Jed Hoyer will love this expert's take on the Ethan Conrad pick - but Cubs fans won't

With their first-round selection of Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad, the Chicago Cubs bet on a full recovery from season-ending shoulder surgery and placed their hopes in what has been almost universally lauded as an elite set of skills for a potential impact bat at the big-league level.

The Cubs have found success drafting college position players in recent years and, if you ask Baseball America's Ben Badler, he expects that to be the case with Conrad, as well. However, his phrasing could irk some Cubs fans who, last winter and early this season, had grown increasingly frustrated with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer's approach to roster building.

“I think the Cubs have been, you know, they've hit on their recent college first-round picks. I think Ethan Conrad is going to be next in line. And I think if he hadn't had that shoulder injury this year, I don't think he's available to them at this pick ... But I'm a believer in the bat. And I think the Cubs got, I think, good value here. And probably really good value because I suspect it's going to be an under-slot deal for them to get, you know, build out their class even deeper down the draft.”

Cubs love finding 'value' - but it's not what you think in this instance

Now, it's important to note the context in which 'value' is used, especially when talking about draft picks. In this sense, it's more about whether a player was selected with a pick that's commensurate with his pre-draft rankings and data. In this instance, Badler is saying the Cubs got a guy who, if healthy, could have gone well ahead of the #17 spot in the first round - a win, assuming he bounces right back from that shoulder surgery.

The word 'value' has come to carry a negative connotation in recent years amongst Cubs fans, thanks to Hoyer and the front office's endless pursuit of bargains, reclamation projects and a general overall sense of playing down to the field, rather than flexing the franchise's considerable financial clout. For that reason alone, there will be fans who see the word 'value' attached to Conrad and immediately see red.

With a critical trade deadline looming, the Cubs' farm system will be front and center coming out of the 2025 MLB Draft - and if pieces like Owen Caissie or Kevin Alcantara are moved, the focus on this first-round pick will only intensify, despite the fact we won't be able to accurately judge it for years to come. Ah, isn't being a baseball fan the best?