The 2025 MLB Draft starts tonight at 5 p.m. CT with rounds 1 through 3. The Nationals are on the clock. The Cubs have the 17th pick of the first round. You can watch the draft on MLB Network or the first round on ESPN. The draft will also be available for free streaming at MLB.com and MLB.tv.

The Cubs selected three players with Alabama ties, including Crimson Tide pitcher Kade Snell and Troy pitcher Noah Edders.

Dan Kantrovitz, the Cubs’ vice president of scouting, saw an uptick in text messages from scouts when Chicago was facing Houston last month at Daikin Park. For one night, the collective work of the Cubs’ scouting department was in the spotlight.

Kepley was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the second round of the draft at No. 56 overall, being the second Tar Heel to be drafted on Sunday night. He joins catcher Luke Stevenson who was taken by the Seattle Mariners.