Chicago Cubs: 4 can’t-miss options at the seventh pick in the draft

With the 2022 Cubs season turning ugly in a hurry, most of the attention has turned toward the trade deadline, minor leagues and, now, the MLB Draft that now is on the horizon. The draft in years past took place in mid-June but now begins on July 17 during the All-Star Break.

This is perhaps the most important draft for the Cubs in years, as the nosedive after the 2021 trade deadline landed the club the seventh overall pick, their highest since 2015, and it presents the Cubs with a crucial opportunity. The top of this year’s draft is undeniably bat-heavy, and it gives Jed Hoyer a chance to find a cornerstone to anchor a flourishing Cubs system.

Cubs: 4 options with the seventh pick in the MLB Draft: Jace Jung

Brother of former Rangers eighth overall pick Josh Jung, Jace Jung has the potential to be the second top half of the draft pick in the family. Jung is a near-consensus top 10 pick and his stock comes exclusively from his bat.

Jung offers everything you could ask for in the batter’s box. He has a career slash line of .328/.468/.647 with an OPS of 1.116 in his three seasons at Texas Tech. Jung sports 60-grade power according to Pipeline but unlike many other prospects with this sort of power, the 21-year-old infielder does not sacrifice contact or strikeout at a high rate as a result.

Jung also has a 60-grade hit tool and struck out in just 16 percent of his college plate appearances. In fact, Jung has walked more than he’s struck out in college, walking in 20 percent of his plate appearances.

The downside with Jung is his defense. He originally started out at third base before he was moved to second base because of his weaker arm. Keith Law speculated on his big board that he may not even stick there and may need to move to left field long-term. Despite this, Jung still offers the potential to be a force in the middle of the lineup, and should certainly be on the Cubs’ radar.

Cubs: 4 options with the seventh pick in the MLB Draft: Jacob Berry

Jacob Berry has been one of the most prolific bats in college baseball for the past two years at Arizona and LSU, and is likely to be a top 10 pick in the draft.  Though his defense leaves a lot to be desired, similar to Jung, which will likely drop him further than he originally was projected to go, Berry has the offensive profile of a first overall pick, with a class-best 65-grade power stroke (Pipeline), paired with a 60-grade hit tool, Berry has the makings of a dominant major league hitter.

Berry put up jaw-dropping numbers in his freshman of the year campaign at Arizona but has staggeringly gotten better in the SEC. Berry had a solid 19.4 percent strikeout rate his freshman year but cut that number all the way down to 8.8% percent in Baton Rouge. Berry also walked more than he struck out and finished the year with a slash line of .370/.464/.630.

The problem for Berry is that his defensive miscues are unavoidable. He was a complete liability at third base and in left field and the best-case scenario for him in the field is sticking at first base but carries a big risk of being a long-term designated hitter. Still, the offensive makeup could be very hard to turn down for Jed Hoyer and the front office.

Cubs: 4 options with the seventh pick in the MLB Draft: Termarr Johnson

While this draft is stocked with potentially high-end-level bats, none may be a better pure hitter than Termarr Johnson. Johnson is rumored to be the guy the Cubs want the most, and it’s easy to see why. Johnson has a 70-grade hit tool along with a 60-grade power tool, making him an absolute force at the plate.

Though he plays shortstop now, he’s likely to move to second or third base where he should be a quality defender. If Johnson is even a league-average defender, that paired with his offensive potential should make him potentially a top player in the league.

The question is whether or not he’ll fall to the Cubs. He’s a guy who was seen as a top-five lock at one point, but he won’t be cheap to sign, and is likely to move away from short when there are several other elite shortstops with encouraging offensive profiles at the top of the draft as well. All of this could add up to have him fall into the Cubs range, and if it does, it’ll be nearly impossible to pass up on the type of potential Johnson has to offer.

The Cubs are in the perfect position to land a premium bat that could anchor the emerging farm system for years to come. There will be no shortage of options for the Cubs and these four are just the tip of the iceberg.

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It’s not inconceivable that the Cubs could take a look at players like Zach Neto, Gavin Cross, or Jordan Beck at the seventh spot either, or perhaps one of the top shortstops like Jackson Holliday or Brooks Lee could fall to them. Maybe the Cubs have power-hitting backstop Kevin Parada fall to them and have the opportunity to fill the biggest positional void in the organization. The draft could fall a lot of ways, but there are very few bad options for Jed Hoyer to choose from.