Chicago Cubs Snag College Arm in Latest Mock Draft

The Cubs look to add to their future in the rotation in MLB Pipeline's new mock draft.

Jul 4, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; US flag is seen during pre-game Fourth of July ceremonies prior to a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Among the All-Star festivities this upcoming weekend is the MLB Draft. Each year, as the draft draws closer and closer, the mock drafts become more accurate for the first round. While that's more so at the top, the dominos that fall give a good idea of who will be available at the time of any given pick. In the case of MLB Pipeline's new mock draft, the Chicago Cubs took college pitcher Trey Yesavage.

Yesavage is a right-handed pitcher from East Carolina University. The 20-year-old junior was one of the best pitchers in the country this last season. A Golden Spikes semifinalist, the righty dominated the American Athletic Conference in 2024.

In 15 starts this past season, Yesavage threw 93.1 innings on his way to posting a 2.03 ERA and striking out 145 batters, good for a 14.0 K/9. His 145 strikeouts were fifth in the country, and his ERA was good for third in all of college baseball. Not only that, but the junior had 0.868, the second lowest in the country.

Yesavage's dominant season landed him at 11 overall on Pipeline's draft rankings, making him the third best pitcher in the draft according to the publication. A four pitch pitcher, Yesavage has three plus pitches that he can offer.

According to his scouting report, the fastball sits in the mid-90s and touches around 98. He also throws a curveball and splitter that are bat missers and good supplemental pitches. However, his best secondary pitch is his slider.

The slider is rated as a 60 on the 20-80 scale and it has "more depth than lateral movement."

Yesavage has struggled with control in the past and rates out about average in that category. He walked 3.1 batters per nine innings this past season. While he has a lot going on in his delivery, it doesn't have any ill effect on his command.

The right hander is young for a junior, which means he still has a lot of ceiling left. At just 20-years-old, he will be able to get into pro ball and refine his command and secondary pitches while still moving quickly after facing college competition.

It's possible that he could be selected higher than the Cubs pick, but he has been mocked around this spot for some time. If Chicago was able to snag him, it would be a bit of a steal. He would add to the Cubs prospect pool that includes Cade Horton, who is one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball.

While Yesavage isn't quite the level of prospect of Horton, it would definitley add to the exciting future for the Cubs rotation that includes Justin Steele and Shota Imanaga.