Chicago Cubs Select High School OF Brennen Davis with Their 2018 Second Round Pick

After playing it reasonably safe in the first round by taking a polished college bat with a high defensive floor in Nico Hoerner, the Cubs took a big risky swing in the second round at number 62 overall.

Arizona high school outfielder Brennen Davis is a raw, athletic outfielder with a commitment to play baseball at Miami. He was a two-way guy until his senior year, when he gave up basketball to focus on baseball. That, coupled with hamstring issues his senior year, have made it hard for there to be a consensus among scouts about whether he’ll actually develop into a capable hitter. Davis ranked anywhere from 80ish to 150ish in the pre-draft rankings.

He’s a lanky 6’4″ right now, but it’s not hard to dream on the frame, the long levers for power, and the speed.

This is how it is with prep players sometimes – they don’t have the same national exposure or time to develop as college players, and so it’s a true scouting competition to see which organizations can get these picks right (and then develop them well). Sometimes you get it right, and it’s a steal. Sometimes – more often, in fact – it’s a total whiff. That said, I really like that the Cubs are taking a huge chance here on upside.

It could cost a lot to get Davis to sign:

Brennen Davis supposedly asking for $1.2-1.5 million. Was too rich for a lot of teams but looks like Cubs are on him. 6 run when healthy, 6 raw power, some scouts say 40 hit, others say 20 hit.

— Eric Longenhagen (@longenhagen) June 5, 2018

That said, teams know a guy’s realistic price range before they commit a second round pick. Even if Hoerner ends up less under slot than you might hope, I think the Cubs already know they can get Davis to sign – eventually – for something close to, or slightly above, the $1.1 million slot for his pick.

Here’s a few quick videos on the outfielder: