Myles Bailey was supposed to be a top-100 pick before he ever got hurt. Instead, the Florida State first baseman slid awkwardly into second base during a 12-11 win over Duke back in March, tore up his ankle, and needed surgery that ended his sophomore season on the spot. That's the kind of injury that scares scouts off. It didn't scare the Cubs.
Chicago grabbed Bailey with the No. 75 overall pick, a supplemental second-round selection the club got as compensation for losing Kyle Tucker in free agency. It's a fitting bit of symmetry: lose your superstar outfielder, use the return pick on a guy who was outslugging almost everyone in the entire draft class before his leg gave out.
Jim Callis broke down the numbers on Bailey's deal and the season that got him there.
The stat line Callis flagged is absurd for a guy who didn't even finish the year: 13 home runs and a .913 slugging percentage in just 26 games this spring. Before the injury, Bailey was hitting .351 with 12 homers and 31 RBIs, numbers that had him squarely in the top-100 prospect conversation as a draft-eligible sophomore. At 6-4, 257 pounds, he's built like a masher, but scouts kept coming back to how athletic he is for that frame — not just a slugger, someone who can actually move.
That combination of pop and mobility is exactly why the Cubs didn't blink at the medicals. Slot value at pick 75 was $1,120,900, and Chicago blew past it to lock Bailey up for $1.9 million, a clear overslot bet that the power is real and the ankle heals fine. It's the kind of money teams pay when they think they're getting first-round talent at second-round price because of one bad slide.
For a Cubs system that's been stacking corner power the last few draft cycles, Bailey slots in as a long-term bat-first prospect who won't sniff the field again until he's fully healthy, likely not before instructional league or next spring. There's no rush. The bet was made on the swing, not the timeline, and if the power translates the way Florida State saw it in those 26 games, $1.9 million ends up looking like a discount.