The Cubs wrapped up an interesting first day of the 2025 MLB Draft with three (seemingly) under-slot reaches. That strategy mostly lines up with their previous drafts, where they saved some money on safer picks in early rounds before going for broke on high-upside players in later rounds that may require larger signing bonuses to bring in.

Below, you’ll find a recap of the Cubs’ three picks in full. Here is the results from Day One:

Round 1 (17th overall): Ethan Conrad, OF
Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/ethan-conrad-r1/
Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/chicago-cubs-select-ethan-conrad-with-17th-overall-pick-in-2025-mlb-draft-r1961/

Round 2 (56th overall): Kane Kepley, OF
Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/kane-kepley-r2/
Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/chicago-cubs-select-kane-kepley-with-the-56th-pick-in-the-2025-mlb-draft-r1963/

Round 3 (90th overall): Dominick Reid, RHP
Player Bio: https://northsidebaseball.com/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/2025/dominick-reid-r3/
Draft Pick Article: https://northsidebaseball.com/news-rumors/chicago-cubs-draft-picks/cubs-select-dominick-reid-at-90-in-the-2025-mlb-draft-r1964/

Day One Recap:

With plenty of solid college arms still on the board, the Cubs surprised a lot of people and went with Ethan Conrad, an outfielder from Wake Forest, with their first pick. He very much fits the Cam Smith and Matt Shaw mold of a polished college who should rise through the system extremely quickly. He doesn’t have quite the immediate upside as those two, but as far as first-round picks go, this very much fits the mold of what the team has done in recent seasons.

The team went back to the same well with their next pick in Round 2, taking UNC outfielder Kane Kepley. He’s a very high-floor pick, with a ton of solid tools and no real great ones. He’s advanced like Conrad is, though his ceiling is lower. My best current-Cub comparison would be Nico Hoerner, with a slightly worse glove and a little more pop.

Finally, the team took their college arm in Dominick Reid in the third round. He was a huge reach, but man his changeup is special. He has a Jordan Wicks-esque vibe to him, as he works quickly and builds his entire arsenal around his primary off-speed offering. If his control remains solid as he adds a few ticks to his velocity in the Cubs’ pitching development lab, the Cubs may prove the industry wrong with this pick.

Day Two of the 2025 MLB Draft will continue later today! The Cubs should have plenty of signing bonus pool space to work with.

How do you think the Cubs fared on Day One of the draft? Let us know in the comments!