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The Chicago Cubs have played well this season. Despite having to play musical chairs with their starting rotation, they have kept themselves in the thick of things in the National League Central.
Going into Thursday's games, they sit in second place in the division, just six games behind the Milwaukee Brewers.
But while the team looks to close the gap, the front office is thinking about the upcoming MLB Draft. Here, the Cubs have been awarded the No. 23 pick, which isn't a premier pick, but there will certainly be elite talent still on the board.
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Cubs face mounting pressure to hit on the 23rd overall pick in the draft
Last year, the Cubs had the 17th overall pick in the draft. With it, they took Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad.
They haven't selected a pitcher in the first round since they drafted Cade Horton with the seventh overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.
Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer believes the team should go back to the well and grab another college arm with their first-round selection.
"The Cubs actually have four picks in the top 100, but with a big gap between their first (No. 23) and their second (No. 62). As such, there's a lot riding on that first pick, and the best way to get it right will likely be by drafting a college pitcher. There should be a bunch going in the 20s, so the Cubs won't be reaching. And while major league needs don't necessarily come first, can anyone look at the Cubs and not see room for a fast-moving young hurler?"
Someone like Tennessee's Tegan Kuhns could be a great pick. He's slotted to go somewhere in the 20s and has all the stuff to be a frontline starter if he continues to develop and finds a good third pitch.
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