Chicago Cubs Draft Review

I’m cautiously optimistic about this draft class, it was good to gnab Gibbs, having someone to push Soto is important. I hope Mr. Simpson is an impact pitcher. Does anyone have an ETA for the young man?

My initial reaction is underwhelmed, but intrigued.

Andy Seiler had it half right, I think. Tim Wilken and the Cubs have specific molds for players they want to draft. Coming into this draft, they had a plan and they stuck to it. I don’t think Wilken ever drafts defensively (i.e. “We have to take X player because he won’t be there when our next pick comes around”). Where I don’t think he was right was I think the Cubs’ FO legitimately thought these guys were the best players available at the time as far as their specific molds were concerned. They did not care what other teams thought about the guys they drafted.

Like any draft, it will come down to who the Cubs sign. As it stands for now, a lot of these guys have very intriguing upsides, enough so that I get a sneaking suspicion this draft will turn out to be a lot better than I currently think it is. Cautiously pessimistic would be the way I describe how I feel about this draft, if that makes any sense. I don’t like it, but I could easily be proven wrong.

is a legit prospect. I’m surprised at his lack of pub considering he’s the #1 overall pick’s brother as well as a loose lefty who hits 92 with his fastball. There’s a ton of upside there.

I think he, Wells, and Hartman are the high upside potential starting pitchers…

I know this draft is getting bashed in many places, but I’m okay with it. I don’t love it, but I don’t hate it.

As mrkupe noted (paraphrasing) in another thread, baseball scouting is difficult, particularly with pitchers, because what you see one day might not be what’s there the next time. In Simpson, we know what the Cubs saw – 92-97, 4 average to plus pitches, relatively clean mechanics, good makeup. We also know what other teams saw, probably around mid-season – low 90’s on the fastball. He did bounce back late in the year and have a bit more life on his fastball in that one start, but for one reason or another, he lost a little velo as the season wore on. Reportedly, this wasn’t a big issue last year, so who knows what the situation is. The Cubs saw respected scout Tom Kotchman there, and with the Angels number of picks, were supposedly worried.

Doesn’t mean the Cubs are right, but I’m fine with the gamble. I wasn’t high on the other college arms in that range, and I don’t think Simpson’s arsenal is all that different. If the Cubs believe in what they saw, then I’m okay with it. At the end of the day, the one thing a team should do is trust its instincts. Just to be clear, I was sort of rooting for Justin O’Conner there, and a couple other HS bats intrigued me (although in Josh Sale’s case, I felt that to be quite unlikely as a Cubs option). I preferred a bat (although there were some that were picked in the immediate aftermath that I didn’t really care for) because I thought the system’s pitching was on better footing, but the Cubs, by all accounts, took BPA on their board, and if they believed in what they saw in Simpson.

I’ve been wishing for the Cubs to take some upside gambles, and I can’t complain about Golden. I understand, big risk, and Keith Law said Wendell Fairley when asked about him. But that’s okay. The team needs to take some risks, particularly with positional upside. I liked the Gibbs pick. The Cubs catching depth in the system is a bit iffy, and Gibbs probably becomes their 1st or 2nd best catching prospect right away.

My favorite pick in the draft is another one that seems to have gotten heat from some notable draft folks. I loved the Ben Wells pick. Sure, I have some concerns if he can maintain velocity, but the kid added a couple inches and 10 pounds or so during this past year. That very well could explain the velocity development (physical maturation). Solid breaking ball and a solid feel for the change (some have it as a splitter). He’s a big boy, who likely will fill out a bit more.

I really can’t complain about most of the arms selected. I hope we can get the HS arms signed. Most of them sound intriguing. Hartman, in particular, but Richardson, Reed, Cox all fascinate. More than likely, if we can get a couple of them signed, that will be good. Kurcz feels like he could move fast, if he signs, and same goes for Jokisch. IIRC, Matt Loosen was fairly solid in 2009, but struggled in 2010. I’m assuming the Cubs will get Ackerman signed – hard to imagine they made that pick without knowing what it would take. I’m intrigued with Greathouse (who has signed), as he could add a tick or two to the fastball to pair with his plus curve. Mechanics don’t look hot, though. I’ve got Zeller and Rice as guys that can run it in the mid-90’s, and mid-90’s is mid-90’s. Very curious if the Cubs could get Rhoderick, Harper, Stites, and Pinckard signed. All three seem like guys who could do much better next year.

I’m pleased with the arms we picked. My problem is that the organization’s positional depth is a bit iffy, IMO, and we really could use some guys to start developing to potentially help in the future. I mean, Dustin Geiger was one of the more fascinating kids, and he seems set for college. The focus on up-the-middle means a lot of guys who don’t have pop, and that’s a concern in the system. Karsten Strieby intrigues me, but it sounds like he’s headed for another year of school. I am intrigued about Dustin Harrington, though.

The Cubs draft their mold. I’m okay with that. I like the athletic pitcher. I like drafting up the middle. I’m a bit more excited about this draft in the immediate aftermath than I was after 2009, but while I like the arms, the fact that there were so few potential impact bats selected is a bit troublesome when the system could really use some guys.