’s somebody that, had he played out the entire season, would have been considered in the top 10 … A pretty exceptional value in terms of getting him at 17.”

That uncertainty did plague Conrad when he first got injured, he told media.

“Once I went down, it was really stressful time,” Conrad said. “I didn’t know what was going to happen with the draft, and I was really upset not being able to help my teammates out.”

Still, Kantrovitz and the Cubs were convinced by Conrad’s offensive profile.

“He’s somebody that can turn a double into a triple with his speed, and I think he’s somebody that is gonna be able to put pressure on the defense in a number of different ways,” Kantrovitz said. “His decision-making, his ability to make contact, his ability to hit for damage — all three of those pillars are there, and we think that he’s just getting better across the board.”

Conrad raised his draft stock as a standout performer in the 2024 Cape Cod Baseball League, an elite collegiate league for the top players at the level. That summer, a 19-year-old Conrad slashed .385/.433/.486 (.920 OPS) in 30 games with the Bourne Braves. His performances put him on the map for the Cubs, Kantrovitz said.

“Once he went to the Cape and put up the numbers that he did, and from our perspective, be one of the best players in the league over the summer, he became a top target going into spring,” Kantrovitz said.

Kantrovitz told media that Conrad will take this summer and fall to rest, but the 21-year-old voiced nothing but optimism when it came to his recovery.

“I’m three and a half months out (from surgery) now, so I have full range of motion and I’m pushing strength right now,” Conrad said. “I’ll be at full strength hopefully in a month, and then I’ll be able to swing and hit around that time as well. We’re nearing the end of it, for sure.”

The Cubs’ past three first-round draft picks were college talents who reached MLB rather quickly.

First, it was Cade Horton in 2022 and his successor Matt Shaw in 2023, both of whom made their debuts for the Cubs this season and have been mainstays since. Last year’s first-rounder Cam Smith, who was traded to the Houston Astros in the Kyle Tucker deal, tasted his first big-league action with the Astros less than a year after hearing his name called at No. 14 overall.

Now, Conrad is eager to follow in those footsteps — and he’s not letting his injury get in the way.

“That’s definitely the goal for me — to get up there as quickly as possible, put my best foot forward and strive to be the best that I can,” Conrad said. “The quicker that I can get up there and be helping out the Cubs’ big league team — it’s going to be super special. I’m looking forward to making that happen as soon as possible.”