Three years after graduating from Saugerties High School, Ethan Conrad has gone from an Ulster County high school standout to one of the top prospects in the Chicago Cubs organization.

The 22-year-old outfielder was selected by the Cubs with the 17th overall pick in the 2025 Major League Baseball draft and signed for a reported $3,563,100 bonus.

Despite an earlier collegiate injury, Conrad continues his climb through the Cubs’ minor-league system as the kind of prospect that has made his rapid rise worth watching closely. MLB Pipeline currently ranks Conrad among the Cubs’ top prospects.

His professional career began with the Cubs’ Arizona spring training facility. After getting his feet underneath him out west, Conrad was promoted to the Low-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, where he continued to make an impression. Conrad recently earned another promotion, this time to High-A affiliate the South Bend Cubs, continuing his rapid climb through the Cubs’ system.

In a matter of weeks, he has gone from Arizona to South Carolina to Indiana, each time getting closer, both professionally and geographically, to Chicago.

But long before the Cubs selected Conrad in the first round, another baseball organization was taking notice. Tony Rossi, the legendary Siena baseball coach who spent 54 seasons at the school, had reached out to Wake Forest with a suggestion: Keep an eye on this kid.

At the time, Conrad was playing at Marist and spending his summer in the New York Collegiate League. If Conrad entered the transfer portal, Rossi believed, Wake Forest should be interested.

“We went up to see him play in summer baseball,” said Tom Walter, Conrad’s former head coach at Wake Forest. “Tony Rossi at Siena had sent us a message and said that Ethan was definitely somebody that, if he went in the portal, we should be interested.”

Wake Forest contacted the coaches at Marist, who had nothing but positive things to say about Conrad. Then the Wake Forest staff went to watch him play. “We went up and saw him play in the New York Collegiate League up there and obviously fell in love with him,” Walter said.

What Wake Forest saw was a big-bodied outfielder with an unusual combination of size, speed, power and feel for hitting.

Conrad, listed at roughly 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds, eventually transferred to Wake Forest for his junior season and stepped into the Atlantic Coast Conference, one of the most competitive conferences in college baseball.

The adjustment did not come without some bumps. “When we saw him the first weekend that he was at Wake, he struggled,” Walter said. “He didn’t look good. His batting practice wasn’t great, and he didn’t play well the first weekend. And then after that, he was the best player on the field."

That became part of Conrad’s reputation at Wake Forest.

“He gets it done in the games,” Walter said. “He’s a gamer, and the bigger the moment, the better he performs.”

Conrad had already established himself as one of the most productive hitters in Marist history. As a sophomore in 2024, he hit .389 and led NCAA Division I baseball with 13 triples. He set single-season triple records and established an NCAA record by hitting four triples in one game. He was named First Team All-MAAC and to the MAAC All-Championship Team.

Over two seasons at Marist, Conrad hit .359 with 12 home runs, 84 RBIs, 90 runs scored, 27 doubles, 15 triples and 38 stolen bases in 103 games.

At Wake Forest, his talent translated. The evaluation from his former coach was straightforward. “He’s definitely a four-tool player,” Walter said. “His arm is probably average, but getting better. The other four tools are all plus.”

Conrad played centerfield for the Demon Deacons and showed enough athleticism to handle the position. His coach believes he can play all three outfield spots professionally.

“He played centerfield for us, and I do think he can play centerfield,” Walter said. “In the major leagues, maybe he’s a leftfielder, but again, he can play any of the three outfield positions.”

What makes Conrad particularly intriguing is that his size does not limit his athleticism. “For somebody his size to run like he does and play defense like he does, and use the whole field like he does, that’s really impressive,” Walter said. “He can get on the backside of the field really well, and he’s got pull-side power as well as staying on the backside.”

And there was more than talent. Conrad developed a reputation for his work ethic, spending time in the weight room and continuing to work in the batting cage before and after scheduled practices.

“His work ethic is fantastic,” Walter said. “He works really hard in the weight room, cares about his teammates and his team, and shows up every day. He hits early, hits late. In addition to being super talented, he’s also a grinder.”

The Chicago Cubs selected Conrad 17th overall, making him the first former Marist player ever chosen in the first round of the MLB Draft. Conrad hit .412 during a brief stint in the Arizona Complex League before moving on to Myrtle Beach. After his time with the Pelicans, the Cubs promoted him to South Bend, another step in a professional career that has moved quickly despite the injuries that interrupted his college and professional starts.

Conrad is represented by Boras Corporation, the agency founded by Scott Boras, one of the most prominent agents in Major League Baseball.

For the Hudson Valley, Conrad’s emergence adds another name to a region with a history of producing professional baseball players.

1984 Kingston High School graduate Joe Ausanio reached the major leagues with the New York Yankees after being selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the 1988 draft. He appeared in 41 games for New York during the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Another Kingston product, Zack Short, was selected by the Cubs in the 17th round of the 2016 draft. Short reached the majors with the Detroit Tigers in 2021 and has continued his professional career with several organizations.

As for Conrad, his former Wake Forest coach wasn’t surprised when the Cubs called his name in the first round.

“No, he was a first-round talent,” Walter said. “That was pretty obvious. He’s got all the tools.”

Now, Conrad is writing the newest chapter in that Hudson Valley baseball tradition — and, if his rapid rise through the Cubs’ system is any indication, there may be plenty more chapters to come.