​Cubs scouting director Dan Kantrovitz said the team needed to address its pitching, and he followed through by selecting Mississippi right-hander Cade Townsend with the Cubs’ first pick in the MLB Draft. Townsend stands 6’1” and weighs about 185 pounds, a 21-year-old draft-eligible sophomore who spent two years at Ole Miss. He offers a five-pitch mix, with all five offerings graded at least as average. His fastball sits in the 95-96 mph range and has touched as high as 98, though it can be a bit too straight and, at times, hittable if he doesn’t locate it well. He also features a low-90s cutter with solid movement, an upper-80s power slider that breaks in and away from right-handed hitters, a loopy, knee-bending low-80s curve, and a diving splitter around 86-87. The fastball, splitter, and cutter all have the potential to be plus, while the slider and curve are at least average. In particular, the combination of his slider and cutter gives him a starter’s arsenal.
Townsend split time between the bullpen and the rotation as a freshman. This past year, he moved full-time into the rotation and started the season with dominance. At that point, Townsend looked like a top-ten pick. However, he missed a start in March due to shoulder soreness, and while he returned after a brief absence, his stuff wasn’t as sharp down the stretch and the results reflected that. In May, he struggled against Texas A&M and Alabama, which caused his overall result line to look less impressive.
In 2026, Townsend made 14 starts, going 5-3 with a 3.94 ERA. He recorded 88 strikeouts and walked 22 over 64 innings. His command and control were solid in his sophomore year after having issues with control in his freshman season.
There are some concerns about Townsend’s reliever risk, despite his impressive five-pitch mix. Part of that stems from his frame at 6’1”, which isn’t the ideal big, physical presence some teams want in a right-handed starter. Additional concerns include his somewhat unorthodox, not perfectly smooth delivery, control questions, and a history of injury concerns. These factors contributed to Townsend sliding down some public draft boards late in the process.
MLB Pipeline ranked Townsend as the 35th-best draft prospect entering the draft, while Baseball America placed him at 29. Keith Law of The Athletic had him at 37 but noted he was a top-ten prospect before his late-season decline, adding that Law was concerned about the workload Townsend carried toward the end of the year.
If Townsend can stay healthy, he represents the kind of accomplished college pitcher who could progress quickly through the Cubs’ system and potentially reach Chicago as soon as 2028. If the Cubs were determined to address pitching in the first round, they were prepared to accept some flaws, particularly given their selection at No. 23. Other available pitchers offered plus velocity but carried major injury or control concerns, while some safer options might have been more incremental in impact. Townsend’s profile, with its mix of high-end projection and legitimate mid- to late-season concerns, reflects the type of calculated risk that often accompanies a high-potential college arm chosen early in the draft.