2018 Actual MLB Draft Day(s) Thread

[KingCubsFan]

This isn't like Russell Wilson being drafted, or when the Rangers drafted Jameis Winston (who was a good college player), or when the Cubs drafted Colin Kaepernick (a tremendous high school pitcher).

 

I had totally forgotten about this. The Cardinals twitterverse would go wild if they knew.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Fangraphs[/url]"]Chicago Cubs

Link to Draft Selections

 

Stanford 2B Nico Hoerner (1) has plus-plus speed, great bat-to-ball ability, and sneaky power, but it’s unclear what up-the-middle position he plays and he doesn’t lift the ball much… Arizona prep CF Brennen Davis (2) is a classic power/speed lottery ticket with lots of risk on the contact… SoCal prep CF Cole Roederer (comp 2) had a late injury that dried up his market a bit, but he has great feel to hit and a shot to stay in center… San Diego RHP Paul Richan (comp 2) was likely an underslot play to sign the prep outfielders, has solid-average stuff and some moxie as a back-end/up-and-down type… Duke CF Jimmy Herron (3) has a football background and plus speed but a very flat swing path with little power… Virginia 2B Andy Weber (5) has an advanced feel to hit and is decent at second base, lacks power… Liberty CF D.J. Artis (7) has a very patient approach and is a plus runner who can play center but not a whole lot else. The Cubs draft someone like this every year… Virginia RHP Derek Casey (9) is a favorite senior sign of ours, with a good frame and good delivery. He also throws strikes and has average stuff… Southern Miss 3B Luke Reynolds (9) put up big numbers this year and could turn into a corner utility type… Louisville RHP Riley Thompson (11) has a truly electric arm, running his heater up to 99 mph, but the command and consistency have never been there. Mitchell Parker (28) is a prep lefty from New Mexico with upper-80s stuff, which plays better due to deception, and a good curveball.

[javy knows my name]

sneakypower!

[Gmoney08]

LOL at anyone doubting Theo/Jed/Jason at this point. Even if he went 0 for this entire draft I would trust him.

 

His drafts with the Cubs and the Red Sox before obviously have garnered a ton of trust.

 

Ive seen the Bryant, Schwarber and Happ picks all criticized...

 

Pretty sure Mookie Betts pick was heavily criticized as well.

 

Huh, this seems weird to me...

 

Who is this "Gmoney08" guy? I suspect this might be a fake account/burner account designed to boost the reputations of Theo/Jed/Jason.

 

Is this your account here Jed Hoyer?

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

[tweet]

[/tweet]

 

I don't want you to get in trouble. You probably need to delete this account and do this now:

 

 

Sorry Jed!

 

My collars are fine. Find a new slant.

[Gmoney08]

 

Ive seen the Bryant, Schwarber and Happ picks all criticized...

 

lol, you need another group of friends.

 

Nsbb had doubters on all those picks.

[CubsWin]

Keith Law's comments on the Cubs top picks:

 

Nico Hoerner (1) is a high-contact singles hitter from Stanford who was one of the few shortstops in the draft whom you could project to stay at the position long-term. He doesn't have power and rarely walked, but hitters who strike out this seldom are rare, and scouts absolutely raved about the kid's makeup and instincts on the field.

 

Brennen Davis (2) is a plus runner and center fielder who is an outstanding athlete but a long way off with the bat. His stock was hurt a little by a hamstring injury that kept him from running all-out much of the spring. I'm also annoyed that there was a prospect playing less than two miles from the house I owned and sold in 2013. Great timing, fellas.

 

Cole Roederer (2C) is a center fielder now with good feel to hit but has a hitch in his swing that probably has to be cleaned up for him to become a good hitter in pro ball. He also likely ends up in a corner where his fringy power could become an issue, so I'm not sure what the carrying tool is here.

 

Paul Richan (2C) has been up to 94 as a starter with an average breaking ball, missing bats and never walking guys, while giving up a lot of hard contact due in part to the present lack of a average third pitch. He should go out as a starter with the obvious caveat that he'll need that additional weapon to stay there.

 

Jimmy Herron (3) has an elbow injury that might require Tommy John surgery. But if his arm recovers, he's a center fielder with a good eye at the plate and a simple swing for contact without much power.

 

Ethan Roberts (4) was an "unbelievable Trackman" guy, which means his pitch data drove him up the board. He'll work with four-seamers up and a hard cutter/slider with a huge spin rate. He has missed a ton of bats for Tennessee Tech on the road to the supers and gets ground balls as well. He's the sleeper of this class for me.

 

Andy Weber (5) led UVA in average, OBP, slugging and even homers (OK, he had five) this spring while playing a solid second base -- he might be a little better than fifth round, even with the lack of tools, because he also doesn't have a glaring weakness, and I wouldn't be shocked to see him turn into a fringe regular.

 

D.J. Artis (7) was on the back of my top 100 as a guy with a chance to be a regular in center. He can run and has hand strength but needs to work more on driving the ball.

 

The write-up on Roberts sounds intriguing...

[CaliforniaRaisin]

NBC Chicago: Cubs draft strategy provides another clue into the direction of the franchise

[craig]

On a wholly separate note,

 

Been catching up on the draft yesterday. Granted, a chunk of those Day 3 guys won't sign.

 

Still ... as lukewarm as I was to start off the draft this might be my favorite draft under Theo/Jed/Jason. It probably won't have the overall impact of some of the other drafts, but there's a depth and balance to this draft. Yeah, wasn't a huge fan of the run of OF's early, but I liked a lot of the Day 2 picks, there's some pitchers with upside, some pitchers with floor, there's some power bats, some speed, and some gambles on upside (namely, Davis, but a few others).

 

I'd be stunned if this draft didn't produce a few useful major leaguers. It might not produce stars, but that's okay.

 

INteresting thoughts, Toonster. I'm not sure I view the draft in the same way. I don't think diversity in a draft is critical. If a couple of drafts focus on pitching, and then one focuses on infielders, I don't mind the "focused" drafts at all. Goal is to get major leaguers, and that's hard; so I won't be surprised at all if the draft doesn't produce many useful big-leaguers. Lots of drafts don't. And with two high-risk HS guys as picks 2 + 3, the chance of missing on both is pretty significant. But I also think the chance of hitting pretty strongly with one or the other is also pretty meaningful, and is maybe higher than with some of the college guys available at that area.

 

But yeah, I had no complaint with focusing. Think maybe the scouts can do a more thorough job if they know what they're focusing on in a particular draft?

 

I think you've been kind of negative about the recent pitching-focused drafts. Certainly Hudson year hasn't looked too hot, but that was a hitter-oriented draft.

 

Last and previous years were pitchign, yes. But, 2015 they weren't starting till round 3. Given nothing 1st or 2nd rounds, I think Hatch, Miller, Clark, Robinson, Swarmer, Mekkes, that's really doing pretty well. Three AA starters this fast, two A+ starters, and Mekkes, I don't think that's too bad starting with 3rd-rounder.

 

Last year: Lange, Abbott, and Thompson are all already at Myrtle, and pitching pretty well. (K/BB rates are really good.) Little, Uelman, and Lacy are all starting at South Bend, and showing some variable promise. And Estrada seems to look promising in Mesa. So, not sure that was a bad draft.

 

The goal is to create big-league value, so the fact those pitchers are clustering in A-, A+, and AA, and there isn't much position-support for them, I don't think that changes the chances that those drafts will be big-leauge productive, given that they didn't strt till round 3 in the Hatch draft.

 

Of course we're all minor-league fans, but the goal isn't to have balanced A-ball teams, it's to produce big-leaguers. So I don't mind having some very imperfect, imbalanced minor-league teams.

[toonsterwu]

Craig,

 

I actually don't disagree with anything you said.

 

Yes, sometimes it's important to have focused drafts. Yes, the goal is major leaguers, and ideally, impact major leaguers. I certainly understood the pitching heavy drafts.

 

Still, I think, in looking at the system from this year, a system that, I think, we can all agree on is fairly weak, there were gaps in the system, particularly on the positional side. It can't be solely attributed to trades - the weak AA positional crop this year could've been seen coming. Ceiling will be the most important thing in building usable value, but diversity of talent helps, particularly on the trade front.

 

_____

 

Leaving my balance thought aside for a second, I should note that the reason I liked this draft has as much to do with a balance of ceiling and floor.

 

_____

 

I would sort of like to see some aggressive pushing of some of these college bats, once they get their feet wet. Tbh, if Hoerner signs soon, I'm not opposed to, after getting his feet wet, pushing him up to Myrtle and sending Ademan back down. Heck, Virginia isn't doing much. I really hope Andy Weber gets signed and they try to push him up a bit.

[Regular Show]

I'm reading up on the guys we drafted in the later rounds. I wonder how many of them we can actually sign. No clue...

 

So I have to say I'm NOT a big fan of these draft selections and this draft class overall for the Cubs. It seriously lacks in upside, and the chances of landing an impact player from this group is very low. Maybe that was the point though?

 

A lot of these players have high floors and should reach the upper minors at least. Andy Weber's scouting report sounds interesting and he might develop into a fringe regular/second-division starter kind of like David Bote.

 

I hate the Brennan Davis pick and was going to explicitly state I hope the Cubs don't draft him. Enough with the raw baseball skill/great athlete archetype. Jacob Hannemann, D.J. Wilson, Rashad Crawford, Kevonte Mitchell... It just doesn't work out for us. I know this is a small sample size and the signing bonuses vary and they have different backgrounds, but this strategy just doesn't work (I don't mind Mitchell and Crawford because their signing bonuses are so small/were late picks). I'll call it right now and say Brennan Davis stalls out at either AA or AAA.

 

I don't know if Jimmy Herron or D.J. Artis fall in the category I mentioned above, but I expect their signing bonuses to be much smaller. I think they're more refined and have a lot more experience. I don't hate their selections and I actually kind of like D.J. Artis (great name if nothing else).

 

I don't like the Paul Richan pick and doubt he'll ever rise into the Cubs Top 20-25 prospect rankings. Really boring back-of-the-rotation profile.

 

I think we barely mentioned Nico Hoerner in the 2018 Draft Thread and that was a mistake. We should've known he was on the Cubs radar with his performance in the Cape Cod League, plus makeup and solid hit tool. I like the pick and think he can fill the role that Ben Zobrist has as a super-utility guy in a couple years. We might also trade Happ for some pitching so Nico might take over Happ's role on the team and Nico is much better defensively.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this draft class mirrors the 2015 group. Right now, it looks like Happ will be the only contributor from that draft (we did trade Dewees for something useful I guess). That draft class is kind of disappointing with Hudson and Wilson stagnating (if not struggling) in the minors right now. I think Nico will reach the big leagues sometime in 2020 and that we barely get anything from the other draft picks in this draft class.

[toonsterwu]

I wouldn't put Herron or Artis in a category with Davis. While it's fair to question how those guys will perform as they move up the ladder, neither has Davis' tools, but both have shown productivity at the collegiate level that should imply a relative solid hit tool. With Davis, it's unrefined raw talent. Both those guys are ... not finished, but not unrefined.

 

I don't disagree that the chances of landing an impact player in this draft is relatively slim. I don't want my positive outlook on the draft to seem like I'm overlooking that and some gung-ho Theo and Co. are the world enthusiast. Heck, it's quite possible that no positional guy is a starting caliber player. Besides Hoerner, Weber is probably the best bet. (While I have my biases ... I think there's a slim chance that Andy Weber is simply on an upward track, and he's showing some power development, and I could envision a scenario where he's a solid starting 2nd baseman or useful utility type. The misunderstanding about UVA hitting philosophy is that they don't want kids that hit for loft - Adam Haseley even said in a recent interview that he reduced the loft in his swing once he reached the pros, due to more velocity, and has had to try and find the loft he had at UVA. In some respects, UVA hitting philosophy is not too dissimilar from the direction the Cubs seem to be going in with this draft).

 

What I do like is that they took their shots. It could fail badly, it could. Only time will tell, but with Roberts/Franklin/Thompson they took some shots at pitching. I'm not huge on Richan ... I think of the two early floor arms (Richan/Casey), I wouldn't be surprised if Casey ended up the better guy (I could see him follow an Artie Lewicki like path). I can definitely see Davis stalling out ... it's easy to see unrefined talent stalling out, but I think an organization has to take it's shots at times, and they did.

 

Yeah, it's not a sexy draft. To be honest, with this current system, it's hard to have a sexy draft without picking really high. Not impossible, but hard. They took their shots, they got guys that should fill gaps in the system, and they got some college guys that should move fast.

[jersey cubs fan]

I'm reading up on the guys we drafted in the later rounds. I wonder how many of them we can actually sign. No clue...

 

So I have to say I'm NOT a big fan of these draft selections and this draft class overall for the Cubs. It seriously lacks in upside, and the chances of landing an impact player from this group is very low. Maybe that was the point though?

The chances of landing an impact player outside the top the of the draft are always very low.

[Regular Show]

I'm reading up on the guys we drafted in the later rounds. I wonder how many of them we can actually sign. No clue...

 

So I have to say I'm NOT a big fan of these draft selections and this draft class overall for the Cubs. It seriously lacks in upside, and the chances of landing an impact player from this group is very low. Maybe that was the point though?

The chances of landing an impact player outside the top the of the draft are always very low.

 

Yeah, I know. I was going to state that fact, but most everyone knows that -- this isn't the NFL draft. What I mean is that this group has an even smaller chance of landing an impact player compared to other team's draft selections. The best way to land an impact player is by taking a talented HS player with that coveted high-risk/high-reward profile. The Cubs didn't do that...

 

Brennan Davis does fit that profile, but I almost guarantee that won't work out. I actually really dislike that pick and think it's stupid considering we're giving him an overslot deal.

 

I'm not the only one who is saying this btw. Keith Law also mentioned how this group lacks high ceilings/upside and is more high floor. We'll see, but right now I think this draft class (outside of Nico Hoerner) sucks quite frankly. I felt the same way about the 2015 draft and I don't think I'm wrong on that one.

[CubsWin]

I'm reading up on the guys we drafted in the later rounds. I wonder how many of them we can actually sign. No clue...

 

So I have to say I'm NOT a big fan of these draft selections and this draft class overall for the Cubs. It seriously lacks in upside, and the chances of landing an impact player from this group is very low. Maybe that was the point though?

 

A lot of these players have high floors and should reach the upper minors at least. Andy Weber's scouting report sounds interesting and he might develop into a fringe regular/second-division starter kind of like David Bote.

 

I hate the Brennan Davis pick and was going to explicitly state I hope the Cubs don't draft him. Enough with the raw baseball skill/great athlete archetype. Jacob Hannemann, D.J. Wilson, Rashad Crawford, Kevonte Mitchell... It just doesn't work out for us. I know this is a small sample size and the signing bonuses vary and they have different backgrounds, but this strategy just doesn't work (I don't mind Mitchell and Crawford because their signing bonuses are so small/were late picks). I'll call it right now and say Brennan Davis stalls out at either AA or AAA.

 

I don't know if Jimmy Herron or D.J. Artis fall in the category I mentioned above, but I expect their signing bonuses to be much smaller. I think they're more refined and have a lot more experience. I don't hate their selections and I actually kind of like D.J. Artis (great name if nothing else).

 

I don't like the Paul Richan pick and doubt he'll ever rise into the Cubs Top 20-25 prospect rankings. Really boring back-of-the-rotation profile.

 

I think we barely mentioned Nico Hoerner in the 2018 Draft Thread and that was a mistake. We should've known he was on the Cubs radar with his performance in the Cape Cod League, plus makeup and solid hit tool. I like the pick and think he can fill the role that Ben Zobrist has as a super-utility guy in a couple years. We might also trade Happ for some pitching so Nico might take over Happ's role on the team and Nico is much better defensively.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this draft class mirrors the 2015 group. Right now, it looks like Happ will be the only contributor from that draft (we did trade Dewees for something useful I guess). That draft class is kind of disappointing with Hudson and Wilson stagnating (if not struggling) in the minors right now. I think Nico will reach the big leagues sometime in 2020 and that we barely get anything from the other draft picks in this draft class.

I don't know how anyone can form such a clear opinion about a draft class after a couple days, but all there is to do now is wait 3 years and see if you're right...

[javy knows my name]

I am probably misremembering this, but Hoerner's profile reminds me of Trae Turner's quite a bit. High contact likely SS with elite speed and athleticism that MIGHT hit for power. People thought he was taken too high that year. That worked out pretty well.

[Regular Show]

I'm reading up on the guys we drafted in the later rounds. I wonder how many of them we can actually sign. No clue...

 

So I have to say I'm NOT a big fan of these draft selections and this draft class overall for the Cubs. It seriously lacks in upside, and the chances of landing an impact player from this group is very low. Maybe that was the point though?

 

A lot of these players have high floors and should reach the upper minors at least. Andy Weber's scouting report sounds interesting and he might develop into a fringe regular/second-division starter kind of like David Bote.

 

I hate the Brennan Davis pick and was going to explicitly state I hope the Cubs don't draft him. Enough with the raw baseball skill/great athlete archetype. Jacob Hannemann, D.J. Wilson, Rashad Crawford, Kevonte Mitchell... It just doesn't work out for us. I know this is a small sample size and the signing bonuses vary and they have different backgrounds, but this strategy just doesn't work (I don't mind Mitchell and Crawford because their signing bonuses are so small/were late picks). I'll call it right now and say Brennan Davis stalls out at either AA or AAA.

 

I don't know if Jimmy Herron or D.J. Artis fall in the category I mentioned above, but I expect their signing bonuses to be much smaller. I think they're more refined and have a lot more experience. I don't hate their selections and I actually kind of like D.J. Artis (great name if nothing else).

 

I don't like the Paul Richan pick and doubt he'll ever rise into the Cubs Top 20-25 prospect rankings. Really boring back-of-the-rotation profile.

 

I think we barely mentioned Nico Hoerner in the 2018 Draft Thread and that was a mistake. We should've known he was on the Cubs radar with his performance in the Cape Cod League, plus makeup and solid hit tool. I like the pick and think he can fill the role that Ben Zobrist has as a super-utility guy in a couple years. We might also trade Happ for some pitching so Nico might take over Happ's role on the team and Nico is much better defensively.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if this draft class mirrors the 2015 group. Right now, it looks like Happ will be the only contributor from that draft (we did trade Dewees for something useful I guess). That draft class is kind of disappointing with Hudson and Wilson stagnating (if not struggling) in the minors right now. I think Nico will reach the big leagues sometime in 2020 and that we barely get anything from the other draft picks in this draft class.

I don't know how anyone can form such a clear opinion about a draft class after a couple days, but all there is to do now is wait 3 years and see if you're right...

 

Well, I hope I'm wrong and that the Cubs are right on their evaluation of these draft picks. I've gone back at looked at past drafts under this regime starting with the 2012 draft, and we honestly just do not draft that well after the 1st round for whatever reason. We're consistently missing year after year and I do NOT count draft picks like Rob Zastryzny or Paul Blackburn as hits. I'm talking about prospects that have serious value in trades or contribute at the big league level. So far, the Cubs have fared very poorly in part because of their philosophy -- draft bats at the top and go for pitching afterwards with a high volume approach.

 

Maybe I'm just disgruntled, but I don't feel like the Cubs have learned any lessons from their past draft failures. Yeah, we'll see in 3-5 years and I don't think we'll be all that happy...

[Bertz]

No offense, but I think you have unrealistic expectations. The thing to keep in mind is how tough the draft is for everyone. Getting, say, a quality starting player, a bench player, and a bullpen arm is actually a great outcome from a given draft. Getting two starting caliber players is fantastic. Getting three is franchise altering.

 

Also no one really does well after the first round. That's why people will not shut up about, for example, Mookie Betts being a fifth round pick. This FO has probably done a little worse than the average after the first round, but they've also done incredibly well in the first round, which given how talent is distributed is way more important. Complaining about their later round drafting is like complaining that Bryant doesn't hit more dongs. Yeah I agree it'd be cooler if he did but like he's already one of the best.

 

I don't love this draft, let's say Hoerner turns into fast DJ Lemahieu, they hit on a prep outfielder, and we end up with a Justin Grimm type along the line somewhere. This draft will go down as a success. Drafting is horsefeathers is HARD. That's why the end of the Hendry era was so fallow. It wasn't his moves at the major league level (though to be sure, those could have used some work), it was that the drafts from 2004-2010 were mostly duds. (Darwin Barney is like the 5th best player we drafted over that period).

[davell]

It's still too early to evaluate picks after the first round, by this regime..... And with that said, our success rates on our 1st rounders actually makes it less imperative on finding success later.

 

But still, let's take a look at each draft individually..... Who came out of those classes, that weren't 1sts.....

 

2012- Pierce Johnson and Blackburn were supplementals. Johnson was DFA'd, no success there, outside a few meaningless innings. Blackburn was traded in the Montgomery deal. That does hold a bit of value to me. Underwood was our 2nd. He is on the 40 Man, currently in AAA. I expect little to nothing from him, but it's still too early to know...... Plus, David Bote came from that draft, who I DO expect to be a long term contributor for us still.

 

2013- Rob Z isn't a success. But, he did make the playoff roster in 2016, against the Dodgers. Yes an up and down guy. Who could conceivably still give us a full season in the majors at some point. Hannemann sucks. Charcer Burks isn't going to make it. Godley was dealt for Miggy, who we needed to win the WS. Even though we missed on him being our pitcher, it was a nice pick and it helped us. Clifton just made AAA, has been solid this year. I like his chances more than Underwoods to help us down the line.

 

2014- Easiest by far to see success out of. Zagunis is a MLer. May never get a shot here, but he will somewhere. Steele was looking good prior to TJS, he's still got a shot at being a contributor. Cease turned into a top 100 guy, that helped us land Quintana. Hell, James Farris netted us Butler, who's had his uses. Jason Vosler still has a shot at being a real contributor in some form.

 

2015- This is a weak effort, after Happ. DeWees netted us Zack Mills, who's get to hit the majors. DJ Wilson has been hurt too much to truly see where we stand with him. He still has a decent shot at seeing the majors at some point. Craig Brooks could wind up a solid pen arm, has built a solid track record so far. I guess Ian Rice could sniff the majors at some stage.......

 

2016- Our 1st pick was a 3rd Rounder. Hatch is in AA, which is where your expect him to be. Personally, not a huge fan, but he's got a shot at being a MLer still. Tyson Miller has been decent in High A. Bailey Clark is showing nice upside now. Robinson, Rucker, and Swarmer ALL came from this class. All have a chance still. Very pleasant surprises. Mekkes came from here too and I fully EXPECT him to be a guy we can pencil him into our pen soon. You also got Zack Short, who may have a use. For it to still be early, this class looks excellent for not having a 1st rounder. Or even a 2nd.

 

The main points being here, that A) you've already traded guys from these classes that have landed us true help. B) We've still got guys in EACH class, that are still potential help. Some of whom I fully expect will be.

 

It's too early to write the FO's non 1st round efforts off. It's also right acknowledge some serious help has already been received thru trades involving non 1sts. You've still got guys coming up from each draft. You've also got to ask what you think is reasonable to expect out of non 1sts? These guys haven't been the BEST over this time but I'm sure they stack up fairly solid too. But again, mainly....... Still too early, especially when we still have guys from 2012 that can still legit help us at some point.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

One of the reasons Brennan Davis, Cole Roederer and Kohl Franklin might be ranked lower in the prospect publications than where the Cubs picked them and will pay them is that they were all injured and missed good chunks of the season where a lot of scouts didn't get to see them. The Cubs clearly saw all three of these guys on good days before they were hurt so it'll be interesting to see if they have a better read on their abilities than the general consensus.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ohh, some of the hitters drafted did well on the Mookie Betts neuro testing. That's exciting.

 

Bleacher Nation[/url]"]On the draft, Epstein said his picks are not guided by floor or ceiling, but rather by the qualities they value. “You’re talking about literally hundred of variables. We try to get as much information as possible. We really challenge our area scouts to dig and get to know the player extremely well … and then we try to find every single performance indicator that we can. Statistically, in terms of certain testing that we do, there’s ways to get all kinds of a data on players now.” Epstein expanded by saying plenty of teams can gather these variables, but appropriately valuing them is the hard part.

 

But here’s where his comments get a little crazy (and exciting). Epstein said that he was particularly happy with this draft because the picks really reflect what the team finds important. “There are things we really like about their [the draftees] neuro-testing. So, basically how we feel objectively about their hand-eye coordination and their ability to hit really advanced pitching when the time comes.” Wow. I’ve heard of medical exams and physical tests before taking a player, but neuro-testing potential draft picks for objective hand-eye coordination measurements? That feels new. I would very much like to learn more about that.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

how has he not heard of neuro-testing?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

how has he not heard of neuro-testing?

 

That’s what I was thinking too.

[Bobson Dugnutt]

how has he not heard of neuro-testing?

 

That’s what I was thinking too.

 

yeah, not really a criticism. i don't expect a casual fan to have heard of it. but for a writer at a site that obsessively parses everything even tangentially related to Theo Epstein, it's pretty surprising.

[Hairyducked Idiot]

I'm almost positive the first time I read about the Cubs doing research into that was Bleacher Nation.

 

I've been assuming it was basically the reason they've been able to identify guys like Happ and Schwarber who were not on people's radar at the time.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I'm almost positive the first time I read about the Cubs doing research into that was Bleacher Nation.

 

I've been assuming it was basically the reason they've been able to identify guys like Happ and Schwarber who were not on people's radar at the time.

 

Happ was drafted about where he was projected to go. Obviously they could have still used that data to draft him over others. Schwarber was the surprise, he was expected to go at best 1.8 but likely in the teens. Given what he did to ramp up for the World Series, I wouldn't be shocked if he scored very well on those sort off tests.