Chicago Cubs MLB Draft Big Board

#3: Jackson Kowar

Position: RHP

School: Florida

The Cubs are no strangers when it comes to picking college pitchers, as the Cubs last two top picks have been college arms.

Kowar isn’t the top college arm in the draft, and he isn’t even the top pitcher on his team (Brady Singer).

But Kowar is a spectacular pitcher in his own right, going 9-4 with a 3.21 ERA in 15 starts for the Gators in 2018.

Kowar’s mid-90s fastball makes him one of the hardest-throwing college pitchers in the draft.

Even better for the Cubs, Kowar’s draft range has been pretty unpredictable. Some mock drafts have the Florida righty going in the top-15, while others have him going out of the first round.

Kowar’s performance history and prospect outlook should put him atop the Cubs big board in terms of college ranks. And given the Cubs recent draft history, Jackson Kowar very well could be the next member of the Chicago Cubs.

#4: Ryan Weathers

Position: LHP

School: Loretto High School (Tenn.)

Elite high school lefties are a dime-a-dozen, but Tennessee prep arm Ryan Weathers holds some of the highest upside in the entire draft.

The lefty holds a 55 ranking in all five major categories (fastball, curveball, changeup, control, overall) from MLB.com.

Committed to baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt University, Weathers has all the makings of a potential premier prospect a few years down the line.

Weathers was recently named the 2017-18 Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year after setting a Tennessee state tournament record with 28 strikeouts in 14 innings.

Weathers could go anywhere from 10-to-25, leaving a small chance that he’ll be available for the Cubs.

But for a farm system lacking a top lefty, Ryan Weathers could fit the mold in a depleted Cubs farm system.