NEWSLETTER
The 2012 MLB Draft concludes today with the final 25 rounds. The Cubs pick sixth in each round, and will look to pick up some hidden gems, and less-hidden gems that may have slipped for one reason or another.
The Cubs can sign each pick from here on out for as much as $100K without the bonus counting against their bonus pool, and it’s worth pointing out that $100K isn’t a small amount. Many players in the later rounds just want to play pro baseball, and sign for bonuses as small as $1000. So you can actually get some nice talent in these later rounds if you’re willing to spend $100K, let alone if you’ve saved some pool room earlier in the Draft and can go a little higher. Not every team is willing to spend another $2.5 million on these later 25 rounds. That’s all I’m saying.
Also, Theo/Jed/Jason have repeatedly said that this year’s Draft is a “scouting contest” thanks to the CBA changes, and these are some of the rounds where that will be most true.
Things get underway at 11am CT, and you can listen to a stream at MLB.com.
I’ll have all the picks up here in a timely fashion, maybe with a useful note or two (but no promises – many of these kids are unknowns in the truest sense). Feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments, on the Message Board, on Twitter, and on Facebook. So join in, wherever your preference for chatting might lie.
Away we go, and here are the Cubs’ picks in round order (I’ll be updating as the Draft goes along):
16. Michael Hamann, RHP, University of Toledo (OH) – Another tall righty (6’3″), Hamman could stand to add a little weight to his frame (170 lbs). Pretty weak stats across the board for Hamann, so I’m assuming this is about how he looks.
17. Nathan Dorris, LHP, Southern Illinois U. – A tall lefty this time (again, 6’3″), Dorris had decent collegiate numbers this year (struck out 80 in 82 innings).
18. David Bote, SS, Neosho County CC – A small (5’11”) middle infielder.
19. Damek Tomscha, 3B, Iowa Western CC – Huge numbers at the plate, but you’d hope that a decent prospect at a Juco would do that.
20. Blake Hickman, C, Simeon Career Academy (HS in IL) – A big, young catcher, who’s even got a scouting video at MLB.com. He doubles as a pitcher, as many high schoolers do.
21. Stephen Perakslis, RHP, University of Maine – A shorter (6′) pitcher, Perakslis had mediocre numbers in relatively short outings as a starter this year.
22. Eduardo Orozco, RHP, University of California-Riverside – Another tall righty, Orozco is a fifth year senior, so he’ll be signing.
23. Jake Drossner, LHP, Council Rock HS North (PA) – A high school lefty with decent size (6’1″, 190 lbs).
24. Jameson Fisher, C, Zachary HS (LA) – Another high school catcher. Might the Cubs be trying to steal a high upside catcher with one of these later picks?
25. Rhett Wiseman, CF, Buckingham Browne & Nichols HS (MA) – Well, the Cubs just took a home run swing. Wiseman is the 136th ranked prospect in the Draft according to BA, and is committed to play at Vanderbilt. From MLB.com: “Wiseman made the decision to play baseball at Vanderbilt when he was only 15. Based on where he is drafted, he might not be able to keep that promise. Wiseman has an athletic build and has incredible speed that will profile well in center at the next level. He has power that is created by bat speed, and he gets good loft on the ball. He has some swing-and-miss to his game and has a well-below-average arm, but many think that with some mechanical changes he could fix both of these problems. Wiseman is an excellent student with a great makeup, and if he isn’t picked within the first few rounds, he could end up being a tough sign.” I love the pick, even if the Cubs can’t sign him. No risk in taking a shot. Yesterday, Wiseman said he had set a number that it would take to sign him, and he doesn’t expect teams to meet it.
26. Jasvir Rakkar, RHP, SUNY-Stony Brook – Big righty, mostly a reliever last year. Decent but not spectacular numbers.
27. Tyler Bremer, RHP, Baylor University – A senior who was actually drafted by the Cubs two years ago (36th round). Some area scout must be a big fan. Mostly been a reliever this year, and has decent numbers.
28. Lance Rymel, C, Rogers St. University (OK) – A senior catcher without a ton of pop, but he hit .318 this year and had a .421 OBP. Like that IsoD.
29. Austin Pentecost, RHP, Lewis-Clark State (ID) – A big, senior pitcher. Started this past year, and put up decent numbers.
30. Izaac Garsez, RF, Col of Idaho – A senior outfielder listed as “RF,” so he better have quite a bat. And, a quick look says … holy crap. Yeah. Ridiculous numbers: .389/.467 /.674.
31. Bryan Bonnell, RHP, Centennial HS (NV) – Another big swing by the Cubs? Bonnell doesn’t show up on BA’s top 500 Draft prospects list, but he’s a 6’5″ righty who did show up on BA’s list of top Nevada prospects (number 10 in the state), and he comes complete with a scouting video on MLB.com.
32. Timothy Saunders, SS, Marietta College (OH) – A senior shortstop, Saunders is another player with ridiculously gaudy college numbers: .441/.512/.667. Why not take a chance on college seniors like this, right?
33. Thomas Pannone, OF, Bishop Hendricken School (RI) – A high school outfielder.
34. Christian Botnick, RHP, Notre Dame Catholic SS (ON) – A Canadian 17-year-old for the Cubs. Some scout dug deep on this one.
35. Ben Carhart, 3B, Stetson University (FL) – A me-sized college senior (ok, maybe a little bigger than my 5’8″ – depends on your source), with good, but not perversely good numbers.
36. Sly Edwards, CF, St. Brendan HS (FL) – Another high school center fielder.
37. Clayton Crum, RHP, Howard College (TX) – A Juco pitcher. Looks like a hard-throwing type.
38. Hassan Evans, CF, Herkimer County CC (NY) – Another Juco, this time a center fielder.
39. Rustin Sveum, 3B, Desert Mountain HS (AZ) – Yes, that is Dale’s son. And, yes, the Cubs are being nice. This is just a thing that teams do.
40. Jacob Rogers, 1B, Mt Olive College (NC) – With their final pick in the 2012 Draft, the Cubs take another college senior who put up ridiculous numbers.
That concludes the 2012 MLB Draft. And now we just wait on signing news. The deadline for signing is much earlier this year – it’s July 13.
