Getting to Know Cubs Draft Pick: Cameron Sisneros |
Day three of the MLB draft is often the most overlooked day for a variety of reasons. The biggest reason is that most of the players selected on day three never make it to the bigs and are considered Minor League Depth options at best. The second reason is that a large portion of these players never even sign their deals as they feel they have an opportunity to better their draft stock by returning to school.
The Cubs didn't have that problem this season, as all 20 of their draft picks, including their 10 day three picks, signed their rookie deals. That included one of their only position players on day three, East Tennessee University 1B Cameron Sisneros, who fills another position of need for this team. When you look at the current construction of the Cubs roster and how things fall throughout the organization, first and third base seems to have the biggest question marks. However, with Michael Busch playing as well as he has as a rookie and the Cubs trading for Isaac Paredes on Sunday, those positions don't appear to have as big of a need anymore. Sisneros has plenty of upside, but this is more of a depth play with the hopes of him turning into something more. At 6-2 and 230 pounds, Sisneros is your typical first base power hitter and provides the power from the left side. That is another thing this current Cubs roster lacks, so any additional power from the left side is a massive thing for the future. Whenever you look back at the MLB draft, it is incredible how many players put up great numbers in college and often get overlooked because of the schools they come from. Sisneros is one of those players, as he put up video game-like numbers this season and did so on a small program, so there are few teams that took notice of him. When you look at his overall line, it is amazing that no one noticed his potential sooner, especially when you consider that he fell to No. 422 overall. This past season, Sisneros slashed .369/.493/.766, which was nearly a carbon copy of what he did in 2023. He added 23 homers to that slash line in 56 games, making him one of the premier power hitters on the collegiate circuit this past season. Along with the high average and great power numbers, Sisneros also displayed one of the best eyes in the game. He walked 49 times and only struck out 20. I don't care what level of baseball you play. Anytime you walk nearly three times more than you strike out, you are doing something well, and Sisneros isn't afraid to take a walk. When compared to many of the Cubs' other picks for position players, you immediately notice that he has many of the same qualities. The Cubs had a plan of attack and executed it. He makes hard contact, does it with a less than 10% whiff rate, and mages the strike zone with a below 12% chase rate. His exit velocity of 105.5 off the bat ranks in the 90 percentile, as Sisnaros can flat-out rake. When the Cubs entered this so-called rebuild, mini-rebuild, or whatever you want to call it, they made it a point to get rid of the high-strikeout, high-power case and replace them with high-contact, low-power guys. That approach will work in short increments, but you can't consistently win baseball games without power in their lineup. Looking at the draft this season, the Cubs continued to focus on high-contact guys who can also provide plenty of power. In other words, it's the best of both worlds, as the Cubs would love to have a lineup mixed with power and contact. While no one is expecting Sisneros to be knocking on the MLB door soon, if ever, there is a high probability that he could be a great minor-league player. He will produce consistently with the best of them by offering some of the best plate discipline in the game. The Cubs hope this is one of those depth picks that turn into gold as they execute their pre-draft plans to perfection. Cubs take first baseman Cameron Sisneros. He showed a lot of the same batted ball qualities of their other picks this year with strong contact (IZ-Whiff% <10%, incredible lack of chase% (12%) and good EV (105.5 mph 90th%)
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