Outshined_One

It's impossible to say at this point. Hell, it'll probably be impossible to say come draft day. This draft currently looks like it has a very strong Top 3 in Harper-Taillon-Machado (all of whom likely will go in the first three picks)...and then it turns into a mess. Frankie Piliere over at MLB Fanhouse said as much in a recent Live Chat: Andy Seiler echoed that today in response to a question about potential surprises in the draft. Making things even harder to predict for the Cubs is the fact that Tom Ricketts has been talking quite seriously about increasing the scouting, player development, and draft budgets for this team. The Cubs typically don't go much over slot, especially in early rounds. But this year...who knows for sure? If I had to guess, I'd probably say the Cubs take RHP/OF Brett Eibner out of Arkansas in the first round. He has #2 upside as a pitcher, although he is rather intriguing as a potential RF/CF who could hit for power. I don't like the odds of him making it to the Cubs since he's been steadily rising up the charts in recent weeks, but if he's there at 16, he'd make sense and be a very good pick.

Hak-Ju Lee made it onto The Hot Sheet this week

Box Scores Iowa won 6-3 Box Score CF J. Adduci 2/5, K, CS (6) SS D. Barney 1/4, K 3B C. Tracy 0/3, BB 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/4, R RF B. Snyder 2/3, BB, 3 R, RBI, 3B (4), HR (6), K LF B. LaHair 3/4, RBI, 2B (7), Assist (Home) C W. Castillo 1/4, 2 RBI, 2B (5), K PR/C C. Robinson 0/0, R 2B M. Camp 0/2, BB PH J. Dubois 1/1, R, 2 RBI, HR (6) 2B B. Scales 1/2 SP M. Atkins 6 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 4/0 K/BB, 2 HR, HBP, 4-7 GO-FO RP J. Jackson 2 perfect, 3/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP J. Gaub 1 scoreless, 0 H, 3/1 K/BB Tennessee lost 7-0 Box Score CF T. Campana 1/4, CS (7) 2B M. Smith 0/3, K LF T. Wright 0/3, 2 K C R. Chirinos 0/3 RF M. Spencer 0/3 3B J. Vitters 0/3 SS M. Gonzalez 0/3, K PH T. Thomas 0/1 PH S. Clevenger 0/1 SP C. Muschko 5 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 5/2 K/BB, 2 HR, 5-4 GO-FO RP A. Maestri 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, HBP, 2-0 GO-FO RP J. Papelbon 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO RP D. Cales 1 scoreless, 1 H, 3-0 GO-FO Daytona lost 7-0 Box Score CF B. Jackson 0/3, K, HBP 2B DJ LeMahieu 0/4, K 3B R. Flaherty 1/3, BB, 2B (5), K DH R. Ridling 2/4, 2B (7), K RF K. Burke 0/4, K, E (4, throw) C M. Brenly 0/2, 2 BB, K 1B J. Opitz 0/3, BB LF J. Valdez 0/3, BB, K, E (2, throw) SS J. Lake 0/3, 2 E (13, fielding, throw) SP DE Rhee 1.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1/2 K/BB, WP, HBP, 1-2 GO-FO RP B. Beliveau 2.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 3-3 GO-FO RP M. Carrillo 2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, HR, 2-2 GO-FO RP C. Siegfried 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 4-1 GO-FO Peoria lost 13-1 Box Score SS HJ Lee 1/4 CF L. Watkins 0/4, 2 K, Assist (3B) 2B M. Cerda 1/4, K 3B G. Rohan 1/4, R, K, E (3, throw) 1B J. Bour 0/4 DH N. Perez 1/2, RBI, K, HBP LF R. Jones 0/3, K SP R. Searle 4 IP, 9 H, 7 ER, 1/2 K/BB, WP, 6-5 GO-FO RP SM Jung 3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 3/3 K/BB, HR, 2-3 GO-FO RP R. Morla 1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO OVERALL: 1-3

Peoria's defense is making damn sure their game won't end tonight. ETA: Aaaaaaaand Peoria finally wins it after scoring 4 runs in the 15th, although they did give up another run in the bottom half of the 15th and ended the game by striking out the tying run with men on 2nd and 3rd. Yeesh, crazy game that clocked in at a little over 5 hours.

It seems Chris Archer has passed his control problems on to Brooks Raley.

It's a Community Mock Draft over on Minor League Ball (John Sickels' blog) and I'm picking for the Cubs in the first three rounds. At the moment, I'm still in the spit-balling phase, although I have a few ideas for my picks. I'm keeping a Mock Organization Diary. Here are the first two I've done: MOD #1 MOD #2 I'll edit new content, thoughts, polls, and rumors into MOD #2 from here on out.

I just posted a poll on non-HS players who could fall to #16 due to signability concerns (and other reasons). Any input would be welcome! Link

I actually asked Andy Seiler about Austin Wates, Jarrett Parker, and Kyle Parker last week. Here's what he said: Ryan LaMarre is another name I've been considering. I wouldn't be surprise to see any (or all!) of those four guys getting enough helium to make them viable possibilities with the #16 pick, especially considering this is not a very good year for top college position players.

Box Scores Iowa won 11-7 Box Score CF S. Fuld 0/3, 2 BB, R SS D. Barney 3/5, 2 R RF B. Snyder 1/3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2B (12), K LF J. Dubois 3/4, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B (1) 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/3, 2 BB, 2 R, RBI C W. Castillo 3/4, R, 6 RBI, 2B (4), HR (6) 3B B. Scales 0/2, 2 BB, RBI, K, E (5, throw) 2B M. Camp 0/5, K PH C. Tracy 0/1, K SP C. Coleman 5 IP, 2 H, 5/3 K/BB, 6-3 GO-FO RP J. Samardzija 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2/2 K/BB, HR, 0-0 GO-FO RP J. Gray 2 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 0/2 K/BB, HR, 5-1 GO-FO RP B. Parker 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Tennessee won 8-4 Box Score CF T. Campana 4/4, BB, R, 3 2B (8), CS (6), PO (1B), Assist (Home) 2B M. Smith 0/5, R, 2 K LF T. Wright 1/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (7), Assist (3B) C R. Chirinos 1/4, R, 2B (10) RF M. Spencer 1/4, 2 RBI, K 3B J. Vitters 2/4, R, RBI, 2B (4), K SS M. Gonzalez 2/4, R, 2 RBI, HR (2), K SP A. Bibens-Dirkx 6 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2/4 K/BB, WP, 8-5 GO-FO RP J. Muyco 2 scoreless, 1 H, 3-1 GO-FO Daytona won 7-5 Box Score CF B. Jackson 1/5, R, RBI, HR (1), K 3B DJ LeMahieu 2/5, 2 R, RBI, 2B (5), SB (5) 2B R. Flaherty 1/4, BB, R, K 1B R. Ridling 1/4, BB, R, RBI, 2B (4) RF K. Burke 1/4, BB, R, 4 RBI, HR (2), 2 K C M. Brenly 1/5, K LF J. Valdez 1/2, 2 BB, CS (2), E (1, fielding) SS J. Lake 1/4, R, 2 K SP B. Raley 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3/5 K/BB, HR, 3-5 GO-FO RP D. Patton .2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO RP O. Martinez 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 0-3 GO-FO RP M. Perconte .2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO RP L. Sommer 1.1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 3-0 GO-FO Peoria won a 15 inning game 9-6 Box Score SS HJ Lee 3/6, 2 R, RBI, 2 K, SB (12), E (15, throw) 2B/LF L. Watkins 1/5, BB, R, 2B (4), 3 K, 2 E (6, missed catch, throw) DH G. Rohan 1/7, R, RBI, 2 K 1B J. Bour 2/6, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2B (11), K, E (7, missed catch) LF DJ Fitzgerald 1/4, 2 K, Ejected in the 8th 2B M. Cerda 1/3, R, RBI, 2B (5), K RF N. Perez 3/7, R, 4 RBI, 2B (3), 3 K, Assist (Home) C J. Mota 2/7, RBI 3B C. Thomas 1/7, K CF F. Guzman 1/5, 2 BB, R, 2 SB (5), CS (1), Assist (Home) SP K. McNutt 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 8-2 GO-FO, 2 E (2, throw x 2) RP R. Morla 1 scoreless, 0 H, 1/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO RP J. Latham 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1/2 K/BB, 2 WP, 0-4 GO-FO RP Y. Gonzalez 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 1-4 GO-FO RP M. Mercedes 1.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0/2 K/BB, 0-4 GO-FO RP L. Suarez .1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB OVERALL: 4-0!

I knew I forgot someone. Stranger things have happened, but for now he looks more like a 4th OF than anything else. He's a leadoff type of guy who'll hit for a reasonably high average and draw his share of walks, but he doesn't have a whole lot of power. While this wouldn't be a huge issue if he were a CF, he's pretty much a LF due to defensive issues in RF and CF.

There are a couple of guys down there worth seeing... Along with HJ Lee, 2B Logan Watkins and SP Trey McNutt are two guys who are close to or among the 10 best prospects in the system. Both were guys who were drafted and received signing bonuses well over slot. Watkins profiles as a good defensive 2B who occasionally plays SS. At the plate he's currently a guy who hits for average, but still needs some work on power and patience. Trey McNutt is a RHP who reportedly is able to get his FB into the mid-90s to go with a very good curve ball. After those three, there are a few guys who are interesting, but aren't on most prospect lists for various reasons. Larry Suarez is a right handed reliever who received a very large signing bonus out of Venezuela a few years ago. RHP Nick Struck was signed over slot in 2009, but has been inconsistent as a starter. RHP Jon Nagel is a personal favorite who was drafted two years ago coming off of Tommy John Surgery, he's mostly a sinkerballer from what I've read. 1B Justin Bour and 3B Greg Rohan are two guys who have been producing pretty well for the Chiefs, but are old for the Midwest League. Finally, ESPN had a great article about Matt Cerda, who is currently playing around the IF following an attempt by the Cubs to convert him to catcher. If you could provide reports on those games, they would be most appreciated!

Box Scores Iowa with an off day Tennessee lost 11-3 Box Score CF T. Campana 2/4 2B T. Thomas 0/4, R, K LF T. Wright 1/4, R, RBI, HR (6) RF M. Spencer 1/4, RBI, 2B (3) C S. Clevenger 1/4 3B R. Canzler 2/4, R, RBI, HR (4) SS N. Samson 1/4, E (2, fielding) PH M. Smith 0/1 PH J. Vitters 0/1 SP A. Cabrera .2 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1/2 K/BB, WP, 0-1 GO-FO RP R. Buchter 2.1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/1 K/BB, 2-4 GO-FO RP J. Papelbon 1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 0/1 K/BB, 2 HR, 1-1 GO-FO RP D. Sasser 2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1/2 K/BB, HR, WP, 4-1 GO-FO RP A. Maestri 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1-2 GO-FO RP D. Cales 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO Daytona won 7-2 Box Score CF B. Jackson 2/4, BB, R, 3B (4), K 2B DJ LeMahieu 1/5, RBI, SB (3) 3B R. Flaherty 2/4, BB, 3 R, 2B (6), K DH R. Ridling 2/3, 2 BB, R RF K. Burke 3/5, 2 R, 5 RBI, 2 2B (12), HR (1), K 1B J. Opitz 0/2, 3 BB, 2 K, SB (1) C M. Brenly 1/3, RBI SS J. Lake 0/3, BB SP C. Rusin 4.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 7/0 K/BB, HBP, 2-3 GO-FO, E (1, throw) RP M. Carrillo 2 scoreless, 2 H, 1/0 K/BB, HBP, 3-2 GO-FO RP A. Shafer 1.2 scoreless, 2 H, 2/1 K/BB, 2-1 GO-FO RP L. Sommer 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO Peoria won 11-7 Box Score SS HJ Lee 1/4, BB, 2 R, RBI, 2B (8), 2 K, SB (11), 2 E (14, throw, fielding) CF L. Watkins 1/5, R 2B M. Cerda 1/3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 RBI 1B J. Bour 1/4, BB, R, RBI LF DJ Fitzgerald 4/4, BB, 3 R, 2B (3), 3B (2), CS (1), PO (1B) RF N. Perez 2/5, R, 4 RBI, 2 K, CS (1) DH R. Jones 0/3, 2 K 3B C. Thomas 1/3, BB, RBI, K SP N. Struck 4 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 2/1 K/BB, HR, HBP, 6-4 GO-FO RP J. Nagel 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3/1 K/BB, 4-2 GO-FO RP J. Leverton 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 3-1 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-1

That's pretty much my feeling on him. There's still something to be said for getting him innings and a major league workload, but unlike Cashner, there haven't been many questions about whether Jackson can pitch deep into games or maintain his stuff over the course of the season. Putting him in the bullpen in the short term wouldn't hurt.

Box Score Iowa won 6-1 Box Score CF S. Fuld 3/5, R, RBI, 2B (3), 3B (3), 2 K SS D. Barney 1/5, K RF B. Snyder 3/5, R, RBI, 2B (11), K, SB (4) 1B M. Hoffpauir 2/5, 2 R, RBI, 2B (8), K, E (2, fielding) 3B B. Scales 2/5, R, 2B (12), K LF B. LaHair 0/4, BB C C. Robinson 2/5, R, 2 RBI, 2B (3) 2B M. Camp 0/3, BB PH J. Dubois 0/1 SP T. Diamond 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 6/0 K/BB, HR, 4-6 GO-FO RP J. Jackson 1 scoreless, 1 H, 3-0 GO-FO RP B. Schlitter 2 scoreless, 1 H, 4/1 K/BB, 0-2 GO-FO Tennessee lost 2-1 Box Score CF T. Campana 1/4, R, K SS M. Gonzalez 0/3, 2 K, E (4, throw) LF T. Wright 0/3, K, HBP C R. Chirinos 1/3 RF M. Spencer 0/3, 2 K 3B J. Vitters 0/3 2B M. Smith 1/3 PH T. Thomas 1/1, 2B (6) SP HW Chen 6 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 3 HBP, 7-7 GO-FO RP A. Maestri 1 scoreless, 0 H, 1/1 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP D. Sasser 1 scoreless, 2 H, 1/1 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Daytona won 4-1 Box Score CF B. Jackson 1/4, R, 2 K 2B DJ LeMahieu 1/4, R, RBI, K 3B R. Flaherty 2/3, BB, R, RBI, SB (1) DH R. Ridling 1/3, 2 RBI RF K. Burke 0/4, 3 K 1B J. Opitz 1/3, BB, 2B (2) SS J. Lake 1/3, R, K, SB (5) SP C. Archer 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10/0 K/BB, HR, 7-1 GO-FO RP C. Siegfried 3 scoreless, 0 H, 3/0 K/BB, HBP, 5-0 GO-FO Peoria lost 14-1 Box Score SS HJ Lee 0/2, 2 BB 2B L. Watkins 0/4 3B M. Cerda 0/3, R, K, HBP RF G. Rohan 0/4 1B J. Bour 0/3, BB, E (6, fielding) C J. Mota 0/2, BB, K LF N. Perez 1/3, RBI, 2B (2), 2 K DH C. Thomas 0/4 CF F. Guzman 0/2, BB, K, E (2, fielding), Assist (2B) SP R. Whitenack 3.2 IP, 11 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 3/2 K/BB, WP, HBP, 5-1 GO-FO RP L. Suarez 2.1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 2-3 GO-FO RP Y. Gonzalez 1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1/1 K/BB, WP, 2-1 GO-FO RP J. Latham 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 0-2 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-2

Arizona Phil has the details for those of you who want to read about it.

Yeah, that's the rumor going around. From what I gathered, the Cubs do like him. Diamondbacks signed him today for $500k.

Box Scores Iowa won 9-2 Box Score CF J. Adduci 1/4, BB, R, SB (7) SS D. Barney 3/5, 3 R, RBI, 2B (8), SB (3), E (5, throw) 3B C. Tracy 1/2, BB, R, RBI, HR (1), E (2, throw) 3B B. Scales 1/1, RBI 1B M. Hoffpauir 1/2, 2 BB, R, 2 RBI LF J. Dubois 1/5, R, RBI, 2 K RF B. Snyder 1/4, BB, R, 2B (10), K C W. Castillo 0/4, RBI 2B M. Camp 2/4, R, RBI, 2B (7) SP A. Cashner 6 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1/1 K/BB, WP, 7-6 GO-FO RP J. Samardzija 1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO RP J. Gray 1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2-0 GO-FO RP J. Gaub 1 scoreless, 0/1 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO Tennessee won Game 1 of their DH 9-2 Box Score CF T. Campana 0/2, 2 BB, 2 R, K SS M. Gonzalez 1/3, BB, R, 2B (1), PO (1B) LF T. Wright 3/4, 2 R, 5 RBI, HR (5), CS (2), Assist (2B) C R. Chirinos 1/3 RF M. Spencer 0/2, BB 3B J. Vitters 2/3, 2 R, RBI, HR (1) 2B T. Thomas 1/3, R SP C. Muschko 5 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 2 HR, 5-5 GO-FO Tennessee won Game 2 of their DH 8-3 Box Score CF T. Campana 2/4, R, SB (14), CS (5), E (2, fielding) SS N. Samson 1/3, RBI, 2B (2) LF T. Wright 1/3, BB, R, 2B (12) RF M. Spencer 2/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, HR (4), SB (2) 1B R. Canzler 1/3, BB, 2 R, RBI, HR (3), K C S. Clevenger 2/4, R, RBI, 2B (5), K 3B J. Vitters 2/4, R, 2 RBI, SB (1) 2B M. Smith 0/2, HBP SP C. Carpenter 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3/2 K/BB, HBP, 11-3 GO-FO RP J. Muyco 1 perfect, 1/0 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO Daytona lost 5-2 Box Score DH B. Jackson 0/3, BB, RBI, 2 K 2B DJ LeMahieu 0/4 3B R. Flaherty 0/4, K 1B R. Ridling 2/4 RF K. Burke 0/4, 3 K CF J. Valdez 1/3, R, 2 K SS J. Lake 1/2, BB, K, SB (4) SP R. Dolis 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 4/3 K/BB, 9-4 GO-FO, E (3, pickoff) RP M. Perconte 2.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 4/0 K/BB, 1-1 GO-FO RP L. Sommer 1 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 1-0 GO-FO Peoria with an off day OVERALL: 3-1

Milt Pappas' no-hitter, where I would have thrown garbage at Bruce Froemming for not allowing the perfect game.

Yeah, but Anthony Rendon will be so worth it in next year's draft.

Huh, apparently Logan Watkins played CF for Peoria. Wonder if that was a one-time thing or the Cubs testing out his utility potential?

Box Scores Iowa lost 3-1 Box Score CF S. Fuld 1/4, K, SB (3) SS D. Barney 0/4, K, E (4, fielding) 2B B. Scales 0/4 LF J. Dubois 0/3, HBP 1B B. LaHair 2/4, SB (3) C C. Robinson 1/3, BB RF J. Adduci 0/4, R, K 3B M. Camp 2/4, RBI PH B. Snyder 0/1 PH C. Tracy 0/1 SP JR Mathes 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4/1 K/BB, 8-5 GO-FO RP J. Jackson 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, 3-1 GO-FO Tennessee PPD: Rain Daytona lost 5-3 Box Score DH B. Jackson 1/3, RBI, 2B (6) 2B J. Opitz 0/4 SS R. Flaherty 2/4, R, 2B (5) 1B R. Ridling 2/3, BB, R, RBI, 2B (3), CS (2) RF K. Burke 1/4, K, Assist (3B) 3B DJ LeMahieu 2/4, RBI, 3B (1) C M. Brenly 0/4, K CF J. Valdez 2/4 SP DE Rhee 5 scoreless, 3 H, 3/3 K/BB, 8-1 GO-FO, E (1, pickoff) RP J. Beliveau .1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1-0 GO-FO RP A. Shafer 1.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 2/2 K/BB, WP, 0-3 GO-FO RP O. Martinez 2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 1-3 GO-FO Peoria won 8-1 Box Score SS HJ Lee 1/4, BB, 2 R, RBI, 3B (3), K 2B L. Watkins 4/4, 2 R, RBI, 2B (3), 3B (3), SB (4) 3B G. Rohan 3/3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B (11), HBP, E (2, throw) 1B J. Bour 2/5, 2 RBI, 2B (10), E (5, fielding) DH DJ Fitzgerald 0/4, 2 K, HBP LF N. Perez 2/5, R, 3 K RF R. Jones 0/5, 2 K CF F. Guzman 0/3, 2 K SP J. Antigua 5 scoreless, 2 H, 4/4 K/BB, 7-3 GO-FO RP R. Morla 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1/1 K/BB, WP, 3-1 GO-FO OVERALL: 1-2

I might have missed it, but what's the deal with Brett Jackson? He reportedly has a minor foot injury and is day to day.

With the first round pick, yeah, I think I'm leaning towards guys who could be Top 10 picks, but fall for various reasons. Most of the players who should be available at 16 talent-wise don't seem like the kinds of guys the Cubs would normally take. So, I think going for a falling player might be a workable strategy. That could change between now and the draft, though. As for the budget, Tom Ricketts talked a whole lot about the importance of scouting and player development when his family took over. Someone told me he sent something out to season ticket holders mentioning they increased the budget for those two things, but I haven't seen confirmation of it. His rhetoric suggests the money should be there. That said, I hesitate to go so far as to say the Cubs will hand out record bonuses for their first three picks. In any case, aside from the HS guys who will fall because of college commitments, I don't see players with huge signing bonuses like Harper, Machado, or Taillon making it to the Cubs at 16. I'm inclined to agree with Raisin on this point. Even with Starlin Castro, Hak-Ju Lee, Logan Watkins, Ryan Flaherty, Darwin Barney, and heaven knows how many guys down in EXST right now who could play SS or 2B effectively, I don't think that would be something that would cause the Cubs to shy away since they can always move guys to 2B, 3B, or the OF. Plus, you never know what will happen with injuries and development. As for what you would like to see, I think that would be workable for this team. My general inclination right now is to look at college OFs with high ceilings and college arms who can bring heat. Cole is the only HS player on my list I'd give serious consideration to at 16 who should be available at 16. I think he makes a lot more sense for the Cubs than Whitson, especially since he has a higher ceiling and a decent amount of projection remaining. He's making a very strong case for himself as the second best HS arm in the draft behind Taillon, so it's possible he might not make it to the Cubs...but for now, I think he'll be there.

Box Scores Iowa won 11-1 Box Score CF S. Fuld 0/5 SS D. Barney 0/5, R 3B C. Tracy 4/4, 2 R, RBI, CS (1) 2B B. Scales 0/0, BB 1B M. Hoffpauir 0/3, BB, R, 2 K RF B. Snyder 2/5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B (9), K C W. Castillo 2/4, BB, 2 R, 3 RBI, 2B (3), HR (5) LF J. Adduci 1/5, R, 2 K 2B/3B M. Camp 1/4, BB, R, 2 RBI, E (6, fielding) SP M. Atkins 5 scoreless, 3 H, 4/2 K/BB, 3-5 GO-FO RP J. Stevens 3 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 4-3 GO-FO RP B. Parker 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1/0 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO Tennessee won 8-2 Box Score CF T. Campana 2/5, R, K, 2 SB (13) SS M. Gonzalez 1/4, BB, 2 R, K LF T. Wright 3/5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2B (11) RF M. Spencer 1/4, BB, K 3B R. Canzler 0/3, 2 BB, 2 K, E (3, fielding) C S. Clevenger 3/5, 3 RBI, 2B (4), CS (2) 2B T. Thomas 0/4, RBI, 4 K PH M. Smith 0/1, K SP A. Bibens-Dirkx 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 7-9 GO-FO RP D. Cales 1 perfect, 2/0 K/BB, 0-1 GO-FO RP J. Papelbon 1 IP, 1 ER, 1/0 K/BB, HBP, 1-1 GO-FO RP R. Buchter 1 scoreless, 0 H, 1/0 K/BB, HBP, 0-2 GO-FO Daytona lost 6-2 Box Score 3B J. Opitz 1/4, K, E (1, throw) DH R. Flaherty 1/4, 2 K 1B R. Ridling 0/4, 2 K RF K. Burke 2/4, 2 R, 2B (10), 2 K, E (3, fielding) SS DJ LeMahieu 2/4, RBI, 2B (4), K CF J. Valdez 0/3, 2 K SP B. Raley 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2/2 K/BB, WP, 4-3 GO-FO RP M. Carrillo 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2/1 K/BB, 1-2 GO-FO RP J. Beliveau 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1/1 K/BB, 2-0 GO-FO, E (1, throw) Peoria lost 4-0 Box Score SS HJ Lee 2/4 CF L. Watkins 0/3 2B M. Cerda 0/4, 2 K DH G. Rohan 1/4 1B J. Bour 0/3, BB LF DJ Fitzgerald 1/4, Assist (3B) RF N. Perez 1/2, BB, 2B (1) 3B C. Thomas 0/3, 2 K C J. Mota 0/3 SP SM Jung 5 H, 4 ER, 4/1 K/BB, HR, WP, 4-5 GO-FO RP Y. Gonzalez 2 scoreless, 1 H, 1/0 K/BB, WP, 4-1 GO-FO RP J. Latham 1 perfect, 3-0 GO-FO OVERALL: 2-2

Long story short, I just signed up for the community mock draft over at Sickels' blog. It's three rounds and happens June 5th. Here is my Mock Organization Diary, which talks about the philosophy I'm following, players I'm considering, etc. I would be grateful for any comments, suggestions, or criticisms any of you might have for me in this process. Basically, any help I get will be welcome. Thanks!