Draft Notes: Top 200 Prospects, New Mocks, Daz Cameron Chatter & Upside

2015 mlb draftWith the Cubs playing competitive ball, the fact that the MLB Draft is only nine days away can get lost in the mix.

Every draft is important, but even more so when the team is picking in the top 10. And while picking ninth isn’t as exciting as picking first or second, the Cubs draft position has them in a spot where it isn’t easy to narrow their choices. It truly adds to the intrigue.

  • With the draft inching closer by the day, MLB Pipeline has expanded their top draft prospect list from 100 to 200. Prep SS Brendan Rodgers tops the list.
  • Looking to check out some of the best collegiate prospects? MLB Daily Dish has a list of 15 to watch play during the College World Series.
  • Vanderbilt SS Darby Swanson going first to the Diamondbacks “has legs” according to this Jonathan Mayo mock draft. Swanson’s teammate RHP Carson Fulmer, who is MLB Pipeline’s third rated player and top pitcher, is projected to go to the Cubs in this mock.
  • ESPN’s Keith Law has shared his second mock draft and you’ll need an Insider subscription to give it a read. Law has the Cubs taking University of Cincinnati 2B/OF Ian Happ.
  • Baseball America’s fourth mock draft has the Cubs taking UCLA RHP James Kaprielian, who was a 40th overall pick by the Mariners out of high school in 2012. Although he’s not a guy with high-end velocity, he’s been a steady performer with above-average secondaries. You can check out his MLB Pipeline profile video here. He is their No. 22 ranked prospect.
  • Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel noted Senior VP of Player Development and Amateur Scouting Jason McLeod was at Dillon Tate’s Friday night start. McDaniels’ most recent mock draft has the Cubs selecting prep OF Daz Cameron, with Tate going sixth to the Twins. MLB pipeline has the UC Santa Barbara right-hander tabbed as the fifth best prospect. You can check out his video profile here.
  • For what it’s worth, Jim Callis adds that he is “hearing a lot of Daz Cameron chatter” at the ninth spot:
  • Cameron was recently named Georgia’s Gatorade Player of the Year. The Henry Daily Herald in McDonough, Ga., has a pretty good profile piece on its site that is worth your time if you’re interested in reading up on Cameron.
  • Daz, who is the son of three-time Gold Glove winner Mike Cameron, is MLB Pipeline’s sixth ranked prospect. More on him here.
  • The Red Sox have the seventh pick in the draft — two spots ahead of the Cubs. Naturally, three of the four players they are reportedly targeting via MassLive.com for their pick have also been on the Cubs’ radar. Go figure.
  • written by

    Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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