When Looking at the Cubs’ 2014 Draft as a Whole, It’s a Pretty Clear Success

2014 mlb draft featureThe MLB Draft is such an enormously important piece of not only a rebuilding process, but also the ongoing health and sustainability of an organization, that the volume of useful information that pours out in the wake of the draft is borderline overwhelming. I’ll do my best to coordinate this first wave over the next few days (no worries, the initial “are they signing?” stuff is coming later today) in a way that’s useful and digestible.

Up first, I wanted simply to take a broad look at the Cubs’ draft, now that we’ve had a little time for the dust to settle. As was fair to expect going into the draft – like I said, this is what these guys do, man – it looks to have been a well-orchestrated, well-executed three days for the Cubs’ front office and scouting crew. You can, and should, judge a draft at three junctures: after the draft, after the signing deadline, and several years down the road. The latter two are of increasing importance, and far outweigh the first. But, here we are, just after the draft, so this is what we have.

Of course we all would have loved to have seen the Cubs get a clear, Kris-Bryant-like, enormous-impact talent in the draft. If that’s the baseline by which you judge a team picking fourth, regardless of the talent pool, then I suppose you would say this draft was not a success. To you I say: buy an umbrella.

That player simply wasn’t going to be there for the Cubs this year, and you could argue that there were only two players like that in the entire draft anyway. Both were off the board by the time the Cubs picked, and, in any case, the Cubs say one of those two – Carlos Rodon – wasn’t ahead of the guy they got at four anyway. For the Cubs, it was Brady Aiken (who went first to the Astros), and then it was the guy they picked.

When the Cubs took IU C/OF Kyle Schwarber with the fourth overall pick, and then followed with Maryland senior pitcher Jake Stinnett in the second round on Thursday, I’ll openly confess that I had just a touch of nervousness. To be clear, I really liked each pick on its own merits (more on Schwarber here, and on Stinnett here), but, because each was pretty likely an “under slot” pick, I had some concerns about the rest of the Cubs’ draft. No, I wasn’t afraid that they were “going cheap” (though I know that was what many folks feared, this is where the Cubs’ organization will *always* spend its marginal dollars) – instead, I was afraid that the Cubs were going to save up so many bullets from the first and second round, and then not be able to use them effectively later in the draft. There was a serious run on quality high school pitchers almost immediately after the Cubs took Stinnett, and I worried that the Cubs’ best-laid plan would be taken out of their hands.

… but I worried for nothing. Clearly, the Cubs had their ducks (and probably back-up ducks, and back-up to the back-up ducks) in a row, and, on Day Two, not only grabbed a quality catcher in the third round (reportedly signing him under slot, too), but went on a run, grabbing three straight high-upside high school pitchers in rounds four through six, another couple upside college arms after that, and then grabbed a whole bunch of over slot types on Day Three. The Cubs will have plenty of opportunities to use their saved bonus pool funds in meaningful ways thanks to their strategy on Days Two and Three, so I am very happy to see how this draft shook out in that regard.

I’ll go over some of the individual picks soon, but, in the interim, if you missed any of the picks, and want a little more on each, check out the draft posts from Day Two (Rounds 3 Through 10) and Day Three (Rounds 11 Through 40).

As for the overall shape of the draft, as it relates to the Cubs’ system, I was also very pleased. You don’t draft for need at the top, but you do like to address the overall health of the organization in the draft as a whole. The Cubs got an impact bat at the top (one that could move fast, and could help the system in the outfield), and got an advanced arm that could move quickly. The Cubs also got some potential long-term impact arms, something you can never have too much of (and something the Cubs obviously need). Lastly, the Cubs made sure to get a true catching prospect in Mark Zagunis, and then also draft a ton of potential catching options in bulk later in the draft. Not all of them will sign, but the Cubs have at least given themselves a chance to stock up on something the organization really needs. Many of the college arms the Cubs took may wind up future relievers, but they’re high upside guys with good stuff. That’s the right gamble in the middle rounds of the draft.

In total, the Cubs took 21 pitchers in their 40 picks. Only seven of those pitchers are high school pitchers (in a very deep draft for high school pitchers), but, as we’ll discuss, the Cubs have a fairly good chance of signing several of them – and that’s really all that matters. Of the Cubs’ first 12 picks, 10 were pitchers. On the positional side, the Cubs took just two shortstops, which is a rarity (a lot of positional prospects, especially in high school, start out at shortstop no matter what). The Cubs took two second basemen and two third basemen, five outfielders (but the first didn’t come until the 21st round), and seven(!) catchers. Of course, Schwarber falls into that catcher group, but he’s probably better characterized as an outfielder.

Cubs VP of Scouting and Player Development Jason McLeod told Sahadev Sharma, writing for ESPN, that he thought things went as well as hoped, too.

“It’s been a good couple days for us,” McLeod said. “We’re excited about the guys we were able to draft over these three days. We felt [Friday] we were able to get some high-upside, talented, young high school pitchers mixed in with the college group that we did. I said a couple days ago that we were going to make a run on pitching and certainly we’ve done that.”

That article and this interview of McLeod by Jordan Bernfield have a great deal more on the draft, and they’re worth checking out. As I said up top, I’ll have a great deal more on individual players in the coming days, and on the signing process.

Parting thought from Jason Parks on the Cubs’ draft, which I think you would find is the consensus industry opinion:

https://twitter.com/professorparks/status/475792857853210624

written by

Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

more cubs news

Justin Steele Injury Update: New Classification, MRI Tomorrow, IL Stint Coming? Steele and Counsell Speak

A significant update on Justin Steele came from Craig Counsell tonight after the Cubs extra innings loss in Texas. In short: Yes, a stint on the Injured List is likely for Justin Steele. But we still don't know how severe...

Enhanced Box Score: Rangers 4, Cubs 3 – March 28, 2024

It took exactly one day for the Cubs' ace to sustain what may be a significant injury, for their closer to blow a save, for the umpires to significantly impact the outcome of a critical play (this time in the...

OMG: Michael Busch Scored the 9th Inning, GO-AHEAD Run, Because He Just Never Stopped Running

That was absolutely incredible. To all the little kids out there, when your coach tells you to never stop running, this is why. Rookie Cubs 1B Michael Busch (the guy the Cubs got from the Dodgers this offseason to be...

Pre-Gamin’: Cubs at Rangers – Lineups, Pitching Matchup, Broadcast Info, Game Thread

*SHORT COURTS: It's Time To Bring The Home Court, Home! Looking for a unique way to celebrate your athlete or team before you peruse the FIRST CHICAGO CUBS LINEUP of the Year? Don't miss out! For just one more week...

The Cubs Are Among the Most Returning-y Teams

I am still mostly incapacitated at the moment, so apologies for the short shrift on such an otherwise blessed day. In between pokes and prods, I wanted to share a chart I saw that was pretty interesting, even if unsurprising:...

Maybe the Cubs Are the Favorites in the NL Central, After All?

ESPN was the first to throw some love the Cubs way this week, with an overwhelming majority of their writers, analysts, and editors picking the Chicago Cubs to win the NL Central in 2024. But the love doesn't end there....

The Season Begins, Love for Morel, Counsell’s Value, and Other Cubs Bullets

You know where you want to spend your Opening Day morning? The hospital! Suffice to say, this is not how I imagined getting HYPED for the Cubs' opener. I guess I'll just have to think about all the possible lineup...

Cubs vs Rangers: The First Series of the Year!

Cubs vs Rangers — THE REGULAR SEASON IS HERE! Wake up and rejoice. Later tonight, the Cubs will begin their march toward October Baseball against the (reigning World Series champion) Texas Rangers in Arlington. Justin Steele is getting the nod...

The 2024 Chicago Cubs for Dummies

Boom. We made it. The offseason is over, and the Cubs regular season - and those elevated expectations - begins tomorrow. But in case you slept through the winter, I'm here to catch you up on everything you need to...

I’m Expecting More This Year, Cubs — It’s Time to Start Winning

There's no way around it: The Chicago Cubs did *not* have the offseason we hoped they might after making Craig Counsell the highest paid manager in MLB history. Not that they did poorly, mind you. Cody Bellinger, Shota Imanaga, and...

Latest News

Washington State vs. Illinois Women’s Basketball: Start Time, Streaming Live, TV Channel, How to Watch

Two hot teams meet when the Washington State Cougars (21-14) host the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-15) on April 1, 2024. The Cougars will put their three-game win streak on the line against the Fighting Illini, who have won three straight.On...

Villanova vs. Penn State Women’s Basketball: Free Live Stream, TV Channel, How to Watch

The Villanova Wildcats (21-12) will try to extend a three-game winning streak when they host the Penn State Lady Lions (22-12) on April 1, 2024. The Lady Lions have also won three games in a row.In its previous game, Villanova...

Brewers vs. Mets Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats & Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Milwaukee Brewers are moneyline favorites (-110) to begin their season with a road win over the New York Mets on Friday at 1:40 PM ET, live on SNY.Freddy Peralta takes the mound for Milwaukee while Jose Quintana is New...

Braves vs. Phillies Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Philadelphia Phillies (0-0) host the Atlanta Braves (0-0) in an Opening Day game at 3:05 PM ET on Friday.The Braves will look to Spencer Strider against the Phillies and Zack Wheeler.Braves vs. Phillies Pitcher Matchup and Game InfoWhen: Friday,...

Suns vs. Thunder Prediction: Expert Picks, Odds, Stats and Best Bets – Friday, March 29, 2024

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder (50-22) are 2.5-point underdogs against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns (43-30) Friday, March 29, 2024 at Paycom Center. The game starts at 8:00 PM ET on KSBI. The matchup's point total is...

Brewers vs. Mets Probable Starting Pitchers – March 29

The Milwaukee Brewers (0-0) begin their 2024 season with a road matchup against the New York Mets (0-0) on Friday, with first pitch at 1:40 PM ET.The Brewers will give the nod to Freddy Peralta versus the Mets and Jose...

Cavaliers vs. 76ers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Philadelphia 76ers (39-34) are 8-point underdogs against the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-29) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday, March 29, 2024. The game starts at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup's point total is set at 212.5.Our computer predictions...

Heat vs. Trail Blazers Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Portland Trail Blazers (19-54) will attempt to end an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Miami Heat (39-33) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at FTX Arena as heavy, 14-point underdogs. The contest airs at 8:00 PM ET on...

Rockets vs. Jazz Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Utah Jazz (29-44) will try to end a seven-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets (37-35) on Friday, March 29, 2024 at Vivint Smart Home Arena as 7.5-point underdogs. The contest airs at 9:30 PM ET on...

Bulls vs. Nets Predictions, Best Bets and Odds – Friday, March 29, 2024

The Chicago Bulls (35-38) hit the court against the Brooklyn Nets (28-45) as 5.5-point favorites on Friday, March 29, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET on NBCS. The matchup has an over/under set at 214.5 points.Before you place an informed wager...

more cubs news