Whatever phrase one prefers for the skill—making good swing decisions, controlling the strike zone, swinging at good pitches—Kane Kepley does it.
The Cubs drafted the center fielder in the second round in 2025, after Kepley’s junior season at North Carolina. Kepley started his college career at Liberty, then followed Scott Jackson to Chapel Hill after Jackson, head coach at Liberty, returned to his previous gig as associate coach at UNC.
The Tar Heels tasked Kepley with replacing 2024 All-American Vance Honeycutt in center field. Kepley has a vastly different skill set than the athletically gifted Honeycutt, who is a lean, long toolshed with a rare power-speed combination.
But Honeycutt swings and misses—a lot—and that’s not Kepley’s game.
The 21-year-old raised his draft profile in the Cape Cod League in 2024, drawing 38 walks against just 20 strikeouts while batting .244/.449/.362.
Kepley built on that success with the Tar Heels in 2025, batting .291/.451/.444 in 61 games. He walked (44) twice as often as he struck out (22), and the 5-foot-8, 180-pound lefthanded hitter added 27 hit-by-pitches to further enhance his on-base ability.
“We really believe in this guy, because he was probably the best contact and swing decision combination in the country last year. He’s at least a plus center fielder, and he’s going to steal a million bases,” one Cubs official said
“I mean, we saw that right out of the draft. I think nobody’s a finished product either.”
Once on base, Kepley uses his plus speed as a weapon, successfully stealing 87 bases in 95 attempts in college and 16-for-20 in his 28-game pro debut with low Low-A Myrtle Beach. He batted .299/.481/.433 with two homers in the Carolina League.
The biggest question is whether Kepley, whose frame is small but muscular, will hit enough to be a Steven Kwan-type of undersized everyday outfielder, or more of a fourth outfielder whose speed and defense makes him a viable big league option.