2020 Draft Thread

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Callis’ first mock:

 

16. Cubs: Tyler Soderstrom, C, Turlock (Calif.) HS

The Cubs need pitching but have had much more success drafting and developing hitting, especially in the first round. The track record of high school catchers in the first round is lousy -- the last two to stay behind the plate and accrue even 5 WAR are Joe Mauer (No. 1 overall in 2001) and Jason Kendall (No. 23 in 1992) -- but Soderstrom has a quality bat and the athleticism to profile at third base or on an outfield corner.

 

I like it.

 

Guys like Abel, PCA, Howard, Burns and Miller were still available at 16.

[Cubswin11]

I know others here have more knowledge on the topic and spend more time. But some names on this list that interest me that would be available to us to some degree whether it’s after the first/as FA/as under slot first guys are Daniel Cabrera, Justin Foscue, Nick Loftin, Casey Martin, Aaron Sabato, and Gage Workman (who isn’t listed here but have seen the name in top ~75 lists).

 

[Cubswin11]

^^ Appreciate that link, RJ Anderson's offered quality prospect content over there lately. Cabrera should be an easy first rounder and wouldn't be surprised if as many as three others in that group join him with Loftin most likely. I like Foscue or Workman in the third or later for the Cubs. Workman is one of the toolsiest and youngest college players in the draft, Foscue is similar to Strumpf maybe traded some projection for louder performance. No one's really a threat to go undrafted, maybe Workman who would only be 21 next year if he doesn't go high. Sabato gets interesting as early as the second for me because of the power, not sure he'd get out of the second

Yeah that popped up on my Tl the other day and seemed informative. With the draft being such an unknown maybe some of those guys slip but yeah seems like your assessment of where they’ll go is as good a guess as any. Still pissed Veen skyrocketed as he seemed possible to get at 16 in December/January, Lol. Workman I am irrationally attracted to for some reason the more I read, especially as someone outside the first.

[weis21]

Looks like a 5 round draft this year, boooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

---

 

Since probably Tristan Casas' draft year I have been wondering if the Cubs will draft a 1B of The Future. Not that I'm in any hurry to move on from Rizzo, 4 more years I say, but also if it happened that someone loud came up...Mostly I'd prefer they not go from Rizzo to JAGs, this is a prestigous gig dammit and has gotta stay classy. Last year there was Toglia in the first and then a couple non-first developmental HS guys in Mahki Backstrom (Braves) and then Garrett Frachette (Giants). This year among the HS bats I'm liking this guy:

 

please let him come to ECU instead. We need help saving our university (just kidding...I hope).

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CubsWin]

I haven't minded the previous Cubs draft philosophy of taking college hitters (for the most part) in the 1st round because it worked out so well. It's fair to say they haven't missed on any college bat they've taken with their first round pick. But I've always been a fan of upside especially when you're drafting in the latter third of the 1st round where high floors often come with a lower ceiling. When you have a successful team (and you're picking in the 20s), your system will eventually start lacking high ceilings (unless you get really lucky or spend big on one guy in IFA every year).

 

So for the last 3 seasons, I've caught myself drooling over some high upside prep prospect or unproven rocket arm only to be disappointed with a lower-ranked, less expensive pick like Little/Lange instead of Nate Pearson or Griffin Canning, or Hoerner instead of Shane McClanahan or Ethan Hankins (though my thirst for upside was quenched with Davis and Roederer in the next round).

 

I'm not writing this to say I knew better. All I have to go on is a publication's rankings. Nico Hoerner has defied the odds to date. I'm writing this because I find myself coming back to this same thirst again.

 

Reading that names like Mick Abel, Nick Bitsko and possibly even Robert Hassell and Austin Hendrick could still be there at 16 has me once again dreaming on upside.

 

Is this foolish, especially in a truncated scouting year? Conventional (and sound) wisdom says in this environment a team should go with a guy with an extensive scouting history. You don't want to miss with your 1st round pick, after all. But then my gambler's brain kicks in and says, when there's a potential, high upside stud available (the likes of which the Cubs haven't had a chance at in 5 years), perhaps you take advantage and zig when the other teams are zagging.

 

Am I putting too much emphasis on previously high rankings of players like Abel and Bitsko? Even though the Cubs system lacks in upside, is the smart play to take someone with a higher floor and not gamble on the unknowns of a prep player who falls? Almora was ranked in the top 10 and taken 6th overall. That didn't turn out so well. The Cubs haven't taken a prep player in the 1st round since.

 

Help! I need your input...

 

Your thoughts?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I haven't minded the previous Cubs draft philosophy of taking college hitters (for the most part) in the 1st round because it worked out so well. It's fair to say they haven't missed on any college bat they've taken with their first round pick. But I've always been a fan of upside especially when you're drafting in the latter third of the 1st round where high floors often come with a lower ceiling. When you have a successful team (and you're picking in the 20s), your system will eventually start lacking high ceilings (unless you get really lucky or spend big on one guy in IFA every year).

 

So for the last 3 seasons, I've caught myself drooling over some high upside prep prospect or unproven rocket arm only to be disappointed with a lower-ranked, less expensive pick like Little/Lange instead of Nate Pearson or Griffin Canning, or Hoerner instead of Shane McClanahan or Ethan Hankins (though my thirst for upside was quenched with Davis and Roederer in the next round).

 

I'm not writing this to say I knew better. All I have to go on is a publication's rankings. Nico Hoerner has defied the odds to date. I'm writing this because I find myself coming back to this same thirst again.

 

Reading that names like Mick Abel, Nick Bitsko and possibly even Robert Hassell and Austin Hendrick could still be there at 16 has me once again dreaming on upside.

 

Is this foolish, especially in a truncated scouting year? Conventional (and sound) wisdom says in this environment a team should go with a guy with an extensive scouting history. You don't want to miss with your 1st round pick, after all. But then my gambler's brain kicks in and says, when there's a potential, high upside stud available (the likes of which the Cubs haven't had a chance at in 5 years), perhaps you take advantage and zig when the other teams are zagging.

 

Am I putting too much emphasis on previously high rankings of players like Abel and Bitsko? Even though the Cubs system lacks in upside, is the smart play to take someone with a higher floor and not gamble on the unknowns of a prep player who falls? Almora was ranked in the top 10 and taken 6th overall. That didn't turn out so well. The Cubs haven't taken a prep player in the 1st round since.

 

Help! I need your input...

 

Your thoughts?

 

I think there's value in the prep pool at 16 since more prep players are expected to fall as teams prefer the safety of college players who they have 3+ years of info on. If you can get a guy who normally would go 8-14, it's worth the risk I think. Obviously you have to be relatively confident in the looks you got last year/early this season and any videos submitted but I feel like any of Hendrick, Hassell, Crow-Armstrong (who had a rough summer showcase but rebounded during the few weeks of this season), Soderstrom, Abel and maybe Howard are better value than the remaining college SPs or bats. And I really dislike the risk of prep pitchers in the first round but think Abel would be good value.

 

I think Tom is right about no one willing to risk taking Bitsko in the first since he re-classified (it sounds like he'll go to one of the teams with multiple picks who can take on a bit more risk like Arizona).

[Named After Maddux]

There's obviously no sports right now so forgive the length. I spoilered a lot of the longer discussions.

The addition of Kantrovitz as the Cubs new scouting director adds another wrinkle to evaluating which players they may be prioritizing. I looked at the drafts when he was the scouting director for the Cardinals (2012-2014) and the AGM with the A’s (2015-2019). During his time in Oakland, the A’s described his role on their website

He [was] involved in all aspects of the A’s baseball operations department with a primary focus on overseeing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets.

I factored in the players selected by the A’s as far as traits of players selected.

 

I’m still diving into it, but a few notes (I primarily looked into pitchers here and will look into position player traits later):

Where players have been selected in the first and supplemental round:

 

When he ran the Cardinals drafts, his picks were drafted very close to where BA’s and MLB’s had ranked the player. His picks were an average of 3 and a median of 5 spots above where they were ranked by BA and MLB pipeline. For some background, the Cubs’ selections on average were drafted 13 spots (median 6.5) above where BA ranked the player from 2012-2019. It’s not an exact science, but it’s mildly interesting.

 

Kantrovitz has put a strong emphasis on polish with the selections of college pitching. He drafts from “power programs” (7 of 14 first-round picks) and heavily from Florida. Five of the first-round sections from 2012-2019 and a total of 11 of his top 5 round picks were from Florida.

 

He really likes polished college pitchers with change-ups.

Three straight drafts featured first-round picks on polished college pitchers who featured a strong change-up: Michael Wacha (2012), Marco Gonzales (2013), and Luke Weaver (2014).

His HS pitching targets also feature an emphasis on change-ups. His teams have drafted HS pitchers five times in the first five rounds from 2012-2019. Everyone features at least an improving change-up. Several pitchers feature plus to plus-plus change-ups.

 

Rob Kaminsky LHP 5’11” 205 lbs

“shows feel for a changeup that projects to be at least average”

“He has a good feel for his changeup”

 

Jack Flaherty RHP 6’3” 217 lbs

“good feel for four pitches, led by a changeup that projects as plus to plus-plus”

 

Dakota Chalmers RHP 6’3” 175 lbs

“four-pitch arsenal with an improving changeup”

“his changeup has made strides to round out his full arsenal.”

 

Skyler Szynski RHP 6’2” 195 lbs (The lowest praise for change-ups in this group, but the biggest flameout)

“He also shows some aptitude for throwing a changeup, though it can get too firm at times.”

 

Ian McKinney LHP 5’11” 185

“plus changeup, which has fade and good separation from his fastball, as well as a slider and decent curveball”

 

I think it'd be foolish to not factor in that every organization is going to have their own preferences, but as far as pitchers I'd imagine there will be players targeted who have solid to plus future change-up grades. I went through the top 150 on MLB pipeline and highlighted players who have similar change-up grades to the players above.

 

Jared Kelley 6’3” 215lbs, Texas commit

“He already owns an advanced changeup with fade and sink, and he's willing to throw it in any count.”

 

Carson Montgomery RHP 6’2” 200lbs, FSU commit

“He doesn't need his changeup much in high school, but he does show very good feel for it, with some scouts thinking it could eventually develop into his best secondary offering.”

 

Alex Santos RHP 6’3” 185lbs, Maryland commit

“good feel for a changeup that touches the low-80s”

 

Ryan Hagenow RHP 6’5” 200lbs, Kentucky commit

“He also has advanced feel for using a changeup with similar velocity as well as some fade and sink”

 

Ricky Tierdemann LHP 6’4” 200lbs SDSU commit

“He has a really good feel for his changeup, which could be a plus pitch in time”

 

Chase Hampton RHP 6’3” 210lbs, Texas Tech commit

“His changeup displays some fade and should improve as he uses it more often.”

 

Timmy Manning LHP 6’2” 175 lbs, Florida commit

“He has good feel for his changeup, and it could be a second plus pitch in time”

 

Jason Savacool, RHP 6’1” 200lbs, Maryland commit

“also with a circle change as well as a split-fingered changeup with good action to it.”

 

His time with the A’s was a fairly even mix of “high floor” and “high ceiling”

Richie Martin (2015-floor), AJ Puk (2016-higher floor at least as a reliever), Austin Beck (2017- ceiling), Kyler Murray (2018-ceiling), Logan Davidson (2019-floor).

When players have “fallen” in the draft, Kantrovitz’s teams have often been the team to pick the player. Wacha 19th (BA 8th, MLB 11th), Piscotty 36th (BA 26th, MLB 18th) AJ Puk 6th (1st by BA).

The A’s also drafted Garrett Mitchell in the 14th round in 2017. If he fell in this draft, I would not be surprised to see the Cubs take him.

 

It was a lot to go through the pitchers so I'll look into position player trends later and combine those for a list of possible draft targets.

[Cubswin11]

There's obviously no sports right now so forgive the length. I spoilered a lot of the longer discussions.

The addition of Kantrovitz as the Cubs new scouting director adds another wrinkle to evaluating which players they may be prioritizing. I looked at the drafts when he was the scouting director for the Cardinals (2012-2014) and the AGM with the A’s (2015-2019). During his time in Oakland, the A’s described his role on their website

He [was] involved in all aspects of the A’s baseball operations department with a primary focus on overseeing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets.

I factored in the players selected by the A’s as far as traits of players selected.

 

I’m still diving into it, but a few notes (I primarily looked into pitchers here and will look into position player traits later):

Where players have been selected in the first and supplemental round:

 

When he ran the Cardinals drafts, his picks were drafted very close to where BA’s and MLB’s had ranked the player. His picks were an average of 3 and a median of 5 spots above where they were ranked by BA and MLB pipeline. For some background, the Cubs’ selections on average were drafted 13 spots (median 6.5) above where BA ranked the player from 2012-2019. It’s not an exact science, but it’s mildly interesting.

 

Kantrovitz has put a strong emphasis on polish with the selections of college pitching. He drafts from “power programs” (7 of 14 first-round picks) and heavily from Florida. Five of the first-round sections from 2012-2019 and a total of 11 of his top 5 round picks were from Florida.

 

He really likes polished college pitchers with change-ups.

Three straight drafts featured first-round picks on polished college pitchers who featured a strong change-up: Michael Wacha (2012), Marco Gonzales (2013), and Luke Weaver (2014).

His HS pitching targets also feature an emphasis on change-ups. His teams have drafted HS pitchers five times in the first five rounds from 2012-2019. Everyone features at least an improving change-up. Several pitchers feature plus to plus-plus change-ups.

 

Rob Kaminsky LHP 5’11” 205 lbs

“shows feel for a changeup that projects to be at least average”

“He has a good feel for his changeup”

 

Jack Flaherty RHP 6’3” 217 lbs

“good feel for four pitches, led by a changeup that projects as plus to plus-plus”

 

Dakota Chalmers RHP 6’3” 175 lbs

“four-pitch arsenal with an improving changeup”

“his changeup has made strides to round out his full arsenal.”

 

Skyler Szynski RHP 6’2” 195 lbs (The lowest praise for change-ups in this group, but the biggest flameout)

“He also shows some aptitude for throwing a changeup, though it can get too firm at times.”

 

Ian McKinney LHP 5’11” 185

“plus changeup, which has fade and good separation from his fastball, as well as a slider and decent curveball”

 

I think it'd be foolish to not factor in that every organization is going to have their own preferences, but as far as pitchers I'd imagine there will be players targeted who have solid to plus future change-up grades. I went through the top 150 on MLB pipeline and highlighted players who have similar change-up grades to the players above.

 

Jared Kelley 6’3” 215lbs, Texas commit

“He already owns an advanced changeup with fade and sink, and he's willing to throw it in any count.”

 

Carson Montgomery RHP 6’2” 200lbs, FSU commit

“He doesn't need his changeup much in high school, but he does show very good feel for it, with some scouts thinking it could eventually develop into his best secondary offering.”

 

Alex Santos RHP 6’3” 185lbs, Maryland commit

“good feel for a changeup that touches the low-80s”

 

Ryan Hagenow RHP 6’5” 200lbs, Kentucky commit

“He also has advanced feel for using a changeup with similar velocity as well as some fade and sink”

 

Ricky Tierdemann LHP 6’4” 200lbs SDSU commit

“He has a really good feel for his changeup, which could be a plus pitch in time”

 

Chase Hampton RHP 6’3” 210lbs, Texas Tech commit

“His changeup displays some fade and should improve as he uses it more often.”

 

Timmy Manning LHP 6’2” 175 lbs, Florida commit

“He has good feel for his changeup, and it could be a second plus pitch in time”

 

Jason Savacool, RHP 6’1” 200lbs, Maryland commit

“also with a circle change as well as a split-fingered changeup with good action to it.”

 

His time with the A’s was a fairly even mix of “high floor” and “high ceiling”

Richie Martin (2015-floor), AJ Puk (2016-higher floor at least as a reliever), Austin Beck (2017- ceiling), Kyler Murray (2018-ceiling), Logan Davidson (2019-floor).

When players have “fallen” in the draft, Kantrovitz’s teams have often been the team to pick the player. Wacha 19th (BA 8th, MLB 11th), Piscotty 36th (BA 26th, MLB 18th) AJ Puk 6th (1st by BA).

The A’s also drafted Garrett Mitchell in the 14th round in 2017. If he fell in this draft, I would not be surprised to see the Cubs take him.

 

It was a lot to go through the pitchers so I'll look into position player trends later and combine those for a list of possible draft targets.

Cool stuff, thanks for taking the time to do this. Look forward to the hitter list and seeing if we can use the pitcher/hitter list to identify some targets for this draft.

[Cubswin11]

From the link Raisin posted in the minors thread regarding Hernandez;

 

Zac Veen, OF, Spruce Creek HS (Florida). Age: 18

 

There appears to be some legitimate smoke that Veen might not be as high within organizations as he is throughout the draft industry. While a hypothetical drop could possibly lead to an overslot in real life

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

There's obviously no sports right now so forgive the length. I spoilered a lot of the longer discussions.

The addition of Kantrovitz as the Cubs new scouting director adds another wrinkle to evaluating which players they may be prioritizing. I looked at the drafts when he was the scouting director for the Cardinals (2012-2014) and the AGM with the A’s (2015-2019). During his time in Oakland, the A’s described his role on their website

He [was] involved in all aspects of the A’s baseball operations department with a primary focus on overseeing statistical analysis for evaluating and targeting players in the amateur draft, free agent and trade markets.

I factored in the players selected by the A’s as far as traits of players selected.

 

I’m still diving into it, but a few notes (I primarily looked into pitchers here and will look into position player traits later):

Where players have been selected in the first and supplemental round:

 

When he ran the Cardinals drafts, his picks were drafted very close to where BA’s and MLB’s had ranked the player. His picks were an average of 3 and a median of 5 spots above where they were ranked by BA and MLB pipeline. For some background, the Cubs’ selections on average were drafted 13 spots (median 6.5) above where BA ranked the player from 2012-2019. It’s not an exact science, but it’s mildly interesting.

 

Kantrovitz has put a strong emphasis on polish with the selections of college pitching. He drafts from “power programs” (7 of 14 first-round picks) and heavily from Florida. Five of the first-round sections from 2012-2019 and a total of 11 of his top 5 round picks were from Florida.

 

He really likes polished college pitchers with change-ups.

Three straight drafts featured first-round picks on polished college pitchers who featured a strong change-up: Michael Wacha (2012), Marco Gonzales (2013), and Luke Weaver (2014).

His HS pitching targets also feature an emphasis on change-ups. His teams have drafted HS pitchers five times in the first five rounds from 2012-2019. Everyone features at least an improving change-up. Several pitchers feature plus to plus-plus change-ups.

 

Rob Kaminsky LHP 5’11” 205 lbs

“shows feel for a changeup that projects to be at least average”

“He has a good feel for his changeup”

 

Jack Flaherty RHP 6’3” 217 lbs

“good feel for four pitches, led by a changeup that projects as plus to plus-plus”

 

Dakota Chalmers RHP 6’3” 175 lbs

“four-pitch arsenal with an improving changeup”

“his changeup has made strides to round out his full arsenal.”

 

Skyler Szynski RHP 6’2” 195 lbs (The lowest praise for change-ups in this group, but the biggest flameout)

“He also shows some aptitude for throwing a changeup, though it can get too firm at times.”

 

Ian McKinney LHP 5’11” 185

“plus changeup, which has fade and good separation from his fastball, as well as a slider and decent curveball”

 

I think it'd be foolish to not factor in that every organization is going to have their own preferences, but as far as pitchers I'd imagine there will be players targeted who have solid to plus future change-up grades. I went through the top 150 on MLB pipeline and highlighted players who have similar change-up grades to the players above.

 

Jared Kelley 6’3” 215lbs, Texas commit

“He already owns an advanced changeup with fade and sink, and he's willing to throw it in any count.”

 

Carson Montgomery RHP 6’2” 200lbs, FSU commit

“He doesn't need his changeup much in high school, but he does show very good feel for it, with some scouts thinking it could eventually develop into his best secondary offering.”

 

Alex Santos RHP 6’3” 185lbs, Maryland commit

“good feel for a changeup that touches the low-80s”

 

Ryan Hagenow RHP 6’5” 200lbs, Kentucky commit

“He also has advanced feel for using a changeup with similar velocity as well as some fade and sink”

 

Ricky Tierdemann LHP 6’4” 200lbs SDSU commit

“He has a really good feel for his changeup, which could be a plus pitch in time”

 

Chase Hampton RHP 6’3” 210lbs, Texas Tech commit

“His changeup displays some fade and should improve as he uses it more often.”

 

Timmy Manning LHP 6’2” 175 lbs, Florida commit

“He has good feel for his changeup, and it could be a second plus pitch in time”

 

Jason Savacool, RHP 6’1” 200lbs, Maryland commit

“also with a circle change as well as a split-fingered changeup with good action to it.”

 

His time with the A’s was a fairly even mix of “high floor” and “high ceiling”

Richie Martin (2015-floor), AJ Puk (2016-higher floor at least as a reliever), Austin Beck (2017- ceiling), Kyler Murray (2018-ceiling), Logan Davidson (2019-floor).

When players have “fallen” in the draft, Kantrovitz’s teams have often been the team to pick the player. Wacha 19th (BA 8th, MLB 11th), Piscotty 36th (BA 26th, MLB 18th) AJ Puk 6th (1st by BA).

The A’s also drafted Garrett Mitchell in the 14th round in 2017. If he fell in this draft, I would not be surprised to see the Cubs take him.

 

It was a lot to go through the pitchers so I'll look into position player trends later and combine those for a list of possible draft targets.

 

Love it. Thanks!

 

I was thinking of doing something like this just to see who exactly Kantrovitz picked but the additional info on changeups and draft rankings is fantastic.

 

I’m not sure how much of his past history we will be able to apply to this year since this draft is so weird but it’s really helpful.

 

Re: Mitchell, you have to be confident you can work on his swing to help him tap into his power. The Cubs aren’t quite the Dodgers of course but they’re still really good at minor league swing changes (see Nico & Brennen recently) so I’d be excited to see what they can do with him. The defense and speed are a nice bonus with Mitchell if you can get some more power.

[Named After Maddux]

The A’s also drafted Garrett Mitchell in the 14th round in 2017. If he fell in this draft, I would not be surprised to see the Cubs take him.

 

It was a lot to go through the pitchers so I'll look into position player trends later and combine those for a list of possible draft targets.

 

Love it. Thanks!

 

I was thinking of doing something like this just to see who exactly Kantrovitz picked but the additional info on changeups and draft rankings is fantastic.

 

I’m not sure how much of his past history we will be able to apply to this year since this draft is so weird but it’s really helpful.

 

Re: Mitchell, you have to be confident you can work on his swing to help him tap into his power. The Cubs aren’t quite the Dodgers of course but they’re still really good at minor league swing changes (see Nico & Brennen recently) so I’d be excited to see what they can do with him. The defense and speed are a nice bonus with Mitchell if you can get some more power.

 

Thanks! Yeah this year will be even more of a crapshoot. What will be really interesting is the path teams take. Do they shift to reliable college players or do some draft hard-to-sign guys and offer lowball 40-50% of slot value to get a 2021 pick.

 

Mitchell will be a fascinating case come draft day. If he’s really just falling due to his type 1 diabetes, then I’m even more interested. You’d have to imagine Kantrovitz and company felt comfortable with him health wise to draft him high enough to try to sign him out of his UCLA commit (oh yeah CR, you’ve seen him likely more than anyone here). Mitchell’s tools are pretty impressive and I like the blend of that high ceiling with a pretty decent floor as a speedy, plus defender CF. That’s a great point about the Cubs actually succeeding on swing changes with Nico and Brennen (man that feels like forever ago). Even moderate (15 homer power) would be an enormous upside. I don’t want to get too optimistic he’ll fall. It only takes one team to jump on the upside.

 

I’m going to look into Kantrovitz’s position player trends, but I still really like the prep group. Zac Veen, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Robert Hassell would be awesome and I could be convinced on Soderstrom and Ed Howard. Even Jordan Walker is really intriguing.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Since we’re talking changeup, this is from BA’s best tools in the draft:

 

Best Changeup

 

High School

1. Ben Hernandez

2. Jared Kelley

3. Mick Abel

4. Marquis Grissom Jr.

5. Jared Jones

 

College

1. Emerson Hancock

2. Jared Shuster

3. Asa Lacy

4. Logan Allen

5. Nick Swiney

 

Ben Hernandez is a local kid.

[Named After Maddux]

Since we’re talking changeup, this is from BA’s best tools in the draft:

 

Best Changeup

 

High School

1. Ben Hernandez

2. Jared Kelley

3. Mick Abel

4. Marquis Grissom Jr.

5. Jared Jones

 

College

1. Emerson Hancock

2. Jared Shuster

3. Asa Lacy

4. Logan Allen

5. Nick Swiney

 

Ben Hernandez is a local kid.

 

And this is the first I had seen (I'm sure the reports are out there) about Jared Jones having a top change-up. He and Ben Hernandez are awfully exciting.

[Hrubes20]

Since we’re talking changeup, this is from BA’s best tools in the draft:

 

Best Changeup

 

High School

1. Ben Hernandez

2. Jared Kelley

3. Mick Abel

4. Marquis Grissom Jr.

5. Jared Jones

 

College

1. Emerson Hancock

2. Jared Shuster

3. Asa Lacy

4. Logan Allen

5. Nick Swiney

 

Ben Hernandez is a local kid.

 

Cubs fan too.

[Hrubes20]

 

Article also says he's worked on his curve as well, has 12/6 shape according to Kevin Gunderson his trainer

 

Knock some heads and make it happen, Theo!

 

Am I the only one that didn't know Mick Abel was not directly related to Kevin Abel?

[Named After Maddux]

 

Article also says he's worked on his curve as well, has 12/6 shape according to Kevin Gunderson his trainer

 

Knock some heads and make it happen, Theo!

 

Am I the only one that didn't know Mick Abel was not directly related to Kevin Abel?

I guess I always had just assumed. I literally work at Oregon State and didn’t know that so I’d say you’re off the hook!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

I just assumed they were brothers and was thinking the Cubs should draft Kevin even if he isn’t completely healthy to get a discount with Mick or ensure his signability.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

16. Cubs: Austin Hendrick, OF, West Allegheny HS (Pa.)

The Pittsburgh area standout has been on radars for some time now, and he has as much bat speed and raw power as any prep hitter in the class.

 

Hassell, Abel and Soderstrom were unavailable (picked 10, 13 and 15 respectively). Tanner Burns wasn’t picked in this mock. Mitchell went 17, PCA 18 and Howard 27.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Mayo mocking Patrick Bailey to the White Sox, right after two teams dying for a fast moving catcher who might hit too, is odd.

 

Seems as if the Cubs are getting profiled in these mocks a little, Soderstrom and Hendrick are the only HS prospects I've seen mocked to them. I really don't see a ton of difference between the imagined offensive potential of Soderstrom, Hendrick, and $2.9 million dollar man Quintero, probably would even say Quintero is the best bat of the bunch right now. Neither is crazy off of Schwarber in upside potential ceiling either. The one one thing I think these mocks nail is that the Cubs will gravitate towards LHH and switch hitters during the draft. That said, if they take a HS corner bat at 16 please be the RHH Jordan Walker!

 

IF Theo believes in his heart of hearts that Hendrick can play CF THEN it's a different story

 

Cade Cavalli's been working out with or at the same place as Kohl Franklin, read that somewhere

 

BA mocked Hassell to the Cubs last week.

 

The mocks seem to be giving the Cubs a second tier college arm (like Burns) unless a well-regarded prep bat falls and is available.

 

Here’s the story where Franklin mentions working out with Cavalli: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.fox23.com/sports/bas-franklin-focusing-long-game-with-pro-baseball-hold/5P5FMNIO2VH67KD4J3IDV37VSQ/%3foutputType=amp

[Hrubes20]

I just assumed they were brothers and was thinking the Cubs should draft Kevin even if he isn’t completely healthy to get a discount with Mick or ensure his signability.

 

This was my thought as well, so I double-checked to make sure they were brothers. Turns out they aren't.

 

I see Hassell in a similar bucket, basically Billy McKinney but a little taller for the models...Most interesting HS hitters at 16 are Crow-Armstrong, Walker, maybe Howard, maybe even Blaze Jordan or even weirder with like Chase Davis or Daniel Susac, maybe even Corey Collins if they're so caught up on L/L catchers...Is Hendrick or Hassell really a better or safer prospect than Daniel Cabrera? If CFers, yes, but otherwise...eeeeh

 

That a very good description for the vibe I get from Hassell as a hitter as well. He seems to be better defensively than McKinney was as a prospect, though.

[Hrubes20]

 

Robby Ashford - 6'4" ball of clay, could be Luis Robert or never hit at all

 

 

I would bet a good bit that Ashford isn't drafted at all in this COVID draft. Big time football recruit.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

I expect we’ll see a few more of these before this year’s draft, definitely more than in a normal year.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Nick Bitsko:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgXCNCHfvZ/?igshid=1ndmb4te4vx90

[CaliforniaRaisin]