Chicago Cubs Stock Up on Tar Heels

It is almost time for North Carolina Tar Heels pitcher Jake Knapp to wake up from his dream. The right-hander recovered from Tommy John surgery in 2024 to resurrect his career and become the National Pitcher of the Year in 2025.

However, that was only the start of it. On Monday the Chicago Cubs called Knapp to tell him he was selected by the club in the eighth round of the Major League Baseball draft. This all happened as Knapp exhausted his final season of collegiate eligibility.

Hollywood could not have written a better script without it being declared a pure fantasy.

Knapp was the fourth Tar Heels player to be selected on Monday. He will join outfielder Kane Kepley as rookies in the Cubs organization. Kepley was drafted on Sunday night.

Knapp, a consensus All-American, went a perfect 14-0 in 2025 as the Tar Heels won all 15 of his starts. He maintained a low 2.02 ERA through 102.1 innings. His ERA was the fourth lowest of any starting pitcher in the country.

He also had a very good walks to hits per inning ratio. He had 88 strikeouts to only 16 walks. He almost set a new program record for WHIP. He came .03 percent short.

Knapp is more of a finesse pitcher who won't throw the fastball by too many batters. His lack of a high velocity, coupled with the fact he is older than the average rookie, might have made teams shy away from him early on in the draft.

He was the 241st pick of the draft and is slotted to earn a signing bonus of $225,400. The amazing thing about Knapp was how he bounced back after the UCL surgery aka Tommy John. He did not just pitch well, he dominated.

The Greensboro, North Carolina native seemed to build up more stamina as the season grew older. He made it through the seventh inning in his last five starts. He also tossed a complete game gem against the Florida State Seminoles in the last series of the ACC regular season. He also went into the ninth inning against Holy Cross in the first game of the Regionals. His 119-pitch effort was the longest postseason outing by a Tar Heels hurler since 2013.

Knapp is listed at 6-foot-5 and weights 270 pounds. He served as team captain for the Tar Heels who went to the Super Regionals in 2025 and were just short of another trip to the College World Series in Omaha.

Please make sure you follow us today on our Facebook page when you click right here!