Chicago Cubs draft Ole Miss ace Cade Townsend No. 23 overall
Cade Townsend went 23rd to the Cubs, giving Ole Miss its first two first-round MLB picks in one draft and leaving Oxford’s weekend rotation thinner.
The Chicago Cubs made Cade Townsend the No. 23 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft on July 11. Taylor Rabe followed at No. 30 to the Kansas City Royals, giving Ole Miss two first-round selections in the same draft for the first time in program history.
He opened the season with top-10 buzz after showing a fastball that lived in the upper 90s and off-speed pitches that missed bats, then hit a setback on March 14 in Austin, Texas, when shoulder soreness and mild inflammation forced him out after one inning against Texas. Mike Bianco later said the MRI was clean and the recovery was day-to-day, and Townsend returned to pitch.
Townsend finished 2026 at 5-2 with a 3.25 ERA, 77 strikeouts and 14 walks in 55 and one-third innings. He was a 2026 Golden Spikes Award semifinalist and an All-SEC Second Team selection. In league play, he led Rebel starters in regular-season ERA at 3.81, opponent batting average at .218, home runs allowed with nine and batters struck out looking with 26, while his 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings ranked sixth in the SEC.
Dan Kantrovitz, the Cubs’ vice president of scouting, said the club wanted to prioritize pitching, and Townsend gave the Cubs their first first-round pitcher since Cade Horton in 2022. MLB.com put Townsend’s fastball around 94-97 mph and said his best traits included elite spin and three plus pitches, a slider, cutter and curve. Townsend said a freshman SEC tournament start against LSU, when he blanked the eventual national champions, helped him believe he could pitch against anyone.
Townsend’s departure leaves an opening in the weekend rotation, even with Hunter Elliott back. Elliott led Ole Miss in 2026 with 111 strikeouts and 85.0 innings.
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