Cubs add athletic prep stars, more college talent on Day 2

CHICAGO -- The Cubs have a track record of focusing on college athletes at the top of the MLB Draft and then reaching for some prep stars with athleticism and upside once Day 2 arrives. This year¡¯s Draft has followed that recent pattern for the North Siders.

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After grabbing Florida State third baseman Cam Smith (first round) and College of Charleston infielder Cole Mathis (second round) on Sunday night, Chicago opened Monday¡¯s picks with the selection of high school shortstop Ronny Cruz. The young prospect out of Miami Christian School (Fla.) was unranked by MLB Pipeline, but he opened eyes at the MLB Draft Combine at Chase Field in June.

• Cubs on two-way pick Mathis: 'We view him as a hitter'

Cruz was already on the Cubs¡¯ radar months before the Draft Combine due to the work of team area scout Ralph Reyes.

¡°Ralph said he was a guy that we all need to get in there to see,¡± said Dan Kantrovitz, the Cubs¡¯ vice president of scouting. ¡°The Combine was hardly a factor in this one. Ralph put us in position because we all got a chance to get in there and see Ronny. I got a chance to talk with him on the field with Ralph and his teammates. We just really felt comfortable with him as a person and as a player.¡±

Cruz, who will turn 18 in August, showed off his athleticism and power potential at the Combine, putting on a show in batting practice. That included reaching 107.9 mph in exit velocity. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound shortstop is committed to the University of Miami, but being picked in the third round (slot value of $826,000) could sway him to turn pro.

According to Max Preps, Cruz hit .397 (25-for-63) with two homers, five doubles and 16 RBIs in 21 games this past season, posting a .467 on-base percentage and .571 slugging percentage along the way. Cruz is currently working his way back from a right knee issue that came up late in his season.

¡°He¡¯s got lightning bat speed, actually,¡± Kantrovitz said. ¡°For kind of how wiry-strong he is, the ball really jumps off his bat. He uses the ground really well, and I think you¡¯ll see some upper-end exit [velocities] from him. Defensively, he¡¯s got upper-end-of-the spectrum speed. We think he¡¯s got enough arm to stay at short. He¡¯s got the actions. He¡¯s got a really high ceiling.¡±

Here is a look at the rest of the Cubs¡¯ picks from Day 2 of the Draft.

Round 4: Ty Southisene, SS, Basic High School (Henderson, Nev.)
Notable skill: Ranked as the Draft¡¯s No. 111 prospect, the 19-year-old Southisene (Tennessee commit) has the release, quick hands and footwork to make up for his size, per Pipeline¡¯s scouting report. He has an advanced approach and makes consistent hard contact in the batter¡¯s box.

By the numbers: According to Max Preps, Southisene hit .495 (47-for-95) with a .560 on-base percentage and a .705 slugging percentage in his senior season. He had one homer, 11 doubles, three triples, 24 RBIs, 20 steals and 44 runs scored.

Quotable: ¡°He¡¯s got tools. He¡¯s a quick-twitch athlete. He¡¯s not the biggest guy in the world at 5-foot-9, but he really knows what he¡¯s doing. It¡¯s kind of that overused axiom: ¡®He¡¯s a real baseball player.¡¯ But he¡¯s got really good instincts and a strong baseball IQ, so it allows all those tools to play up.¡± -- Pipeline expert Jonathan Mayo

Round 5: Ariel Armas, C, University of San Diego
Notable skill: Armas¡¯ calling card is his defense, which was recognized with his winning the 2024 Gold Glove Award for catcher via the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings. He was also named the ¡®24 West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and was a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year.

By the numbers: Behind the plate, the 21-year-old Armas threw out 15 of 17 would-be basestealers, recorded a .998 fielding percentage and led the nation with 18.69 Defensive Runs Saved (via 6-4-3 Charts). Offensively, the 6-foot, 185-pound catcher hit .298/.399/.429 with six homers, eight doubles, 29 RBIs and 33 strikeouts compared to 27 walks in 55 games.

Quotable: ¡°He's got a cannon, for starters. He's got really strong hands. He's a good framer. He's a pretty good all-around catcher. He excels from a blocking standpoint, too, and just looks really comfortable back there. There's only a handful of college catchers every year that are coming out that we think can actually maintain that position potentially up to the big leagues. And he's got all the tools to do that.¡± -- Kantrovitz

Round 6: Ryan Gallagher, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Notable skill: Mayo called Gallagher¡¯s arsenal ¡°an interesting mix of pitches.¡± The 21-year-old right-hander has a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, plus a changeup and breaking pitches. Most notably, Gallagher does not walk a lot of batters. Mayo sees potential to ¡°tease out¡± more velocity in the coming seasons.

By the numbers: Gallagher missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery on his right elbow but came back strong in ¡®24. The righty went 10-1 with a 2.22 ERA and 96 strikeouts against 25 walks in 89 innings, holding batters to a .161 average. Listed as 6-foot-4, 220 pounds on the UC Santa Barbara team site, Gallagher had a 2.72 ERA in his two collegiate seasons (¡®22 and ¡®24).

Quotable: ¡°When you see a guy that has command of his fastball but has the capability to spin the ball and a plus-plus changeup as kind of his go-to weapon ¡­ it¡¯s easy to envision him adding another tick or two of [velocity]. And I think that ends up being a pretty exciting package.¡± -- Kantrovitz

Round 7: Ivan Brethowr, OF, UC Santa Barbara
Notable skill: This pick was ¡°all about the power,¡± as Mayo put it after the Cubs¡¯ selection. Brethowr is big (listed as 6-foot-6, 250 pounds) and considered ¡°one of the most physical hitters in the country,¡± per Pipeline¡¯s scouting report. A lot of the power is generated to the pull side by Brethowr, Pipeline¡¯s 194th-ranked Draft prospect.

By the numbers: Brethowr¡¯s power tool was given a 55 rating (on the 20-80 scale) at the time of the Draft, but Mayo sees potential for it to climb to 70 over time. This past season with UC Santa Barbara, the outfielder hit .275/.402/.566 with 15 homers in 50 games. Brethowr cut his strikeout rate down to 18.3 percent in 2024, compared to 26.7 percent in ¡®23.

Quotable: ¡°When you hit the ball as hard as he does, usually you see some swing and miss and poor decision-making just because you can get away with it by just hitting your fair share of bombs. But he's a pretty well-balanced hitter in addition to having some juice. It's good decision-making. It's good contact skills.¡± -- Kantrovitz

Round 8: Edgar Alvarez, 1B, Nicholls State University
Notable skill: Pipeline expert Jim Callis described the 23-year-old Alvarez as a ¡°hit-over-power guy,¡± adding that the Nicholls State product was most likely limited to playing first base. That said, Alvarez did take home the 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his work at the position. Kantrovitz said this could be a ¡°sleeper¡± pick from this year¡¯s class for the Cubs.

By the numbers: The lefty-swinging Alvarez posted impressive stats in his senior season with the Colonels, turning in a .405/.514/.678 slash line. He collected 92 hits in his 58 games, finishing with 13 homers, 21 doubles, 67 RBIs, 76 runs scored and far more walks (53) than strikeouts (32).

Quotable: ¡°Will Swoope, our area scout there, [Alvarez] was his gut-feel guy. There's players that have baseball card numbers that kind of jump off the page, but what he has is it's a beautiful, pure swing. Watch video of it. As opposed to just some gargantuan exit velos or gaudy numbers -- which, actually, he has both at times -- it's just a really beautiful pass.¡± -- Kantrovitz

Round 9: Brooks Caple, RHP Lamar University
Notable skill: Caple began his collegiate career as a reliever with Stephen F. Austin State University, but his move to Lamar led him to a starting role. Callis pointed to two things that stood out about the righty this season: ¡°He¡¯s up to 94 with very good spin metrics on his fastball, and he throws a lot of strikes.¡±

By the numbers: This past season with Lamar, the 21-year-old Caple went 7-3 with a 2.40 ERA in 15 starts. The 6-foot-6 right-hander racked up 102 strikeouts against 27 walks in 97 2/3 innings, in which he allowed just 58 hits (eight homers).

Quotable: ¡°The first thing that stands out is just that downhill angle. He's 6-foot-6 and has good extension out front. He's got surprising command of his fastball. It's 90-95 [mph], but he splits the plate and it's got some good ride on it. His slider, he's got really good command of it. It's actually kind of dominant in a college game. And then he'll mix in a changeup, too.¡± -- Kantrovitz

Round 10: Matt Halbach, 3B, UC San Diego
Notable skill: Halbach has a ¡°contact-oriented approach,¡± according to Mayo. The right-handed-swinging infielder does not strike out a lot but has a knack for piling up hits. Defensively, Mayo described Halbach as ¡°fringy¡± but added that he believes the prospect has the potential to stick at third base.

By the numbers: Halbach was limited to 19 games this past season with UC Santa Barbara due to injury, but he hit .408 (29-for-71) with three homers, nine doubles, 18 RBIs and a 1.173 OPS in that limited sample. He only struck out 12 times in 88 plate appearances (13.6 percent). Halbach impressed in the Cape Cod League with a .364/.455/.512 slash line with five doubles in 32 games with Orleans in 2023.

Quotable: ¡°Obviously, this year was a bit fragmented, but he controls the zone and hits for some power. He hit some bombs, some home runs this year on a line out to right-center that were pretty impressive. And I think his power numbers probably would be higher across the board if he didn't hit so many doubles. He's kind of a doubles machine.¡± -- Kantrovitz