PHILADELPHIA — Cade Townsend had no doubts where he wanted to land in the MLB draft.
The University of Mississippi right-hander hoped the Chicago Cubs would select him when their spot arrived at No. 23 in the first round Saturday.
Townsend got his wish. He became the Cubs’ first pitcher chosen with their top pick since going that route in back-to-back drafts with right-hander Cade Horton (No. 7) in 2022 and left-hander Jordan Wicks (No. 21) in 2021.
“I told my agent, told my family, this was my No. 1 pick for sure,” Townsend said. “It was surreal getting picked. I mean, that’s what you dream of (as) a little kid, and it’s just a new journey and the start of a new one. I’m super excited.
More Top Picks Best Smart Jump Ropes For Hiit
“I was looking for a good fit. Didn’t care what the pick was, didn’t care what the money was. I really just want a team that’s a family and, really, who’s going to help support me to get to the big leagues? Because at the end of the day, that’s the only thing that matters is going to the big leagues.”
The Cubs selected two college hitters — Texas A&M outfielder Caden Sorrell and Florida State first baseman Myles Bailey — in the second round and their compensation pick for the Dodgers signing Kyle Tucker. They tapped into pitching again in Rounds 3 and 4 by taking Nebraska right-hander Carson Jasa and Northwestern State (La.) right-hander Dylan Marionneaux.
Vice president of scouting Dan Kantrovitz was pleased with how Day 1 of the draft played out.
“Going in we felt it was going to be slightly skewed towards more pitchers than hitters, and I wasn’t sure if that was just going to be one hitter or two hitters,” Kantrovitz said. “When a guy like Caden Sorrell falls to us, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to grab him.
“With getting Cade up top, that really solidified our draft strategy and then allowed us to be a little bit flexible with two impact bats right after that and then following back up with two arms that we targeted going into the day.”
Townsend felt the Cubs’ family environment compared to what he experienced during his two seasons at Mississippi. He also touted the organization’s process-oriented, data-driven approach, noting that’s similar to his, which is something he appreciates.
“There’s not much you can say with a 30-minute phone call, but it’s really good just to see how they work,” Townsend said. “What’s their process like? What’s our process to get better? I mean, that’s the only thing I really care about is, how do I get better? How do I improve every single day? And they had a clear plan.”
Townsend posted a 3.94 ERA in 14 starts this year with 88 strikeouts and 22 walks in 64 innings. Following his 2025 freshman season (6.35 ERA in 15 games/eight starts), Townsend felt he became more mature by working on his craft every day and credited Mississippi pitching coach Joel Mangrum for his mentorship and showing him the path to get to the big leagues.
“How do I really improve every single day? You stack bricks, you’re going to build a wall,” Townsend said. “Really have blinders and earmuffs on, not really care about what anyone thought. Went to work every single day.”
The 21-year-old can touch 98 mph with his fastball and utilizes a five-pitch repertoire featuring a cutter, slider, curveball and splitter. He wants to improve his fastball command and execution, as well as throwing the pitch more, which should further elevate his secondary stuff.
“The spin is really my superpower — that’s what I tell everyone,” Townsend said. “I just have a weird innate ability to spin the ball and make the ball move left or right.”
The Cubs got to know Townsend at the draft combine in Arizona, which Kantrovitz described as an exceptional meeting. All of the organization’s interactions with Townsend left a great impression.
“We felt like what he brought to the table, both from an arm-talent standpoint as well as his makeup, and it made him a really good fit for our system,” Kantrovitz said.
The Cubs are betting on the power Sorrell and Bailey both possess, even with some of the swing and miss that accompanies it. Bailey’s season was cut short after just 26 games this year because of an ankle injury from sliding into second base that required surgery. Kantrovitz said Bailey’s recovery is on track, though he won’t be able to get on the field this summer but is expected to be 100% by the end of the year.
“In Myles’ case, we feel good enough about the development of the hit tool up to this point and also into the future where we feel like he’s going to really get to it,” Kantrovitz said.
Day 1 picks
- Round 1, No. 23: Cade Townsend, RHP, Mississippi
- Round 2, No. 62: Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M
- Compensation pick, No. 75: Myles Bailey, 1B, Florida State
- Round 3, No. 98: Carson Jasa, RHP, Nebraska
- Round 4, No. 126: Dylan Marionneaux, RHP, Northwestern State (La.)
Day 2 picks
- Round 5, No. 159: Dylan Blomker, RHP, La Cueva HS (NM)
- Round 6, No. 188: Isaac Morton, RHP, Minnesota
- Round 7, No. 217: Cole Tryba, LHP, UC Santa Barbara
- Round 8, No. 247: Lance Williams, RHP, Maryland
- Round 9, No. 277: Chase Meyer, RHP, West Virginia
- Round 10, No. 307: Luke Alwood, RHP, Seattle
- Round 11, No. 337: Ariston Veasey, RHP, Clemson
- Round 12, No. 367: Brandon Arvidson, LHP, Tennessee
- Round 13, No. 397: Emanuel Hernandez, C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy (PR)
- Round 14, No. 427: Corey Nunez, SS, UC Santa Barbara
- Round 15, No. 457: Griffin Naess, RHP, Cal Poly
- Round 16, No. 487: Ashton Pocol, RHP, Florida Gulf Coast
- Round 17m No. 517: Ryan Marton, RHP, UNLV
- Round 18, No. 547: Luke McGrath, RHP, James Madison
- Round 19, No. 577: Luke Guth, RHP, Vanderbilt
- Round 20, No. 607: Brennan Hudson, Georgia