Lamar University senior pitcher Brooks Caple has been selected by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the 2024 MLB Amateur Player Draft. He was taken with the 272nd overall pick.
A 2024 Third-Team Baseball America All-American selection, Caple becomes the 90th Lamar Cardinal to be drafted by an MLB franchise. The Cardinals have now had two players drafted and four more sign free agent deals since 2020 when the daft was officially trimmed from 42 rounds down to 20 following the COVID pandemic.
Caple becomes the eighth Cardinal drafted by the Cubs and the first since Scott Meyer in 2007.
Caple’s selection marks the second consecutive year a Cardinal has been drafted (last season catcher Ryan Snell was taken in the seventh round by the Washington Nationals), which is the first time since the 2017 and 2018 seasons that at least one Cardinal has been taken in consecutive drafts.
The Gunter, Texas native was a two-time All-Southland Conference pitcher who closed out his collegiate career earning SLC Pitcher of the Year honors and leading Lamar to its first conference regular season-title since 2004. During his two seasons on campus, Caple posted a 12-3 overall record with 152 strikeouts (to just 43 walks) in 157.0 innings pitched. He posted a 2.69 career earned run average with a 0.97 WHIP while holding opponents to a .193 batting average.
Voted the Southland’s top pitcher, Caple posted a 7-3 (.700) record with a 2.40 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP in 2024. Leading the Cardinals to a Southland regular-season title and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference tournament, Caple struck out 102 batters (to just 27 walks) while holding opponents to a .170 batting average.
Also a standout in the classroom earning 2024 SLC Student-Athlete of the Year honors, Caple led the Southland in ERA, games started, innings pitched and batters struck out looking, and finished second in the league in wins (to teammate Jacob Ellis), strikeouts and opponent’s batting average this past season.
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