Cubs draft ‘best high school arm’ in the second round of MLB draft

Coming off the first-round selection of Cade Horton, the Cubs decided in the second round that they wanted to continue to bolster their farm system with more pitching. Chicago drafted Jackson Ferris, a left-handed pitcher from IMG Academy (Florida), with the 47th overall pick.

Many people have touted Ferris as the top high school arm going into this year’s draft. The Ole  Miss commit is a 6’4 left-hander with a fastball that can reach around 96 MPH. Perfect Game has him ranked as the ninth overall high school prospect in the class of 2022 and MLB.com had him as the 19th-ranked prospect entering Sunday.

Ferris pitched at one of the best baseball schools in the world last season (IMG Academy) and went 8-0 with a 1.33 ERA. He had 103 strikeouts across 54 1/3 innings. The young southpaw was the eighth pitcher taken off the board that was drafted straight out of high school.

The Cubs were extremely lucky to have Ferris fall in their lap for them at the 47th overall pick. Many people felt this kid would go in the first round and be one of the first high school pitchers off the board. Instead he was able to make it all the way to the Cubs at 47.

Cubs ‘crushing’ this year’s MLB Draft, according to one insider

Coming along with Ferris’ 96 MPH fastball is a 12-6 curveball that he has an excellent feel for, as well as a changeup that sits in the 80s. Ferris is projected to be anywhere from a 2-3 starter when he eventually settles down in the big leagues.

Overall this seems like a very good pick for the Cubs and it seems like they got some solid value getting Jackson Ferris here in the second round. As you can see above, one of the top draft analysts out there, Joe Doyle, says the Cubs are “crushing this draft” heading into the third round on Monday. He also noted Ferris reminds him a little bit of Blue Jays pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

Obviously, it’ll be some time before we know if the Cubs hit on either of these early picks. But as Jed Hoyer continues to replenish the farm system, you can tell that, organizationally, they feel they’ve turned a corner when it comes to developing arms. Jackson Ferris has a very high ceiling and the Cubs just got one of the best left-handed pitchers in this entire draft.