For the fifth consecutive year, the Chicago Cubs opted to go the college route with their top draft pick.
The Cubs selected Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad at No. 17 in the first round of the 2025 MLB draft on Sunday. He was listed as the No. 28 prospect for the draft by MLB.com.
Conrad was limited to 21 games this season due to a season-ending surgery in April after sustaining a left shoulder injury diving for a ball in March. The 6-foot-3 slugger posted a .372/.495/.744 slash line with seven home runs, eight doubles and 27 RBIs prior to the injury. He showed a good plate approach, drawing 18 walks to 14 strikeouts.
Conrad, 21, spent his first two collegiate seasons at Marist where he produced a .389 average, .467 on-base percentage and .704 slugging percentage with nine home runs and a NCAA Division I-leading 13 triples in 2024.
He followed with a great showing last summer in the Cape Cod League, where he finished second in batting average (.385) and OPS (.919).
“I didn’t know what was going to happen with the draft, and I was really upset not being able to help my teammates out,” Conrad said Sunday night of his injury. “And then being able to get selected 17th is just super crazy. I wasn’t expecting it, and I’m just super grateful, and I’m super excited to get going.”
Conrad is 3½ months post-operation and has full range of motion. He anticipates being at full strength in about one month, at which point he will be able to swing and hit.
“He’s somebody that, had he played out the entire season, would have been considered in the top 10 eventually in the draft, and we felt it was a pretty exceptional value in terms of getting him at No. 17,” scouting director Dan Kantrovitz told reporters on a Sunday night Zoom. “We feel like he’s a potentially dynamic talent, somebody who can stay in center field, somebody that hits for power, can run and average to above average tools across the board.”
Conrad graduated from Saugerties (New York) High School in 2022.
No. 56, 2nd round: Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina

With their second-round pick, the Cubs chose Kane Kepley, a left-handed outfielder from North Carolina. At 5-foot-8, Kepley walked on at Liberty in 2023 and then transferred to North Carolina for the 2025 season. In between, he had an All-Star summer in the Cape Cod League in 2024.
The 21-year-old was projected at No. 58 by MLB.com.
In his season with North Carolina he slashed .451/.444/.896 with 30 RBIs and 45 stolen bases in 61 games while playing center field.
Kantrovitz described Kepley as a plus-plus defender in center field and noted how he stole 40 bases in the ACC as the Tar Heels’ leadoff hitter.
“He’s somebody that can put a lot of pressure on the defense, just really impact the game,” Kantrovitz said. “And not too often you see somebody that has his ability to make contact, spray the ball around and play center field the way he can.”
Kepley graduated from South Rowan High School in China Grove, N.C.
No. 90, 3rd round: Dominick Reid, RHP, Abilene Christian
In the third round the Cubs went for pitching, selecting right-hander Dominick Reid from Abilene Christian at No. 90. This was a big jump for Reid, who had been projected at No. 209 by MLB.com.
A graduate of Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas, Reid spent two seasons at Oklahoma State before transferring to Abilene Christian for the 2025 season. He becomes the school’s highest draft pick.
The 21-year-old had a 3.26 ERA and 112 strikeouts in 15 games started this past season.
Cubs’ Day 2 picks
- No. 121, 4th round: Kaleb Wing, RHP, Scotts Valley HS (Calif.)
- No. 151, 5th round: Kade Snell, OF, Alabama
- No. 181, 6th round: Josiah Hartshorn, OF, Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.)
- No. 211, 7th round
- No. 241, 8th round
- No. 271, 9th round
- No. 301, 10th round
- No. 331, 11th round
- No. 361, 12th round
- No. 391, 13th round
- No. 421, 14th round
- No. 451, 15th round
- No. 481, 16th round
- No. 511, 17th round
- No. 541, 18th round
- No. 571, 19th round
- No. 601, 20th round