2011 Cubs picks and signings thread

[davell]

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.elpasotimes.com/newupdated/ci_18214425&sa=U&ei=W8TvTbiUD-X10gGIhNWCDQ&ved=0CB0QFjAE&usg=AFQjCNHd02RpMhM444BeUZL0wUEH9469fQ

 

 

Good article on Jacquez. Didn't realize he was only 5'9.

[thefranchise]

Round 45: RHP Tanner Kichler - Sherwood HS (OR)

[thefranchise]

Ed Lynch's son just got picked by the Dodgers

[thefranchise]

Round 46: RHP Scott Weismann - Clemson

 

Drafted in the 18th round (#553 overall pick) by the Detroit Tigers in 2008

[thefranchise]

Round 47: RHP David Ernst - Fargo South HS (ND)

[Guest]

31st rounder:

 

Central Florida's top prospect entering the year was supposed to be outfielder Ronnie Richardson, a speedy 5-foot-7 dynamo and draft-eligible sophomore. He hasn't broken out yet and will be a tough read. He turned down the Twins as an 11th-rounder out of high school and has improved as a switch-hitter with more experience, with his lefthanded swing making great progress. He's a plus runner but not a burner and needs to be more patient at the plate while gaining aggressiveness on the basepaths. Richardson has good arm strength and shows above-average defense in center field at times. His best performances tend to come against better opponents, with his consistency leaving something to be desired.

 

37th rounder:

 

Texas Christian's entire weekend rotation will get drafted, with righthander Steven Maxwell following Matt Purke and Kyle Winkler. A fifth-year senior who turned down the Twins as a 12th-round pick after winning Mountain West Conference pitcher of the year honors in 2010, Maxwell succeeds by throwing strikes with a 90-91 mph sinker that maxes out at 93, and a solid slider. The 6-foot-1, 192-pounder had Tommy John surgery and missed a month this spring with biceps soreness.

 

38th rounder:

 

College of Charlestron's Casey Lucchese profiles as a reliever and should be a decent senior sign. Lucchese uses a sinker/slider combination, both of which grade as average, as his fastball reaches 92 mph consistently. He's had control issues over the course of his career but had a better senior season, emerging as the Cougars' closer.

 

39th rounder - ranked 190th in BA's top 200 prospects:

 

Ricky Jacquez, rhp


Franklin HS, El Paso

 

Inch for inch, Jacquez is the hardest thrower in the 2011 draft. Though he's just 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, Jacquez is a gifted athlete with a quick arm capable of producing 92-94 mph fastballs and touching 97. He also has a hammer curveball, and the combination allowed him to post a 20-strikeout game in March. A dual citizen who grew up playing Little League baseball in Mexico, Jacquez also has proven himself against better competition with Team USA. He was part of the 16-and-under team that took the gold medal at the 2009 World Youth Championship, winning two starts as a pitcher and also playing regularly at first base. There's effort in his delivery, but it's not excessive. He could stand to add life to his fastball and pitch down in the strike zone more often. As intriguing as Jacquez's arm is, he may be difficult to sign away from his commitment to Texas. The Longhorns recruited him primarily as a pitcher but also could give him some playing time in the middle infield.

 

41st rounder - bet Kyle hates him:

 

One of the top high school prospects in Pennsylvania last year, Austin Urban turned down the Orioles as a 27th-round pick. Originally committed to Penn State, he opted to attend Des Moines Area CC so he could be eligible for the 2011 draft. After a terrible start this spring, he came on down the stretch and struck out 13 against Williston State (N.D.) in a district tournament championship game win that put the Bears in the Division II Junior College World Series. A 6-foot-2, 180-pound righthander, Urban has a 90-92 mph fastball that touches 94. He also an 83-85 mph slider and the makings of a changeup. Scouts don't love his one-piece arm action, however, and he needs to repeat his delivery better in order to improve his command.

[Guancous]

We probably won't find out about any superslot signings until the deadline. Selig doesn't want to skew the market.

[thefranchise]

Round 48: LHP Sam Howard - Cartersville HS (GA)

[thefranchise]

Round 49: LHP Antonio Gonzales - Damien HS (CA)

[thefranchise]

Round 50: RHP Cody Edwards - Bellevue CC (WA)

 

Last pick

[Guest]

Thanks, thefranchise.

[BeerHere]

Isn't the signing deadline much earlier this year?

[craig]

47th round pick Ernst from Fargo ND had at least a couple of no-hitters this year, including in the state championship game on Saturday, after pitching two innings of relief to save the Friday night win.

 

Maxed at 89 at perfect game showcase last summer, but mlb scouts reportedly have had him at 92-93 this spring, at least on occasion.

 

North Dakota baseball isn't very good, he was 6-0 with a 0.6 ERA or something like that entering the state tournament. That's probably 3 earned runs allowed on the season.

[Guest]

Isn't the signing deadline much earlier this year?

 

I believe it should be August 15th still.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

North Dakota baseball isn't very good, he was 6-0 with a 0.6 ERA or something like that entering the state tournament.

 

Oh, it's on.

 

I never saw Ernst pitch, but I did see that Cole Frenzel kid who went in the 7th round from Dickinson, N.D.

[Guest]

Stupid question: Has anyone ever done a WAR:dollars study on these high draft picks? It seems like an awful lot to shell out millions to these guys when they can be such a long shot to even make the majors.

 

Only a very small handful of players have ever gotten the equivalent of even 1 win's worth of dollars. When put that way, I find it pretty unlikely that they don't have positive value on the whole.

[craig]

North Dakota baseball isn't very good, he was 6-0 with a 0.6 ERA or something like that entering the state tournament.

 

Oh, it's on.

 

I never saw Ernst pitch, but I did see that Cole Frenzel kid who went in the 7th round from Dickinson, N.D.

 

Kyle, are you a Dakota guy?

[Little Slide Rooter]

Im sure its happened on more than one occasion when a guy turns down a big bonus in a mid-late round, only to never be drafted again. I wonder what kind of effect that has on a guys life. Just sayin.

 

There was some story about a guy who turned down $1M+ and is now working at Costco changing tires. Moron.

 

Furthermore, I remember hearing that this will be the last year teams will be able to pay overslot for late rounders, so a guy like Staples could turn down a 1.5-2 mil deal as a 14th rounder, and then be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round in another year and end up with less money.

[KingCubsFan]

Im sure its happened on more than one occasion when a guy turns down a big bonus in a mid-late round, only to never be drafted again. I wonder what kind of effect that has on a guys life. Just sayin.

 

There was some story about a guy who turned down $1M+ and is now working at Costco changing tires. Moron.

Wonder what Matt Harrington is up to these days.

[craig]

Furthermore, I remember hearing that this will be the last year teams will be able to pay overslot for late rounders, so a guy like Staples could turn down a 1.5-2 mil deal as a 14th rounder, and then be drafted in the 2nd or 3rd round in another year and end up with less money.

 

Really? If that was true, that would totally change the draft, and shift the population of minorleague baseball towards college and Latin players. (Depending on details, of course.)

 

But most teenagers who sign do so via overslot. If the minors was limited to guys who would sign for slot, there would be hardly any teenagers who would sign after the 5th round. If you're limited to slot in rounds 6-50, the value isn't often large enough to offset the potential payoff of getting drafted in the high rounds.

 

I'm looking at last year's Cub drafts, and despite dave's concerns about spending, most of the guys they signed were overslots. From spot 12 on, Reed Richardson Fitzgerald Geiger Harmon Beeler were all overslots. And of course so too were Golden, Szczur, and Wells that we know of.

 

Looking at this draft, I assume that none of the teenagers after Lockhart in round 10 will sign for slot, nor of course vogelbach. I expect they'll sign at least fifteen of the teenagers drafted this week, but not more than six if that would sign if limited to slot.

 

The whole texture and demographics of minor-league baseball would be a lot different if you don't have overslots populating short-season and ready to feed into A-ball. If the only draftable guys are college kids or high-round high-dollar teenagers, it will become a very different game.

[toonsterwu]

I don't know if it's 100% yet, but the rumors have long been that the next CBA would have a hard slotting system. CBA expires 12/11, so the reality is, if something is implemented, it'll be too late for these kids, as they would have had to make up their minds already. I've also heard that it might be until 2013 when they would put things in place, even if they reach an agreement on the CBA for 2012. A lot is up in the air.

[waffle]

so the cubbies signing some "signability" issues kids might be part of a master plan. Or at least I hope so. I like plans.

[davell]

Anyone have a recap on Callis this morning talking Cubs draft?

[toonsterwu]

Very curious quote from Wilken, IMO.

 

"Tom came out and told us we'll be more active on the amateur side," Wilken said Wednesday. "When you feel you have a shot to sign players, it changes the strategy in how you pick. It was like Christmas Day for scouts."

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20203006&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc

 

I find it curious because it seems to loosely confirm what many have suspected for awhile, which was that Wilken and Co. had more restrictions on money, particularly with over-slots, than was publicly acknowledged. I don't recall any statement prior to this year that seemed to suggest things in as strong a term, although maybe I missed something.

 

Anyhow, seems to bode well for our chances to land some of these kids.

[XZero771679666304]

Very curious quote from Wilken, IMO.

 

"Tom came out and told us we'll be more active on the amateur side," Wilken said Wednesday. "When you feel you have a shot to sign players, it changes the strategy in how you pick. It was like Christmas Day for scouts."

 

http://chicago.cubs.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110608&content_id=20203006&vkey=news_chc&c_id=chc

 

I find it curious because it seems to loosely confirm what many have suspected for awhile, which was that Wilken and Co. had more restrictions on money, particularly with over-slots, than was publicly acknowledged. I don't recall any statement prior to this year that seemed to suggest things in as strong a term, although maybe I missed something.

 

Anyhow, seems to bode well for our chances to land some of these kids.

 

Looking at it now, it seems pretty obvious. The change in strategy this years seems to lend credence to the idea that constraints have been removed.