Cubs Oft-Injured Draft Pick Carries High Risk, High Reward Potential

There is no exact science on how to succeed in the MLB draft, but the Chicago Cubs have done a great job in recent years cracking the code and finding value.

In the early rounds, they have put an emphasis on college positional players and it has paid off. Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ and Nico Hoerner are all recent examples of first-round picks who have turned into excellent MLB contributors.

2024 first-round pick, Cam Smith, looks to be another.

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Used as the centerpiece of the trade package to bring Kyle Tucker to the Cubs from the Houston Astros, the Florida State third baseman has transitioned seamlessly to playing right field and made the Opening Day roster in Tucker’s old spot.

While hitting on early draft picks can help accelerate a rebuild, where a team builds its foundation and depth is in the middle and later rounds.

Identifying and unearthing hidden gems who other teams may have overlooked is what separates the good franchises from great ones.

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Chicago is looking to be a great one and could have found a potential steal with their seventh round pick.

With the No. 211 overall selection, the Cubs selected left-handed pitcher Pierce Coppola out of the University of Florida.

When taking a glance at his statistics, it is fair to wonder what drew Chicago to select him. He threw only 49.1 innings in his collegiate career and had a 5.66 ERA.

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But, the arm talent is what likely drew the Cubs in.

“The 6-foot-8 Coppola was a big deal as an amateur, but threw fewer than 50 innings over three seasons with the Gators because of injury. There's still apparent arm talent here, though it's fair to wonder if his body will cooperate long enough for it to matter. At any rate, I'm OK with the Cubs taking the gamble this deep into the class,” wrote R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports in a piece highlighting his favorite picks made by each franchise after the first round.

In his last season with Florida, the imposing lefty had an impressive 2.53 ERA across 21.1 innings.

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The most intriguing thing about his performance is the eye-catching strikeout numbers.

In 2025, he racked up 43 for an impressive 18.1 K/9 ratio. Coppola registered an 18.4 K/9 while pitching in the Cape Cod League in 2024 and owns an impressive 15.5 ratio for his collegiate career.

If Chicago can find a way to keep him healthy, possibly by transitioning him to the bullpen and lessening the workload, they could have found incredible value with the Florida product, hailing from Verona, New Jersey.

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