The Chicago Cubs made a notable selection in the eighth round of Major League Baseball's 2022 amateur draft on Monday, choosing right-hander Mason McGwire from Capistrano Valley High School in California with pick No. 233.
Mason, for those wondering, is the son of longtime slugger Mark McGwire, who terrorized the Cubs for a number of years as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals.
The younger McGwire is a 6-foot-4 pitcher who, according to Perfect Game, has had his fastball clocked up to 92 mph while showcasing an "outstanding" splitter. The Cubs are presumably banking on McGwire adding more velocity as he matures and fills out physically. They'll have to sign him away from an Oklahoma commitment.
The elder McGwire, by the way, homered 583 times and posted a 163 OPS+ over the course of a 16-year big-league career that saw him also suit up for the Oakland Athletics. He made 12 All-Star Games and at one point served as the all-time single-season home-run king after launching 70 during the 1998 campaign.
This draft has been full of legacy players, including at the top. The Baltimore Orioles selected Jackson Holliday, the son of Matt Holliday; the Arizona Diamondbacks chose Druw Jones, the son of Andruw Jones; and the Philadelphia Phillies picked Justin Crawford, the son of Carl Crawford. Additionally, the son of Lou Collier, Cam, was selected in the first round, while Robert, the son of Kansas City Royals executive Dayton Moore, was chosen later in the draft by the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Cubs have made a habit out of selecting pitchers in this draft. Eight of their first nine selections have been arms, including both first-round pick Cade Horton (from Oklahoma, fittingly) and second-rounder Jackson Ferris, a prep lefty from IMG Academy.
