The Chicago Cubs selected 29 more players yesterday on the second day of the 2010 draft, and as with their first round pick, very few of them were on the prognosticators’ radars. Given the overall depth of talent in this year’s draft class (that is to say, the lack of depth), taking a number of unknowns was probably always going to happen. Still, you’d like to have seen a few more picks in their first ten that turn your head.
Speaking of those first ten picks, here are some capsules on picks 2 through 9:
Round 2: Reggie Golden, CF, Wetumpka (Ala.) High School
Golden is raw and toolsy high school outfielder with speed and power. He finished his high school career with 36 home runs, 156 RBIs and 146 runs. He did sign with the University of Alabama. More than 100 friends and family gathered at the Wetumpka Civic Center on Monday, thinking he might be picked in the first round. Baseball coach Ray Mullino, with the help of Mayor Jerry Willis, arranged the get-together. “The Draft is something you can’t predict,” Mullino told reporters Monday night.
Round 3: Micah Gibbs, C, LSU
Gibbs hit 100 points higher this year than last season and is an outstanding receiver. A switch-hitter, he hit .388 in 62 games (95-for-245), including 10 home runs, 14 doubles and had 60 RBIs. A native of Pflugerville, Texas, he credits his father, Ben, who was a catcher at Kansas State, with having the greatest influence on his athletic career.
Round 4: Hunter Ackerman, LHP, Louisburg College, N.C.
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound freshman from Midlothian, Va., was 8-1 with a 1.41 ERA in 11 games for Louisburg College. He struck out 92 over 57 2/3 innings while walking 24. His best pitch is his changeup.
Round 5: Matt Szczur, OF, Villanova
A two-sport star in baseball and football, Szczur is a five-tool player. He was the first .400 hitter for Villanova this season since 1997, batting .443 (77-for-174) to earn first-team All-Big East honors. His batting average was fourth highest in school history, and his .392 career average ranks fifth all time for the Wildcats. Baseball America ranked Szczur as the second-fastest runner among all college position players in the Draft and the 19th-best center fielder among all Draft-eligible players.
Round 6: Ivan De Jesus, CF, Cupeyville High School, Puerto Rico
De Jesus was part of a national sub-championship teams at both the 15-under and 16-under levels, batting .474 with 10 home runs as a high school sophomore and .390 with 12 home runs as a junior. His 15-under team qualified for the elite World Series in Kissimmee, Fla., where he hit .450. In his junior year, he also played in the wood-bat Palomino League (19-under), where he hit .377. He bats and throws right-handed and can play both infield and outfield. He is not related to Cubs first-base coach Ivan DeJesus.
Round 7: Benjamin Wells, RHP, Bryant (Ark.) High School
Wells has signed to pitch for Arkansas, getting a full scholarship. That could change. The right-hander led Bryant to its first state championship with a five-inning perfect game at the University of Arkansas’ Baum Stadium. On Monday, he signed with the Razorbacks.
Round 8: Cameron Greathouse, LHP, Gulf Coast (Fla.) Community College
Greathouse was 10-2 with a 3.06 ERA and 131 strikeouts in 88 innings. A sophomore from Columbus, Ga., he also hit .399 in 52 games with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs.
Round 9: Kevin Rhoderick, RHP, Oregon State
Rhoderick is coming off a junior season in which he was named All-Pac-10 Conference Honorable Mention. He was 2-2 with a 3.13 ERA, collecting four saves in 31 2/3 innings. Opponents batted .239 against him while he struck out 35. In three seasons, Rhoderick was 5-6 with a 3.20 ERA and has 25 saves, which ranks him second in school history. He has 100 strikeouts in 81 2/3 innings.
Round 10: Aaron Kurcz, RHP, College of Southern Nevada
Yes, this is the same school as Bryce Harper, the first pick overall in the Draft. Kurcz was 3-3 with 10 saves and a 4.11 ERA in 24 games (one start). He struck out 52 in 35 innings. Opponents hit .225 against him. cubs.com.
Head to that cubs.com article for capsules on picks 11 through 30. Their names, for the record:
11. Eric Jokisch, LHP, Northwestern
12. Austin Reed, RHP, Rancho Cucamonga High School (Calif.)
13. Pierre LePage, 2B, University of Connecticut
14. Colin Richardson, RHP, Winter Haven (Fla.) High School
15. Elliot Soto, SS, Creighton
16. Ryan Hartman, RHP, Mt. Zion (Ill.) High School
17. Steven Brooks, CF, Wake Forest
18. Ronald “Brooks” Pinckard, RHP, Baylor
19. Dustin Fitzgerald, RHP, Hill (Texas) Junior College
20. Ryan Cuneo, 1B, University of Delaware
21. Cody Cox, RHP, Grassfield (Va.) High School
22. Jeff Vigurs, C, Bryant University
23. Matthew Loosen, RHP, Jacksonville University
24. Dustin Geiger, RF, Merritt Island (Fla.) High School
25. Eric Rice, RHP, Palm Beach (Fla.) Community College
26. Danny Muno, SS, Fresno State
27. Bryan Harper, LHP, College of Southern Nevada
28. Joseph Zeller, RHP, The Master’s College (Calif.)
29. Casey Harman, LHP, Clemson
30. Karsten Strieby, 1B, Arizona Western College
The draft wraps up today with rounds 31 through 50.