2009 Draft Discussion Thread

[TruffleShuffle]

I'll be really pissed if we take a college reliever in the first round. I'd even prefer a toolsy high school outfielder over a college reliever.

 

why? a toolsy high school outfielder - say, anthony hewitt last year - is basically a guaranteed bust in this organization. i'd rather take a guy who has a decent shot at becoming a solid middle reliever than an outfielder with a 0.01% chance of reaching his potential.

[UK1679666180]

If they have the BPA as a college reliever and they take him, hell why not?

[Guest]

BA's mock draft didn't have Rich Poythress going in the first. I'd love to see the Cubs take him at 31 instead of Pollock.

[Cubswin11]

BA's mock draft didn't have Rich Poythress going in the first. I'd love to see the Cubs take him at 31 instead of Pollock.

I think he would be a solid pick and a steal if he fell to us, I also like Chris Dominguez out of UL. Any idea where Dominguez might go?

[Outshined_One]

BA's mock draft didn't have Rich Poythress going in the first. I'd love to see the Cubs take him at 31 instead of Pollock.

I think he would be a solid pick and a steal if he fell to us, I also like Chris Dominguez out of UL. Any idea where Dominguez might go?

 

Tough call. Word is he might not stick at 3B. However, the major concern is whether his bat will translate to the majors. He strikes out a good amount and doesn't walk nearly enough to allay concerns about his plate discipline.

 

He's likely a supplemental first/top half of the second round kind of guy.

[shnsajax]

Can we just draft a prospect with a BB:K close to 1.

[Mephistopheles]

poythress probably wont go in the first unless a stathead org takes him. i'd say right now theres a 25 percent chance he goes in the first. he really isn't a first round quality prospect. he's a DH without a well-rounded offensive game.

[Mephistopheles]

Please not another college reliever in the first.

 

dont worry. there's no chance that idiots correct.

[Guest]

Cubs.com[/url]"]Hall of Famer Billy Williams will be the Cubs' representative at the First-Year Player Draft, to be held at the MLB Network studio next month.

 

MLB.com will offer live coverage and analysis of the entire First-Year Player Draft on June 9-11. The MLB Network will broadcast the first round at 5 p.m. CT on June 9 from its Studio 42 in Secaucus, N.J., and those 32 selections also will be simulcast live on MLB.com.

 

Beginning with the 33rd pick, up-to-the-minute on-air coverage from the remaining rounds will shift exclusively to MLB.com/Live, where host Vinny Micucci will be joined by MLB.com Draft expert Jonathan Mayo and Major League Scouting Bureau director Frank Marcos.

 

Once the first night is done, the Draft will continue with the rounds 4-30, via conference call from MLB Headquarters in New York, at noon on Wednesday, June 10. Rounds 31-50 will be on Thursday, June 11, starting at 11:30 a.m. ET.

[Cubswin11]

Law just did his mock draft on ESPN. Anybody got insider to see who he has the Cubs taking/what he has to say about the pick/Cubs.

[CUBZ99]

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/05/24/2009-mlb-mock-draft

 

31) Chicago Cubs - Drew Storen RHP, Stanford

 

The Cubs have been on one of the most college-heavy teams in recent drafts, and figure to continue the trend this June. Storen is the top reliever on most boards (including mine), featuring a fastball that touches 96 mph with good life as well as a big slurvey breaking ball that projects as plus. What really separates Storen from most college relievers is his advanced command -- he has only walked 4.9% of batters faced this year. Storen should provide a quick, and fairly safe, return on investment.

 

Blah.

 

Sounds like the Cubs could use this guy now.

[Guest]

MLB cuts slots by 10%: http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=900

[Guest]

Meph, any thoughts on Carlos Beltran's cousin (Reymond Fuentes)?

 

Sounds like more of a 2nd rounder, though.

[Guest]

Law just did his mock draft on ESPN. Anybody got insider to see who he has the Cubs taking/what he has to say about the pick/Cubs.

 

I don't have ESPN Insider but I've read on other boards that Law had Donovan Tate falling out of the first round ($$$).

[Guest]

Law just did his mock draft on ESPN. Anybody got insider to see who he has the Cubs taking/what he has to say about the pick/Cubs.

 

I don't have ESPN Insider but I've read on other boards that Law had Donovan Tate falling out of the first round ($$$).

 

Found out he has the Cubs picking Brett Jackson, OF California. He has Donovan Tate and James Paxton not in the first round and Matt Purke ($$$) falling to the Yankees at 29.

[Guest]

BA's top 100 prospect tankings and statistics (no scouting reports): http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/draft/draft-preview/2009/268178.html

 

BA's top 100 prospects with scouting reports (premium content): http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/draft-preview/2009/268184.html

[RammyFanny]

Law just did his mock draft on ESPN. Anybody got insider to see who he has the Cubs taking/what he has to say about the pick/Cubs.

 

I don't have ESPN Insider but I've read on other boards that Law had Donovan Tate falling out of the first round ($$$).

 

Found out he has the Cubs picking Brett Jackson, OF California. He has Donovan Tate and James Paxton not in the first round and Matt Purke ($$$) falling to the Yankees at 29.

 

31. Chicago Cubs

 

Brett Jackson, of, University of California: Scouting director Tim Wilken loves athletes and Jackson hasn't hurt himself with some of his recent performances. Eric Arnett could also fit here if he gets this far.

http://insider.espn.go.com/mlb/draft2009/insider/news/story?id=4206996

 

He has Pollack going 16.

[UK1679666180]

1 Stephen Strasburg RHP Jr. R-R 6-5 225 San Diego State San Diego Never drafted 7/20/1988

2 Dustin Ackley OF/1B Jr. L-R 6-1 185 North Carolina Walnut Cove, N.C. Never drafted 2/26/1988

3 Tanner Scheppers RHP --- R-R 6-4 170 St. Paul (Amer. Assoc.) Laguna Niguel, Calif. Pirates '08 (2) 1/17/1987

4 Kyle Gibson RHP Jr. R-R 6-6 200 Missouri Greenfield, Ind. Phillies '06 (36) 10/23/1987

5 Donavan Tate OF Sr. R-R 6-3 200 Cartersville HS Cartersville, Ga. North Carolina (FB) 9/27/1990

6 Alex White RHP Jr. R-R 6-3 195 North Carolina Greenville, N.C. Dodgers '06 (14) 8/29/1988

7 Matthew Purke LHP Sr. L-L 6-3 180 Klein HS Spring, Texas Texas Christian 7/17/1990

8 Aaron Crow RHP --- R-R 6-1 195 Fort Worth (Am. Assoc.) Wakarusa, Kan. Nationals '08 (1) 11/11/1986

9 Grant Green SS Jr. R-R 6-3 180 Southern California Anaheim Hills, Calif. Padres '06 (14) 11/7/1987

10 Tyler Matzek LHP Sr. L-L 6-3 185 Capistrano Valley HS Mission Viejo, Calif. Oregon 10/19/1990

11 Zach Wheeler RHP Sr. B-R 6-4 185 East Paulding HS Dallas, Ga. Kennesaw State 5/30/1990

12 Shelby Miller RHP Sr. R-R 6-3 200 Brownwood HS Brownwood, Texas Texas A&M 10/10/1990

13 Jacob Turner RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 205 Westminster Academy St. Charles, Mo. North Carolina 5/21/1991

14 Mike Minor LHP Jr. L-L 6-4 195 Vanderbilt Lewisburg, Tenn. Devil Rays '06 (13) 12/26/1987

15 Mike Leake RHP Jr. R-R 6-1 190 Arizona State Fallbrook, Calif. Athletics '06 (7) 11/12/1987

16 Mike Trout OF Sr. R-R 6-1 190 Millville HS Millville, N.J. East Carolina 8/7/1991

17 Bobby Borchering 3B Sr. B-R 6-4 195 Bishop Verot HS Fort Myers, Fla. Florida 10/25/1990

18 Rex Brothers LHP Jr. L-L 6-1 195 Lipscomb Chapel Hill, Tenn. Never drafted 12/18/1987

19 Jared Mitchell OF Jr. L-L 6-1 200 Louisiana State (FB) New Iberia, La. Twins '06 (10) 10/13/1988

20 Andrew Oliver LHP Jr. L-L 6-4 210 Oklahoma State Vermillion, Ohio Twins '06 (17) 12/3/1987

21 Eric Arnett RHP Jr. R-R 6-5 225 Indiana Pataskala, Ohio Never drafted 1/25/1988

22 Tim Wheeler OF Jr. L-R 6-4 205 Cal State Sacramento Sacramento, Calif. Never drafted 1/21/1988

23 Drew Storen RHP So. B-R 6-1 170 Stanford Brownsburg, Ind. Yankees '07 (34) 8/11/1987

24 Chad Jenkins RHP Jr. R-R 6-4 225 Kennesaw State Canton, Ga. Never drafted 12/22/1987

25 Matt Hobgood RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 245 Norco HS Norco, Calif. Cal State Fullerton 8/3/1990

26 James Paxton LHP Jr. L-L 6-4 215 Kentucky Ladner, B.C. Never drafted 11/6/1988

27 Everett Williams OF Sr. L-R 5-10 195 McCallum HS Austin, Texas 10/1/1990

28 A.J. Pollock OF Jr. R-R 6-2 200 Notre Dame Hebron, Conn. Never drafted 12/5/1987

29 Tony Sanchez C Jr. R-R 6-1 220 Boston College Miami Never drafted 5/20/1988

30 Rich Poythress 1B Jr. R-R 6-4 236 Georgia Grovetown, Ga. Never drafted 8/11/1987

31 Max Stassi C Sr. R-R 5-10 190 Yuba City HS Yuba City, Calif. UCLA 3/15/1991

32 Wil Myers C/3B Sr. R-R 6-3 190 Wesleyan Christian HS Thomasville, N.C. South Carolina 12/10/1990

33 David Renfroe SS/RHP Sr. R-R 6-3 200 South Panola HS Batesville, Miss. Mississippi 11/16/1990

34 Kyle Heckathorn RHP Jr. R-R 6-6 240 Kennesaw State Ringgold, Ga. Never drafted 6/17/1988

35 Chad James LHP Sr. L-L 6-4 195 Yukon HS Yukon, Okla. Oklahoma State 1/23/1991

36 Jiovanni Mier SS Sr. R-R 6-1 175 Bonita HS Pomona, Calif. Southern California 8/26/1990

37 Garrett Gould RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 190 Maize HS Maize, Kan. Wichita State 7/19/1991

38 Brett Jackson OF Jr. L-R 6-2 210 California Orinda, Calif. Never drafted 8/2/1988

39 Jeff Malm 1B Sr. L-L 6-3 215 Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, Nev. Southern California 10/31/1990

40 Matt Davidson 3B Sr. R-R 6-3 210 Yucaipa HS Yucaipa, Calif. Southern California 3/26/1991

41 Billy Hamilton SS Sr. B-R 6-1 150 Taylorsville HS Taylorsville, Miss. Miss. State (FB) 9/9/1990

42 Sam Dyson RHP So. R-R 6-2 195 South Carolina Tampa Nationals '06 (19) 5/7/1988

43 LeVon Washington OF Sr. L-R 5-11 170 Buchholz HS Gainesville, Fla. Florida 7/26/1991

44 Brad Boxberger RHP Jr. R-R 6-2 195 Southern California Tustin, Calif. Royals '06 (20) 5/27/1988

45 Tyler Skaggs LHP Sr. L-L 6-5 180 Santa Monica HS Santa Monica, Calif. Cal State Fullerton 7/13/1991

46 Brody Colvin RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 190 St. Thomas More HS Lafayette, La. Louisiana State 8/14/1990

47 Brooks Raley LHP/OF So. L-L 6-2 185 Texas A&M Uvalde, Texas Never drafted 6/29/1988

48 Aaron Miller LHP/OF Jr. L-L 6-3 220 Baylor Channelview, Texas Rockies '06 (11) 9/18/1987

49 Keyvius Sampson RHP Sr. R-R 6-1 180 Ocala Forest HS Ocala, Fla. Florida State 1/6/1991

50 Madison Younginer RHP Sr. R-R 6-3 190 Mauldin HS Mauldin, S.C. Clemson 9/24/1989

51 Daniel Fields SS Sr. L-R 6-2 200 U. of Detroit/Jesuit HS Detroit Michigan 1/23/1991

52 Raymond Fuentes OF Sr. L-R 6-1 160 Fernando Callejo HS Manati, P.R. 2/12/1991

53 James Jones LHP Jr. L-L 6-3 180 Long Island Brooklyn, N.Y. N ever drafted 9/9/1988

54 Kentrail Davis OF So. L-R 5-9 200 Tennessee Thoedore, Ala. Rockies '07 (14) 6/29/1988

55 Steven Matz LHP Sr. L-L 6-3 185 Ward Melville HS Stony Brook, N.Y. Coastal Carolina 5/29/1991

56 Joe Kelly RHP Jr. R-R 6-1 170 UC Riverside Corona, Calif. Never drafted 6/9/1988

57 Brian Goodwin OF Sr. L-R 6-1 185 Rocky Mount HS Rocky Mount, N.C. North Carolina 11/2/1990

58 Blake Smith RHP/OF Jr. L-R 6-2 220 California Modesto, Calif. Never drafted 12/9/1987

59 Chris Dwyer LHP Fr. R-L 6-4 200 Clemson Swampscott, Mass. Yankees '08 (36) 4/10/1988

60 Colton Cain LHP/1B Sr. L-L 6-3 225 Waxahachie HS Waxahachie, Texas Texas 2/5/1991

61 Mychal Givens RHP/SS Sr. B-R 6-2 190 H.B. Plant HS Tampa Oklahoma State 5/13/1990

62 Alex Wilson RHP Sr. R-R 6-1 200 Texas A&M Hurricane, W.Va. Cubs '08 (10) 11/3/1986

63 Randal Grichuk OF Sr. R-R 6-1 195 Lamar Consolidated HS Rosenberg, Texas Arizona 8/13/1991

64 Chris Dominguez 3B Jr. R-R 6-5 235 Louisville Miami Rockies '08 (5) 11/22/1986

65 Trayce Thompson OF Sr. R-R 6-4 200 Santa Margarita HS Ran. Santa Margarita, Calif. UCLA 3/5/1991

66 Mike Ohlman C Sr. R-R 6-4 205 Lakewood Ranch HS Bradenton, Fla. Miami 3/23/1991

67 Angelo Songco OF Jr. L-R 6-1 190 Loyola Marymount Granada Hills, Calif. Never drafted 9/9/1988

68 Jason Kipnis OF Jr. L-R 5-11 175 Arizona State Northbrook, Ill. Padres '08 (4) 4/3/1987

69 Nick Franklin SS Sr. B-R 6-1 170 Lake Brantley HS Longwood, Fla. Auburn 3/21/1991

70 Steven Baron C Sr. R-R 6-2 210 John A. Ferguson HS Miami Duke 12/7/1990

71 Slade Heathcott OF/LHP Sr. L-L 6-1 195 Texas Texarkana, Texas Louisiana State 9/28/1990

72 Victor Black RHP Jr. R-R 6-4 205 Dallas Baptist Amarillo, Texas Mets '06 (41) 5/23/1988

73 Andrew Susac C Sr. R-R 6-1 190 Jesuit HS Roseville, Calif. Oregon State 3/22/1990

74 Ryan Buch RHP Jr. R-R 6-3 190 Monmouth Yardley, Pa. Never drafted 11/8/1987

75 Jake Eliopoulos LHP Sr. L-L 6-3 165 Sacred Heart Cath. HS Newmarket, Ontario Kentucky 5/21/1991

76 Billy Bullock RHP Jr. R-R 6-6 225 Florida Valrico, Fla. Dodgers '06 (20) 2/27/1988

77 David Hale RHP Jr. R-R 6-2 200 Princeton Marietta, Ga. Never drafted 9/27/1987

78 Ben Tootle RHP Jr. R-R 6-1 170 Jacksonville State Oxford, Ala. Never drafted 1/9/1988

79 Jake Barrett RHP Sr. R-R 6-4 235 Desert Ridge HS Mesa, Ariz. Arizona State 7/22/1991

80 Evan Chambers OF So. R-R 5-9 220 Hillsborough JC Tampa Never drafted 3/24/1989

81 Garrett Richards RHP Jr. R-R 6-3 200 Oklahoma Edmond, Okla. Never drafted 5/27/1988

82 Brooks Pounders RHP/3B Sr. R-R 6-5 225 Temecula Valley HS Temecula, Calif. Southern California 9/26/1990

83 Kent Matthes OF Sr. R-R 6-3 220 Alabama Orlando, Fla. Never drafted 1/8/1987

84 Jeff Kobernus 2B/3B Jr. R-R 6-2 195 California San Leandro, Calif. Never drafted 6/30/1988

85 Matt Bashore LHP Jr. L-L 6-3 200 Indiana Tipp City, Ohio Never drafted 4/6/1988

86 Kyle Seager 3B/2B Jr. L-R 6-1 194 North Carolina Kannapolis, N.C. Never drafted 11/3/1987

87 Justin Marks LHP Jr. L-L 6-3 195 Louisville Owensboro, Ky. Red Sox '06 (37) 1/12/1988

88 Cameron Garfield C Sr. R-R 6-1 195 Murrieta Valley HS Murrieta Valley, Calif. San Diego 5/23/1991

89 J.R. Murphy C/OF Sr. R-R 6-1 190 Pendleton School Bradenton, Fla. Miami 5/13/1991

90 Chris Owings SS Sr. R-R 5-11 170 Gilbert HS Leesville, S.C. South Carolina 8/12/1991

91 Robert Stock RHP/C Jr. L-R 6-1 190 Southern California Westlake Village, Calif. Never drafted 11/21/1989

92 A.J. Morris RHP Jr. R-R 6-2 200 Kansas State Humble, Texas Never drafted 12/1/1986

93 Marc Krauss OF/1B Jr. L-R 6-3 220 Ohio Deshler, Ohio Never drafted 10/5/1987

94 Mike Belfiore LHP Jr. R-L 6-3 225 Boston College Commack, N.Y. Never drafted 10/3/1988

95 D.J. LeMahieu SS/2B So. R-R 6-4 190 Louisiana State Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Tigers '07 (41) 7/13/1988

96 Tommy Mendonca 3B Jr. L-R 6-1 200 Fresno State Turlock, Calif. Never drafted 4/12/1988

97 Zach Von Rosenberg RHP Sr. R-R 6-5 205 Zachary HS Zachary, La. Louisiana State 9/24/1990

98 Josh Phegley C Jr. R-R 5-11 215 Indiana Terre Haute, Ind. Never drafted 2/12/1988

99 Brett Wallach RHP So. R-R 6-2 185 Orange Coast JC Orange, Calif. Never drafted

[Guest]

Kyle (Middletown): Are you hearing any buzz on where Robert Stock is going to end up? I am interested in seeing how high he goes and if he becomes a starter or reliever. Teams have to love his age.

 

John Manuel: Stock's one of the draft's most fascinating players. He's been up to 97 out of the pen, up to 95 as a starter, he's performed very well as a starter thanks to a legit, average-to-plus changeup. It also sounds like he'd like to go back to college and try to catch and hit one more time. My gut tells me he gave up a shot at first-round money out of HS and won't settle for less three years later, and if he doesn't get first-round money, I think he'll go back to college.

 

BA should have their 2nd mock draft up tomorrow.

[Guest]

Jonathan Mayo does a mock top 20: http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090528&content_id=5009386&vkey=draft2009&fext=.jsp

[KingKongvs.Godzilla]

Thoguhts on Clemson LHP Chris Dwyer?

 

Seems really interesting and the short video they have on MLB.com looks really good. Strong mechanics, and seems like the kind of guy who'd go higher if he got a few more eyes looking his way.

[Mephistopheles]

He's a draft eligible freshman and has a ton of leverage over a team trying to sign him. He may not sign for less than first round money.

[CUBZ99]

Whatever happened to that pitcher the Cubs drafted in the 26th or so round? I think his name was Sonny Gray ?

[Outshined_One]

BA's latest mock has the Cubs taking AJ Pollock at 31.

 

However, it notes that they have been linked to RHP Eric Arnett (Indiana), LHP Chad James (OK HS), RHP Garrett Gould (KS HS), and OF Brett Jackson (Cal). Apparently, they might also be willing to pony up for RHP Jacob Turner (MO HS), who, as mentioned earlier in this thread, has sky-high demands.

 

It's also worth pointing out that James and Gould both are expected to be somewhat tough signs, as they have relatively strong commitments to Oklahoma State and Wichita State, respectively. They probably won't have demands comparable to Turner, but I'm guessing they'd want to sign above slot if either is taken at 31. I'm hoping this is a sign that the Cubs are going to be willing to spend in the draft this year, despite the ownership being in transition.

[RyneSandberg]

Whatever happened to that pitcher the Cubs drafted in the 26th or so round? I think his name was Sonny Gray ?

 

Sonny decided to bypass the early entry to the majors, and he is now playing for Vanderbilt University. He will be a stud in a year or two, expect first round implications out of this kid.