Chicago Cubs select North Carolina OF Kane Kepley in 2025 MLB Draft

North Carolina brought Kane Kepley into the program for the 2025 season out of the NCAA transfer portal. Over a year later, he is on his way out due to the MLB Draft. The outfielder heard his name called from Atlanta by the Chicago Cubs.

Kepley is officially the No. 56 overall pick in the second round. A nice landing spot for him after putting together a successful campaign in Chapel Hill. In 61 games played, Kepley was a starter in all of them. His batting average finished at .291 while hitting three home runs and knocking in 30 RBIs.

What North Carolina really enjoyed was Kepley’s ability to get on base. His OBP finished at .444 due to his hitting ability, drawing 44 walks, and getting hit by an eye-popping 27 hit by pitches. Only 14 players in college baseball and one ACC player accrued more HBPs.

Liberty is where Kepley began his playing career. In 108 games with the Flames, he started in 98 of them. Some individual honors came as well, earning second-team All-Conference USA during the 2024 season. Going up to the power conference level worked for him though, getting his professional career underway.

What MLB Draft analysts are saying about North Carolina OF Kane Kepley

A scouting report on Kepley was produced by MLB.com ahead of the draft. As usual, the 80-grade scale was used on different traits. Kepley’s best attribute was deemed to be his speed, coming in at a 60. Next up was his hitting ability (55) and a solid explanation was provided.

“Kepley is an on-base machine who executes quality swing decisions from the left side of the plate,” the scouting report said. “He excels at putting the bat on the ball, especially within the strike zone, and rarely chases pitches. His lack of physicality and flat swing lead to worries about how much impact he’ll make at the plate, though he does have some sneaky bat speed and strength that could give him some modest pull power.”

Not much power is going to be expected of him at the next level, graded at a 30. That is backed up by the numbers he put together during his season at North Carolina.

Defensively, MLB.com does see Kepley playing in centerfield long term. While the arm talent may not be the greatest, coming in at 40, the speed is enough to make him a viable option out there.