MOD: Cubs

What I do expect is that, after the first round, we may see a more 2007-position focused draft than the 2008 pitching focused draft. Me personally, I’d like to see more power prospects, starting pitching and hitting. There are some raw power hitters, but I’d like to see more.

You could go with almost any position besides 2nd and be fine (well, catcher is probably not a high priority, I imagine we’ll grab one, but probably not top 3 round). Considering this is Wilken, toolsiness would rank high. He also has had a track record before of going after middle infield talent, and shortstop is a need. Noted Cubs minor league guy, AzPhil, has suggested there’s a shot that Hak-ju Lee outgrows short, leaving us with Starlin and Darwin basically. Here’s hoping Lee/Watkins can stick at short, though.

That said, one factor to consider would be how the lower level stacks, as it’s somewhat unrealistic to expect guys to move that fast. To that extent, maybe they wait on shortstop. I think it’s a position that will get pondered, but Castro could be in A ball in 2010, and Lee/Watkins could get a shot in Low A, along with Matheus. In that respect, I’d guess that a toolsy CF might be in the offering relatively early in the draft. There’s Ja Hoon Ha, Francisco Guzman, Cliff Andersen. I’ve got doubts that Jon Wyatt will stick around. Campana/Rundle could be in the mix, but Rundle is better at a corner. Someone to work in at Boise/Peoria this year and start 2010 in Peoria may be a thought. I’d like a toolsy guy, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we went after a “sparkplug” Campana type.

Any way you go positionally would probably be a fair guess right now, though. I’ll guess 1 pitcher and 2 positional players in the first 3 rounds, probably at least 2/3 as college guys. Based on last year, Wilken would probably target fairly athletic pitchers as well, particularly after the first. If a lefty arm is there, it could be a thought, as we went heavy right handed last year.

Bleh, a lot of random thoughts as of now.

But if you want some realism in your draft, the Cubs have a tendency to draft three types of guys…

1) Athletes; namely guys who can play multiple positions. Two way players will get a lot of attention. In this draft, someone like Brooks Raley fits that bill.
2) Bloodlines. The Cubs have a tendency to draft guys who come from baseball families. Recent examples include Jared Lansford and Casey Coleman. I don’t know who in this draft comes from baseball families, but it’d be worth researching.
3) Former Cubs draft picks. The Cubs are not afraid of re-drafting the same player. They did it was Cashner last season. Alex Wilson could be an option in the first or second round.

Also, it seems the Cubs focus a lot more on college players than on high school guys. Last year they took only one HS player in the first 20 rounds (Cerda).

My Top Five Choices @ #31:
1. Brody Colvin, Louisiana HS
2. Garrett Gould, Kansas HS
3. Trayce Thompson, California HS
4. Jiovanni Mier, California HS
5. Daniel Fields, Michigan HS

Wilken’s Probable Top Five Choices @ #31:
1. Tim Wheeler, Sac State (Not likely to be there)
2. Andrew Oliver, Oklahoma State
3. AJ Pollock, Notre Dame
4. Kyle Heckathorn, Kennesaw State
5t. Rich Poythress, Georgia
5t. Chris Dominguez, Louisville

Obviously if either Donovan Tate or Jacob Turner slide because of signability concerns, I’d think about taking them. I don’t think they’ll get past New York, Boston and LA if they fall. One of the three will pay them.

My Top Ten @ #79:
1. Daniel Fields, Michigan HS
2. Chris Dominguez, Louisville
3. Austin Maddox, Florida HS
4. Robert Stock, Southern California
5. Luke Bailey, Georgia HS
6. Michael Heller, Florida HS
7. Alex Wilson, Texas A&M
8. Brad Stillings, Kent State
9. DJ LeMahieu, Louisiana State
10. David Renfroe, Mississippi HS

Ten Names Tim Wilken Would Take @ #79:
1. Jason Kipnis, Arizona State
2. Chris Dominguez, Louisville
3. Brad Stillings, Kent State
4. Robert Stock, Southern California
5. Alex Wilson, Texas A&M
6. Victor Black, Dallas Baptist
7. Chad Jenkins, Kennesaw State
8. Matt Den Dekker, Florida
9. Daniel Fields, SS (Michigan HS)
10. Aaron Miller, Baylor

Who will be left is anybody’s idea. Wilken is not afraid of taking a guy two rounds early if its a guy he likes. If any of the above are still around, for the third pick, theyd be ahead of the next ten names, one would assume: (listed alphabetically)

10 Names for me @ 109:
Khris Davis, Cal State Fullerton
Blake Dean, Louisiana State
Scooter Gennett, Florida HS
David Hale, Princeton
Jeff Inman, Stanford
Tyler Lyons, Oklahoma State
Devan Marrero, Florida HS
Ruben Sierra Jr, Puerto Rico HS
Jonathan Singleton, California HS
Matt Thomson, San Diego

10 Names for Wilken @ 109:
Ryan Berry, Rice
Scott Bittle, Mississippi
Khris Davis, Cal State Fullerton
Dustin Dickerson, Baylor
Scooter Gennett, Florida HS
Jeff Inman, Stanford
DJ LeMahieu, Louisiana State
Jake Locker, Washington (We need TD passes to Samardzija)
Devan Marrero, Florida HS
Ben Paulsen, Clemson

More and more, I don’t think I’d be against Alex Wilson with our first rounder, and I also think that’s a strong possibility for Wilken.