Cubs' Cam Smith: Drafted 14th overall

The Cubs have selected Smith with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 First-Year Player Draft.

Smith was among the top gainers in the country in both contact rate (70.6 percent to 82.1 percent) and 90th percentile exit velocity (106.5 mph to 111.3 mph) from 2023 to 2024 en route to rising up boards as a draft-eligible sophomore. A 6-foot-3, 225-pound brick house with big-league strength, Smith excelled over a large sample with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League last summer (.981 OPS, 12.8 K%), which is an important datapoint. Like most first-round college hitters, his 2024 numbers in this historic run-scoring environment were insane (.387/.488/.654 slash line, 14.9 K%). He has a plus arm but will be among the bigger third basemen in pro ball, so maintaining his conditioning will be important if he is to avoid moving to first base or an outfield corner.