St. Petersburg, FL, USA; A detailed view of Chicago Cubs third baseman Javier Baez's hat and glove against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs Agree to Sign 6th Round Pick to Record-Breaking Contract

Originally posted on Minor League Baseball on SI
By Sam Connon | Last updated Jul 23, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The Chicago Cubs have signed outfielder Josiah Hartshorn to an above-slot deal, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis reported Tuesday night.

Hartshorn was the Cubs' sixth-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft last week, coming off the board at No. 181 overall. MLB Pipeline had the Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.) product ranked No. 108 on their pre-draft big board.

In order to stop the young outfielder from following through on his commitment to Texas A&M, Chicago gave Hartshorn a $2 million signing bonus. On top of being well above his slot value of $355,800, it also marked an all-time record for a sixth-round pick.

The #Cubs have agreed to terms with OF Josiah Hartshorn for $2 million (slot value: $355,800), per @jimcallisMLB, a record for a 6th-round pick.

Scouting report and more on the switch-hitting SoCal native: https://t.co/SUZngtswja pic.twitter.com/VXzvVr63TN
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 23, 2025

Hartshorn hit .364 with five home runs, nine doubles, 24 RBIs, 27 runs, 18 walks, 12 strikeouts and a 1.104 OPS across 29 games as a high school senior in 2025.

The Cubs' first three selections – Wake Forest outfielder Ethan Conrad, North Carolina outfielder Kane Kepley and Abilene Christian pitcher Dominick Reid – all signed below-slot deals, giving the organization enough savings to splurge on Hartshorn. Chicago followed up the Hartshorn signing by giving fourth-rounder Kaleb Wing an above-slot deal of his own, making sure they didn't lose either of their elite high school picks to the college ranks.

This article first appeared on Minor League Baseball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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