The Chicago Cubs rolled the dice with their first-round selection in Sunday's MLB Draft, selecting Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad, who missed a huge chunk of the 2025 college campaign after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery after just 21 games.
Conrad was the first non-shortstop position player taken and, if not for that shoulder injury, many analysts believed he had that pure talent to be a top-10 pick. Prior to the injury, Conrad was on a tear, slashing .372/.495./.744, showing signs that he had taken steps to address an approach that has bordered on overly aggressive.
He also thrived playing on the Cape last year as a 19-year-old, hitting .