'06 draft class

[NCCubFan]

I'm pretty sure that's not just draft-and-follows. John Mayberry, Jr. gave Seattle permission to draft him again this year as junior out of Stanford after the Mariners drafted him 3 years ago out of high school (Mayberry was selected by the Rangers instead).

And Sam Fuld gave the Cubs permission to re-draft him in 2004 (after previously drafting him in 2003).

[illiniguy]

I'm pretty sure that's not just draft-and-follows. John Mayberry, Jr. gave Seattle permission to draft him again this year as junior out of Stanford after the Mariners drafted him 3 years ago out of high school (Mayberry was selected by the Rangers instead).

And Sam Fuld gave the Cubs permission to re-draft him in 2004 (after previously drafting him in 2003).

nice but it is all academic now anyways as Gordon signed today.

[Outshined_One]

Now that we got ourselves the #12/#13 pick, this thread should become more interesting this offseason.

[Tedward]

Now that we got ourselves the #12/#13 pick, this thread should become more interesting this offseason.

 

We better nail that 1st pick, because with the cash the Cubs have to spend this offseason, they may not be picking for a while after that 1st choice.

[Outshined_One]

Now that we got ourselves the #12/#13 pick, this thread should become more interesting this offseason.

 

We better nail that 1st pick, because with the cash the Cubs have to spend this offseason, they may not be picking for a while after that 1st choice.

 

Eh, once the FAs are given their designations, we should have a clearer idea of what the Cubs will give and receive.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Now that we got ourselves the #12/#13 pick, this thread should become more interesting this offseason.

 

We better nail that 1st pick, because with the cash the Cubs have to spend this offseason, they may not be picking for a while after that 1st choice.

Just like we were supposed to be a great team the last two years? I really have no faith in this organization anymore.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Now that we got ourselves the #12/#13 pick, this thread should become more interesting this offseason.

 

We better nail that 1st pick, because with the cash the Cubs have to spend this offseason, they may not be picking for a while after that 1st choice.

Just like we were supposed to be a great team the last two years? I really have no faith in this organization anymore.

 

I think he means the Cubs are going to spend money on Free Agents, meaning that they won't have a pick for a while in the '06 draft after their first rounder.

[Tim]

Random thought that I wouldn't do, but that sounded tempting for a second...

 

If the team really is intent on sliding Cedeno over to play second base and signing Furcal for SS, they might receive a better payback if they decline Walker's option and offer him arbitration. If they tell him he'll be a backup if he accepts, he may sign with another team. It would really be screwing Walker over as it would really erode his value in the market and the Cubs could get stuck with an unhappy Walker on the bench. However, since the FA rankings don't take defense into account, he should be a type A and the Cubs would get a first rounder and a supplemental first. I'm not sure they'd really get more than that in a trade of Walker at this point if they picked up the option.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

Wow, that would be an interesting move. Would be funny if he signed with the 15th sloted team so we got the worst possible draft pick.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Jim Callis answered a few questions in regards to draft yesterday at Ask BA. He gave a the draft order as it currently stands (Cubs pick 13), Allan Simpson's top 10 prospects and a little information on what the draft looks like. The highlights:

 

Top Prospects, 2006 Draft

1. Andrew Miller, lhp, U. of North Carolina

2. Drew Stubbs, of, U. of Texas

3. Max Scherzer, rhp, U. of Missouri

4. Jordan Walden, rhp, Mansfield HS, Arlington, Texas

5. Daniel Bard, rhp, U. of North Carolina

6. Matt Latos, rhp, Coconut Creek (Fla.) HS

7. Wes Hodges, 3b, Georgia Tech

8. Ian Kennedy, rhp, U. of Southern California

9. Cody Johnson, of, Mosley HS, Lynnhaven, Fla.

10. Evan Longoria, ss, Long Beach State U.

 

The 2006 draft does look underwhelming at this point, though so much can change when the players get back out on the diamond next spring. Based on this summer, when scouts followed Team USA, college summer leagues and high school showcases, it looks like the 2006 crop will be thin on position players after 2005 had been better in that regard than most recent drafts. There were 17 hitters taken in the first round this year, but 2006 probably will look more like 2004, which saw 19 pitchers go in the first 30 choices. Teams have been leaning more toward college players over high schoolers in recent years, and that probably won't change significantly.

 

Hopefully Drew Stubbs hires Scott Boras as his agent. :D

[Outshined_One]

Technically, most players already have agents (who are "advisers" and somehow bypass the NCAA rules) since they hired them in HS. If you want a recent example, the Cubs drafted Taylor Teagarden out of HS, who declined the Cubs' offer and went to college. His advisor then was Scott Boras. When he was drafted last year, he still had Boras on board.

 

Speaking of which, anyone know who Boras is representing this year?

[YearofDaCubs]

If we indeed have our first orund pick intact after FA, it wouldnt surprise me to see us draft another pitcher yet again.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

hopefully we stay far, far away from high schoolers. of course this org. likes to pick them and watch them flop. :(

[CaliforniaRaisin]

If we indeed have our first orund pick intact after FA, it wouldnt surprise me to see us draft another pitcher yet again.

 

The Cubs first round pick will remain no matter what happens during FA - the top 15 picks are exempt from the compensation process.

 

hopefully we stay far, far away from high schoolers. of course this org. likes to pick them and watch them flop. :(

 

I want the Cubs to take the player they feel is the best at their spot, whether they are HSer or college kid, pitcher or hitter. BPA is the best strategy to drafting. And the Cubs draft BPA, they don't emphasize either HS or college picks.

[Outshined_One]

Just going over the 2003 Draft because I'm bored. Boras clients rarely sign out of high school as it is, so I looked over some old reports and found three college guys who are in the 2006 draft who had Boras as their advisors. Whether or not they have retained Boras is anyone's guess, but...

 

Jason Donald, SS, U of AZ

-Overall solid tools, but nothing spectacular. Might have to move from SS.

 

Ian Kennedy, RHP, USC

-Can't find much current info on him, but in HS he was a 6' 180 pound bulldog type. Also listed in the Top 10 above, so I'm guessing he's pretty good.

 

Colin Curtis, OF, ASU

-Power hitter with other tools that range from mediocre to decent.

 

I'm curious as to how well Kennedy performs this season. However, having him drop to 12/13 might not be out of the question. Hmmmmmmm...

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Kennedy is now listed as 6'1, 195 lbs; his 2005 stats can be found here. He played HS ball with Rockies top prospect Ian Stewart.

[MeatampPotatoesMan]

hopefully we stay far, far away from high schoolers. of course this org. likes to pick them and watch them flop. :(

 

I want the Cubs to take the player they feel is the best at their spot, whether they are HSer or college kid, pitcher or hitter. BPA is the best strategy to drafting. And the Cubs draft BPA, they don't emphasize either HS or college picks.

 

It doesn't help much to draft the BPA if he's a high schooler...he's many times less likely to make it to the big leagues than a player out of college. That's a statistical fact....and even that is assuming the high schooler signs in the first place.

 

BPA is not the best strategy. You have to take into account the probability of a player making it to the bigs.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

The Braves also take BPA and actually prefer taking high schoolers and have been extremely sucessful in doing so. They key is to have the right people in player development.

 

When working on limited revenue, it might be somewhat beneficial to target college players because they are closer to the majors, teams with more financial resources would do best to take the best available player.

[YearofDaCubs]

If we indeed have our first orund pick intact after FA, it wouldnt surprise me to see us draft another pitcher yet again.

 

The Cubs first round pick will remain no matter what happens during FA - the top 15 picks are exempt from the compensation process.

 

hopefully we stay far, far away from high schoolers. of course this org. likes to pick them and watch them flop. :(

 

I want the Cubs to take the player they feel is the best at their spot, whether they are HSer or college kid, pitcher or hitter. BPA is the best strategy to drafting. And the Cubs draft BPA, they don't emphasize either HS or college picks.

Sweet!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

hopefully we stay far, far away from high schoolers. of course this org. likes to pick them and watch th em flop. :(

 

I want the Cubs to take the player they feel is the best at their spot, whether they are HSer or college kid, pitcher or hitter. BPA is the best strategy to drafting. And the Cubs draft BPA, they don't emphasize either HS or college picks.

 

It doesn't help much to draft the BPA if he's a high schooler...he's many times less likely to make it to the big leagues than a player out of college. That's a statistical fact....and even that is assuming the high schooler signs in the first place.

 

BPA is not the best strategy. You have to take into account the probability of a player making it to the bigs.

 

He's more likely to fail as a HSer but also more likely to reach stardom out of HS. As UK always says, you have to select the best available player and trust your minor league development personnel.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

A little reading on the top college, high school and even JuCo prospects: linky.

[Guest]

As we enter draft season here, has anyone seen an updated 1st round projection? I'm wondering if the Cubs will take Lincecum if he falls that far. They've often re-drafted players that they liked before.

 

Lincecum would be one of those high risk, high reward types of players. If his arm stays attached to his body, he could probably help the team this season. But his size, delivery and pitch counts in college are all concerns.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

As we enter draft season here, has anyone seen an updated 1st round projection? I'm wondering if the Cubs will take Lincecum if he falls that far. They've often re-drafted players that they liked before.

 

Lincecum would be one of those high risk, high reward types of players. If his arm stays attached to his body, he could probably help the team this season. But his size, delivery and pitch counts in college are all concerns.

 

Ask BA[/url]"]The college pitcher who has boosted his stock the most to jump into the first round is Washington righthander Tim Lincecum. He wasn't an unknown by any means, but he projected as more of a second- or third-rounder because scouts wondered about his lack of size (6 feet, 165 pounds) and the effort in his delivery. Those factors and seven-figure bonus demands knocked him down to the 42nd round as a sophomore-eligible a year ago.

 

Since then, Lincecum has dominated in both the Cape Cod League last summer (2-0, 0.69, seven saves, 68 strikeouts in 39 innings) and back at Washington this spring (6-2, 1.89, an NCAA Division I-best 97 strikeouts in 62 innings). He has toned down his delivery, consistently shown a mid-90s fastball and a plus-plus curveball, and even has unveiled a slider. Don't be surprised if he's pitching in the big leagues later this summer.

 

There's more draft related stuff about RHPs Jeff Samardzija (Notre Dame), Chad Lee (Barton County CC), Daniel Bard (North Carolina), Ian Kennedy (Southern California), Max Scherzer (Missouri) and LHP Andrew Miller (North Carolina) in that link.

[burnt out cubbie fan]

From what I have been reading in BA, this draft class isn't too great and the players haven't done a whole lot to improve their status so far this season. This is especially true of the hitters. Should be interesting to see how it changes from here on out.