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Cubs Predicted to Add 24 Home Run Slugger to Pair With Young Stars

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jon Conahan | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 4:15 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs hold the 17th overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft. The Cubs, seeking more young talent, could take a few different approaches.

Adding another arm is never a bad idea, but the Cubs might look to make a splash and take a college hitter who could potentially make an impact for them in the near future.

The Athletic recently predicted they’d do just that, predicting them to select Gavin Kilen, a shortstop and second baseman out of Wisconsin.

Kilen was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 13th round of the 2022 MLB Draft, but decided to attend college instead.

“The Cubs like college hitters who hit the ball hard and control the zone — well, most teams like those things, to be fair, but their last two first-round picks were exemplars of the type in Matt Shaw and the since-traded Cam Smith. Kilen is very much that flavor of hitter, and in the scenario I’ve laid out here, he’s the last of the top tier of those guys; after that, it’d be players with more questions like Devin Taylor or Mason Neville, at which point I have to think the Cubs would go another direction,” Keith Law wrote.

Throughout his college career, he blasted 24 home runs and hit .323. Kilen posted a 1.112 OPS during the 2025 season for Tennessee, a year after he transferred from the University of Louisville.

He's shown the ability to hit for average, power, and more.

For the Cubs, there's reason to believe he could be the perfect option.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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