The MLB draft is in July, but the talk all season for the Chicago Cubs will be whether they can keep Kyle Tucker.
The slugger, who the Cubs acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros, cost Chicago three players, including last year’s first-round pick, Cam Smith, who is now in the Majors.
Tucker is proving to be worth the price. He’s put together MVP-level numbers the first six weeks of the season and he’s one of many reasons the Cubs are among the top scoring teams in baseball.
But he’s also a free agent after this season and it’s possible Tucker could be lured away with a high-priced contract.
If so, Chicago will need a new right fielder. Counting on a new draft pick isn’t always the way to go. But, in a recent Baseball America mock draft, the publication has the Cubs taking Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill.
He’s been out for part of this season with a fractured right hand. He is having the best offensive season of his three years in college. He’s slashed .411/.514/.679 with three home runs and 31 RBI. He plays center field and hasn’t been charged with an error this season.
The power profile might not be right to replace a player like Tucker. But, the writer of the mock draft, Carlos Collazo, writes that’s he’s talked about in scouting circles as one of the “… more impressive pure hitters in the college class.”
Where he lines up in a system with several great outfield talents, including Owen Caissie and Kevin Alcantara, is unclear. But a player with Summerhill’s pure hitting skills may be too much for Chicago to ignore.
The Cubs selected Florida State third baseman Cam Smith in the first round of last year’s draft. He had an incredible short season in the Cubs’ system and was then traded to the Houston Astros as part of the dela to bring slugger Kyle Tucker to the north side.
Chicago’s 2023 first-round pick was Maryland shortstop Matt Shaw, who has been converted to a third baseman and was on the Cubs’ opening-day roster. He’s with Triple-A Iowa but should make a move back to the Majors sometime this season.
The Cubs’ 2022 first-round pick, pitcher Cade Horton from Oklahoma, made his MLB debut last weekend and won his first game. He had an exceptional start to this season at Iowa.
Chicago’s first-round pick in 2021 was Kansas State pitcher Jordan Wicks, who made his MLB debut in 2023 and has served as a spot starter and long reliver at the MLB level.
In 2020 the Cubs selected shortstop Ed Howard out of Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. He is still in the Cubs’ system at Double-A Tennessee.
The 2025 MLB draft will be held Sunday and Monday, July 13-14, during All-Star Weekend in Atlanta.
