Nearly a year after the Chicago Cubs selected Ethan Conrad with their first-round pick, the talented outfield prospect is ready to make his debut in affiliated ball. The 22-year-old had a back issue that delayed the start to his 2026 season, but after a week playing in the Arizona Complex League, Conrad has officially been promoted to A-Ball with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans.
Conrad played only 21 games at Wake Forest in 2025, but despite the limited playing time and a season-ending shoulder injury, the Cubs picked him 17th overall. Leading up to Opening Day this year, the Cubs announced that Conrad had a lower back issue that would keep him out of action for at least a month. Well, that turned into nearly half the year, as Conrad didn’t make his pro debut until June 30 in the Complex League.
It didn’t take long for Conrad to knock off the rust, as the left-handed hitting outfielder collected two hits in his first game in Arizona. He went 7-for-17 with a home run and a double in five games, which was more than enough for the Cubs to move him up to Myrtle Beach.
Conrad was considered one of the best college bats when the Cubs grabbed him with the 17th pick in 2025, and despite missing the minor league season due to a shoulder injury, he remained one of the team’s top prospects to begin the 2026 season. He is currently ranked No. 4 in Chicago’s farm system according to MLB Pipeline.
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Via MLB.com.
Using a simple left-handed swing and gap-to-gap approach, Conrad makes repeated hard contact. He can get a bit aggressive at times but compensates with outstanding hand-eye coordination and almost never misses a fastball. At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, he has the strength and solid bat speed to generate at least average power, though he’ll need to elevate more balls to his pull side to do so.
Conrad has solid speed and likes to make things happen on the bases. He spent most of his sophomore season at first base before playing right field on the Cape and center field at Wake. An average defender in center who probably fits better in right, he has average arm strength.
In 97 plate appearances during his final year in college, Conrad hit seven home runs with a slash line of .372/.495/.744. During his time with the Cape Cod League in 2024, Conrad slashed .385/.433/.486 over 29 games.
He projects as a corner outfielder and is expected to fly up the Cubs’ minor league system, making him a potential candidate to replace either Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki in the future.
