Pre-super sectionals MLB mock draft has the Cubs finally getting it right

Given the state of the organization, the Chicago Cubs must use their first-round pick on a college starting pitcher. There's a mass exodus looming at the end of the year, with Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga all set to hit free agency, Cade Horton won't pitch again this year (who knows if he'll make it back to the mound in 2027) and there's a ton of uncertainty around Justin Steele.

That leaves us with... Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera. The Cubs' top pitching prospect, Jaxon Wiggins, hasn't pitched since early April and has never handled a pro-level workload, even dating back to his days at Arkansas. There are some mid and lower-level arms that offer intrigue, but there's a clear need to add to the mix.

Cubs can't waste a first-round pick they desperately need to hit on

In FanSided's previous mock draft, they had Chicago taking Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia and I pretty much lost my mind at the idea. Thankfully, in their new pre-supersectionals mock draft, they have the Cubs doing the right thing and taking a high-upside college pitcher in Ole Miss right-hander Cade Townsend.

Whether or not Townsend is still available when the Cubs have their first-round pick is a hot topic of debate - here's what the write-up had to say about the 21-year-old hurler.

It would not be surprising to see Cade Townsend land somewhere in the top 10 of the MLB Draft, which means that the Chicago Cubs would be thrilled to scoop him up at No. 23 overall. Townsend’s command, while improved, isn’t fully polished, but his stuff is outstanding. He sits in the mid-90s with his fastball, and both his curveball and slider generate whiffs at an above-average clip. Even his cutter has the potential to be a really good weapon.

MLB Pipeline has him as their #27 prospect in this year's MLB Draft - but it's easy to see why he might go higher than that. He features a fastball that sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, two high-spin breaking offerings and a cutter that sits in the low-90s. He's dabbled with a change-up, rounding out an impressive arsenal that would immediately be among the best in the entire Cubs' farm system.

There are a lot of high-upside arms projected in the back half of the draft. The Cubs need to thread the needle between upside and projectability, health and stuff with this pick, because another miss will only further diminish the fanbase's faith in this front office to build a sustainable pipeline of talent.

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