On Monday, we got the big news: The Cubs had successfully and officially signed their first-round draft pick, shortstop Ed Howard. And today, the good news continues.
In a press release directly from the Cubs, the team announced that they’ve signed three of their remaining four draft picks, including second-rounder Burl Carraway (the elite relief prospect, who could sniff the majors this season), fourth-rounder Luke Little (the lefty with the 105 MPH fastball), and fifth rounder Koen Moreno (the high schooler, who could’ve turned into one of the best prep pitchers in the draft). That leaves only third-rounder Jordan Nwogu unsigned, but there’s no reason to be worried about that yet.
Here’s a look at the press release, via the Cubs:
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today announced they have signed three of their selections in the 2020 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including left-handed pitcher Burl Carraway out of Dallas Baptist University (second round), left-handed pitcher Luke Little out of San Jacinto College North (fourth round) and right-handed pitcher Koen Moreno out of Panther Creek (N.C.) High School (fifth round).
The signing of shortstop Ed Howard out of Mount Carmel High School (first round) was previously announced on Monday.
Carraway, 21, went 6-2 with 11 saves and a 2.47 ERA (14 ER/51.0 IP) in his final two seasons at Dallas Baptist, including eight appearances in his shortened 2020 junior campaign. He struck out 89 batters, while walking 28, in 51.0 innings during this span.
The six-foot southpaw was named First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference as a sophomore in 2019, going 4-2 with a 2.81 ERA and a team-high six saves. He struck out 15.72 batters per nine innings, the second-best single-season mark in school history. Following the collegiate season, he pitched with the U.S. Collegiate National Team.
A native of College Station, Texas, Carraway graduated from A&M Consolidated High School where he was a three-time All-District selection.
Little, 19, struck out 86 batters, while walking 39, in 44.1 innings in two seasons at San Jacinto. In 2019, the six-foot, eight-inch southpaw went 3-1 with two saves and a 2.04 ERA in 35.1 innings, striking out 69 batters.
A native of Matthews, N.C., Little graduated from East Mecklenburg High School in Charlotte, N.C., where he was a 2018 Perfect Game pre-season All-American.
Moreno, 18, posted five wins and a 1.62 ERA with 80 strikeouts in 47.2 innings of work as a high school junior in 2019. The right-handed pitcher is a native of Cary, N.C.
Great news for the Cubs, who put together an exciting, high-ceiling focused 2020 draft, under less than ideal circumstances.
And as for bonuses, Jordan Bastian has us covered:
Cubs bonus info for the three signings today:
Carraway: $1,050,000
Little: $492,700
Moreno: $900,000That's under slot for Carraway, at slot for Little and above for Moreno.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 25, 2020
Considering the Howard signing ($3,745,500) in addition to everything above, the Cubs should have plenty to entice Nwogu to sign eventually (I don’t expect that to be an issue).
Bryan did the math:
The Cubs save 386,900 on Carraway and sign Moreno to 532,100 above slot.
This means they can sign Jordan Nwogu for full slot — and actually, for 190K overslot — without facing any non-monetary penalties. https://t.co/dh68eteLe7
— Cubs Prospects – Bryan Smith (@cubprospects) June 25, 2020
Good stuff. Good draft.