The Cubs’ first round draft pick will draw the headlines, most of the analysis, and an extreme amount of criticism and praise. At the end of the day, though, it will all boil down to this: the Cubs are going to draft a very good prospect in the first round. No matter which way they go, they are getting a good one.
Round Two, on the other hand, is where the amateur scouts will really start to earn their paychecks. The Cubs second round pick last year, Duane Underwood, did not come until pick number 67. That actually means last year’s first supplemental pick (Pierce Johnson, No. 43) is probably a better comparison for the Cubs second round pick this year (No. 41). And just like they did with Johnson, I expect the Cubs to draft a college pitcher in this slot.
Which one? That gets harder. There will be a lot to choose from. If we use Baseball America’s Top 250 draft prospects as a guideline you will quickly see what I mean. Because of the high level of uncertainty in baseball’s amateur draft, we need to look at a wide range of players for candidates who could be on the board at No. 41. If we consider everyone from No. 31 to No. 51 on that list, we have a catch of potential draftees that includes 12 college pitchers. That rich a crop in the range of the Cubs second round pick just reinforces my suspicion that college arm is the direction the Cubs will be taking with that pick.
As for Round Three? That gets trickier still. With the possible exception of Byant in the first round I think the Cubs will call a steady string of pitcher names through the early rounds of the draft. I suspect Round Three will go to the best high school arm on the board, but another college arm would not be too surprising. Â And you never know, they might surprise us with a bat in that slot. That’s part of the beauty of the draft. It’s like Christmas every round.
[Iowa] Brian Bogusevic homered for the third straight game, and he also walked three times. Right now he is about as hot as it is possible to be.
[Iowa] Brett Jackson tripled (his third), but he also struck out twice. That is only his second multi-strike out game in a week. After 24 Ks in 19 games in April he has just 10 in 13 games in May. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a transformation like this (assuming he can keep it up, of course).
[Iowa] Casey Coleman padded his resume a bit with three innings of two hit relief.
[Daytona] Javier Baez doubled. Jorge Soler singled and walked twice. Neither struck out.
[Daytona] John Andreoli had a three hit game for the Cubs. Dustin Geiger doubled as part of his two hit outing.
[Kane County] The long awaited Albert Almora Kane County debut did not disappoint. Almora finished 3 for 4 with a double.
[Kane County] Gioskar Amaya tripled again. That is his second in three games. Last year triples were a big part of his game (he finished with 12). He is up to four already this season.
Other News
Is Bogusevic for real, or is he another LaHair style illusion? You can make a strong case for this being a bit of an illusion. Even though his walk rate (14.5%) and strikeout rate (17.6%) are both quite good, and despite his OPS of 1.064 being the highest he has posted since he spent part of the 2008 season in the Texas League, there is one number that just sticks out. Bogusevic currently has a BABIP of .442. That is over a hundred points higher than his career average. The odds of him maintaining this level of production is slim to none. Even so, I think the Cubs could do a lot worse than Bogusevic as a platoon guy or fourth outfielder in Chicago. He should get that chance when the Cubs start dealing outfielders later this summer.
The Tennessee Smokies are hosting a Peanut Free night at Smokies Park tonight. I think this is one of the smartest promotions in the minors. Peanut allergies are no joke, but for at least one night those who aren’t too allergic can hopefully relax a little in the stadium. Those in attendance should get to see Kyle Hendricks pitch. Lately he has been one of the pitchers to watch.
Rock Shoulders is hitting just .219 in May, but thanks in part to a high walk rate he still has an OPS of .787 for the month. He walked twice in this game, and five times over his last two contests.
Happy Mother's Day to the mothers among you, and to the mothers in my life! I'll be doing some extra family stuff today, so I'm gonna cruise through these Bullets ... Up front, because this was certainly the thing most...
The Sunday TBD has been D'd, and it's going to be Kyle Hendricks coming back an outing early. Instead of making another rehab start at Iowa, Hendricks is going to be activated from the IL to rejoin the rotation tomorrow:...
The Cubs came within 90 feet of keeping that ridiculous game going. No dice. Stupid game. Early on, it just kinda seemed like the Cubs might lose a perfectly normal - bad, but normal - game. Justin Steele did not...
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Today the Chicago Cubs placed reliever Yency Almonte on the Injured List with a right shoulder strain. Jose Cuas has been recalled from Iowa to take his place in the bullpen. Almonte, together with Mark Leiter Jr., had been performing...
How did I not know that the Aurora Borealis was going to be visible last night?!?!? I woke up this morning to all these awesome pictures from friends and other people in the area, and I'm MISERABLE ABOUT IT. With...
In 2015, Kyle Schwarber hit a monster home run onto the top of the right field scoreboard at Wrigley Field, where it stayed for the remainder of the postseason. Watching the game live, I remember thinking "Dang, he got all...
Usually, I like to use this space to celebrate a great game from a top Cubs prospect, but sometimes, it's important to note when the other thing happens. Last night, Cade Horton had his very first really bad start. He...
Although I'm sure Craig Counsell would've preferred not to have to use Ben Brown today, just in case Jameson Taillon can't go on Sunday. But *if* you were going to have to use Brown today, that was an absolute best-case...
Brief Delay: https://twitter.com/Pirates/status/1789062764675150018 CUBS LINEUP — In case you missed the good news/bad news report, Seiya Suzuki is BACK, but Dansby Swanson is on the injured list. The Cubs simply cannot catch an injury break this season, it's really wild....
Player props are listed for Pascal Siakam and Jalen Brunson, among others, when the Indiana Pacers host the New York Knicks at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday at 3:30 PM ET.How to Watch Pacers vs. KnicksDate: Sunday, May 12, 2024Time: 3:30...
After winning their past four games, the Atlanta Braves (24-12) visit the New York Mets (18-20) at Citi Field on Sunday at 7:10 PM ET.The Braves will call on Bryce Elder (1-1) against the Mets and Luis Severino (2-2).Braves vs....
The oddsmakers give the edge to the Colorado Avalanche on home ice (-135) over the Dallas Stars (+114) when they play on Monday, May 13 at 9:30 PM ET.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Avalanche vs. Stars Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Avalanche (-135)Underdog:...
The Carolina Hurricanes are slight favorites (-118) versus the New York Rangers (-102) on Monday at 7:00 PM ET, at Madison Square Garden.Watch the NHL on Fubo!Hurricanes vs. Rangers Favorite, Moneyline, TotalFavorite: Hurricanes (-118)Underdog: Rangers (-102)Total: 5.5Best Hurricanes vs. Rangers...
Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful moms out there. My sons are incredibly fortunate to have a great mom and two wonderful grandmas still in their lives. We hear Blackhawks players talk about hot much they appreciate their...
Happy Mother's Day to the mothers among you, and to the mothers in my life! I'll be doing some extra family stuff today, so I'm gonna cruise through these Bullets ... Up front, because this was certainly the thing most...
Two of the league's top power hitters meet Sunday when the Seattle Mariners (21-19) and Oakland Athletics (19-22) take the field at 4:10 PM ET, live on NBCS-CA. Caleb Raleigh has 10 home runs for the Mariners (-240 favorites on...
Jo Adell leads the Los Angeles Angels (15-25) into Sunday's matchup with the Kansas City Royals (24-17) on a two-game homer streak. His Angels are underdogs for the contest, however, with bookmakers naming the Royals as -136 moneyline favorites. The...
The Los Angeles Dodgers (27-14) visit the San Diego Padres (21-21) at 4:10 PM ET Sunday in a meeting between two of the league's best hitters. Shohei Ohtani is batting .352 this year (second in the league) for the favored...
The San Francisco Giants (18-23) and the Cincinnati Reds (17-22) meet in the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday at 4:05 PM ET. The Giants are -131 favorites on the moneyline to win the series over the Reds...
NEWSLETTER
The Cubs’ first round draft pick will draw the headlines, most of the analysis, and an extreme amount of criticism and praise. At the end of the day, though, it will all boil down to this: the Cubs are going to draft a very good prospect in the first round. No matter which way they go, they are getting a good one.
