A very early look at the 2024 MLB Draft and who the Cubs will take

We are still a long way off from the 2024 MLB Draft but it’s never too early to take a look at something that has the ability to impact your franchise in a massive way. We’ve got everything you need to know as a fan of baseball and as a fan of the Chicago Cubs to make sure that you know what you’re talking about when the draft is brought up, so strap in!

When is the 2024 MLB Draft?

The actual time and date of the draft have not been set yet, but it will be in July as a part of All-Star Weekend in Arlington, Texas. The defending World Series champs will play host to the Cubs on Opening Day (March 28) and the front office will be returning in July to add the next generation of player to the roster.

Who have the Cubs drafted in previous season?

The Chicago Cubs have an extremely balanced and absolutely loaded farm system and that is due in no small part to their ability to draft well over the last few seasons. Not only did the Cubs have players appear on seven of the eight positional top ten prospect lists created by MLB Pipeline, they also had seven players appear in the top 100 overall prospects. Of the ten total players that appeared on one of those lists, five of them were drafted by the Cubs:

• 2022 1st Round Pick RHP Cade Horton (26th overall, number 2 RHP)
• 2023 1st Round Pick SS Matt Shaw (54th overall, not ranked at SS) 
• 2021 2nd Round Pick 2B James Triantos (73rd overall, number 3 2B)
• 2021 1st Round Pick LHP Jordan Wicks (Not ranked overall, number 9 LHP)
• 2021 15th Round Pick 1B Haydn McGeary (Not ranked overall, number 6 1B)

Every first round pick that Jed Hoyer has made as President of Baseball Operations is listed above. 

What pick do the Cubs have in the 2024 MLB Draft?

Number 14.

The Cubs had a shot at the number one overall pick thanks to the implementation of the Draft Lottery, but they weren’t lucky this time around and they’ll be picking at 14th, the latest they’ve selected since the 2021 draft. 

Do the Cubs have any additional draft picks?

Unfortunately no. 

The MLB Draft is fascinating. Teams have the ability to earn compensatory draft picks if one of their players signs a free agent deal with another team (like the Twins did when they lost Sonny Gray), if they promote a prospect to the Opening Day Roster and they go on to win Rookie of the Year (like the Diamondbacks and Orioles did with Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson respectively) or if they’re in a small market (like the Orioles, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Pirates, Rockies and Royals). 

That being said, the Cubs will not meet any of those requirements unless Cody Bellinger signs with another team.

Who are some names worth knowing as we head toward the 2024 MLB Draft?

MLB Pipeline has released their top 100 draft eligible prospects, but if I’ve said it once I’ve said it a million times: drafting a college hitter in the first round is almost always going to be the right decision.

The good news is that this draft class appears to be loaded with just that:

JJ Wetherholt is a middle infielder from West Virginia that is the current favorite to go first overall, but Nick Kurtz plays first base for Wake Forest and has good lefty power, Travis Bazzana plays second base at Oregon State and has an 80-grade name, and Charlie Condon and Vance Honeycutt play outfield for Georgia and North Carolina respectively and do so with massive power.

Jac Caglianone has to be at least a little bit interesting as a 6’5 lefty that pitches and plays first base at Florida with a 70-grade fastball and 65-grade power at the plate, but that’s not a player that generally grabs the attention of this front office.

The name to keep an eye on is Tommy White, a third base prospect from LSU. He’s currently ranked as the 7th-best prospect according to MLB Pipeline, but pitchers and prep players always start to creep up the board the closer we get to the draft and the potential that White may be relegated to first base as a pro might give teams pause. That being said, White has mashed in high school and at two different stops (he transferred from North Carolina State) in college and his in-game power is rare.