Cubs' third-round pick drew rave reviews in college for his elite put-away pitch

And that's a wrap. Day 1 of the 2025 MLB Draft is in the books, and the Chicago Cubs closed out the first three rounds by taking 21-year-old right-hander Dominick Reid out of Abilene Christian. Reid marks the first pitcher the Cubs have selected this year - and he offers intriguing upside.

Reid racked up 112 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings of work this year, leaning heavily on what the MLB Network crew labeled one of the best change-ups in college baseball, getting 66 of those punchouts with his signature pitch. As good as that change is, though, his breaking ball is sub-par and he'll need to add some polish to it if he wants to be a viable starting pitching prospect long-term.

Here's what MLB Pipeline has on Reid, who was ranked as the #209 prospect in their rankings:

Reid does a nice job of moving his running fastball around the strike zone, working at 91-94 mph and reaching 96 with the ability to get carry at the letters or sink at the knees. He throws his best pitch, an 82-84 mph changeup with fade and sink, nearly as much as his heater and will double and triple up on it, even against right-handers. He led all NCAA Division I pitchers with 66 strikeouts via the cambio. He doesn't have nearly as much trust in a slurvy low-80s breaking ball that rarely fools hitters.

Cubs have experience helping college pitchers develop a third pitch

Of course, Cubs fans know how lethal a putaway change-up can be - and what it takes to develop a third pitch. Already this year, we've seen 2022 first-rounder Cade Horton develop a change-up on the job, pairing it with his fastball and sweeper, and opponents are hitting just .077 against that offering this season, far and away the best results he's gotten on any one pitch.

Looking a little further back in the history books, Cubs legend Kyle Hendricks made a living with that change-up for more than a decade on the North Side, winning a World Series and bringing home an ERA title in the process. Never a big strikeout guy, the right-hander relied on location and pitch mix to get outs and that change-piece was a huge part of the equation.

Heading into day two of the draft, here's a recap of the Cubs' early-round selections:

Round 1, #17 overall: Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
Round 2, #56 overall: Kane Kepley, OF, University of North Carolina
Round 3, #90 overall: Dominick Reid, SP, Abilene Christian University