2025 mock draft hints Cubs are chasing another Matt Shaw-type player

The 2025 MLB Draft begins on Sunday, and it serves as another opportunity for the Chicago Cubs to add to the top of their farm system. Along those lines, the selection they make could lead the next wave of top Cubs' prospects once you factor in the graduations of Matt Shaw and Cade Horton to the Major League level, and the idea that Kevin Alcantara and/or Owen Caissie could be moved at the trade deadline.

The Cubs' recent success with their first-round selections would suggest that the prospect they take with the No. 17 selection in this year's draft could easily be on a path toward becoming the organization's top prospect shortly after being drafted.

With the draft being less than one week away, the mock drafts from prospect experts tend to carry a little bit more weight. In one of his final mock drafts for The Athletic, Keith Law has the Cubs taking a prospect who could be following the Shaw blueprint. The selection for the Cubs was Wake Forest shortstop Marek Houston. In his write-up of the selection, Law mentions the Cubs' preference for value.

"This would be more of a value pick for the Cubs, similar to when Matt Shaw fell to them two years ago, versus Cam Smith last year, a player they ranked much higher than where they got him. " Law reflects on the Cubs' approach.

Mock draft suggests Cubs are doubling down on their Matt Shaw model

Houston is one of several college bats expected to go in the middle of the first round this year. Of course, with their last two first-round selections, the Cubs have leaned toward a college bat who could rise through the system quickly. A case made apparent by 2023 first-round selection, Shaw, being at the Major League level, and 2024 first-round selection, Cam Smith, reaching the majors with the Houston Astros.

In 298 plate appearances with Wake Forest, Houston had a slash line of .354/.458/..597 with 15 home runs. Houston is a contact-oriented hitter, so that would be a shift from the general trend of teams preferring slug from their prospects.

Targeting a college infielder like Houston could have the Cubs preparing for a transition from Dansby Swanson at shortstop in the years to come. It's also worth mentioning that Nico Hoerner is a free agent after 2026. Houston would be a valuable insurance policy for the Cubs to have.

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