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Maybe the Red Sox take him? I believe they drafted him out of HS and really loved him back then. I could totally see him falling to 27.

I wonder if N. Pearson might make it to the Cubs now. That'd be awesome. N. Allen and N. Pearson would be a good combination for our two picks.

Well that sucks. Good pick for the Yankees.

Well that's good for us. Hiura hopefully keeps falling, and maybe he'll fall all the way to our pick. Doubt it, but you never know...

Man this is going to be a weird draft. Never seen so much uncertainty leading right up to the draft. Maybe like in 2004 (when M. Bush went #1), but teams treat the draft so much differently now and there are spending limits. I feel like there are going to be a high number of busts in the 1st round, like way more than normal.

Not sure if someone posted this article from Baseball America. Good stuff. Wish there was more info... http://www.baseballamerica.com/draft/draft-notebook-prep-outfielders-rising/#tUib0SwLhybwRgky.97

Isn't Rooker only a 2nd round talent based on age though? It's not a limitation of any of his tools or production. I'm willing to gamble on that. He's also a 1B/LF who likely doesn't have the normal power for those positions. Yeah he's also kinda old. He mashed no doubt, but there are questions about his bat and where he can play. If he's only capable of playing 1B then he's got to hit and hit for some power. I'm not sure if Rooker can play RF/LF. Plus he bats righthanded, which teams and scouts hate if you're only capable of playing 1B. Most teams want a LHH at 1B. I like Rooker, but as a target for the 2nd round. I'd rather gamble on L. Gonzalez or someone else if we really want to sign someone to an underslot deal.

I think we're definitely interested in HS SS N. Allen, but I don't think he'll get to our pick now. On the pitching side I'd say college pitchers we're interested in: T. Houck, G. Canning, C. Schmidt and D. Peterson. HS pitchers: S. Carlson, T. Rogers, B. Enlow and maybe H. Danner. I don't know how much interest the Cubs have in JC pitchers N. Pearson and B. Little. I like both of them a lot, but I haven't heard any rumors of them showing interest. Might be too unrefined for their taste. I really wonder what the new metrics or characteristics they're looking for in pitching prospects. IS it a combination of these things: Spin rate, perceived velocity/good extension for the pitcher, arm angle and release point, crossfire vs. online w/ plate, etc.? I have no clue :dontknow: ...

I get what you're saying and getting at -- accountability. J. Hendry isn't great at admitting mistakes and being accountable, like GarPax with the current Bulls organization. I'm not a Hendry supporter. He was a pretty bad GM, in retrospect. That said I took that quote as meaning he wasn't that active in the draft process and doing research and really investing time and energy into making sure you make the right selection, like Jed and Theo. I think Hendry honestly just let his scouting director do all the work and gave him autonomy to select whoever he wants. I mean that's how we got the H. Simpson debacle in 2010.

Damn, that article is really freaking depressing...

Romero is interesting. We know they tend to avoid off-field issues with amateur talent but this regime famously drafted Clay Buccholz (with disagreement between Theo and Jed) despite his off the field issues. That's a good point. I personally don't want the Cubs to draft Romero (unless he falls to the later rounds) because on top of the poor makeup I've read conditioning and staying in shape are problems for him. Everything I've read about this Cubs regime is how much they stress character and makeup. They value it and want their scouts to show examples of good character before drafting that player. I doubt they'd be willing to risk a high draft pick on a player kicked off his college team who also has a bad body/conditioning issues.

DAMN IT! Man these allegations suck and Addison is a fan favorite... Why? Why couldn't the Cubs player *allegedly* cheating on his wife be Lackey? horsefeathers

McKay might not be as appealing as a LHP now, but he's considered the best collegiate bat in this draft. Either him or K. Hiura. No one questions the hit or power tool. Unfortunately, he is only capable of playing 1B. Not a super high upside, but maybe the highest floor in the draft? I think he's the safest pick in this draft class.

Yup. I personally think it's blasphemy to say and/or think Schwarber is a mediocre player unworthy of being taken so high [-( . He's struggling no doubt. I don't believe Schwarber has ever struggled like this before. He'll bounce back and in a few years we'll forget about his struggles in 2017. He's going to be fine.

I agree with Craig on being wary of trying to cut deals with picks #27 and #30 to save money to try to allocate that to picks later on. Yes, we did save money in 2014 by being right on K. Schwarber and other teams not properly evaluating talent at the top. That said, I don't trust our scouts in identifying pitching talent in later rounds. Look at 2014, we moved that money we saved and spread it out among Sands, Steele and Cease. We were fortunate Cease fell that far and was willing to sign for $1.5 mil. He fell because he needed TJS and had a strong commitment to Vanderbilt. Everyone knew how talented Cease was and you don't have to employ amazing scouts to scout a talent like that. It's early, but I think we were wrong on Sands and Steele. I don't know who else was available in those rounds (I'd have to go and look again), but that's the problem with waiting to re-allocate the savings you get from underslot deals at the top of the draft -- there isn't enough talent left. I should probably better state that as meaning there are talented pitchers available, but correctly identifying them and signing them becomes incredibly difficult. It's too early to definitively judge the 2014 Cubs draft, but if they go 1/3 for the 3 overslot deals on Sands, Steele and Cease then great -- you'll take that and consider it a success. Again, we were lucky D. Cease fell and was willing to sign. Hypothetically speaking, if Cease wanted more money and as a result the Cubs decided to select some other talented HS pitcher the Cubs might very well have gone 0/3 on those overslot deals from the 2014 draft... Be careful with advocating that strategy (saving money and spreading it on later picks) because sometimes there isn't enough obvious talent to warrant those overslot deals.

What little I've followed has seemed suspicious how much the Cubs were tied specifically to that player that it seemed to be an obvious plant and likely misdirection on somebody's part. The Cubs love Gray and Appel, they're just glad they get to pick one at #2. I agree that this seems like misdirection. I think the Cubs like N. Allen genuinely, but the degree to which I'm reading their heavy interest in mock drafts seems weird. Maybe they want Toronto or some other team to take him because they have interest in college pitchers? We're definitely taking a pitcher with one of our top 2 picks (maybe with both).

I'm late to the party, but I thought it was already well-known that B. Harper wants to join the Cubs. His personality and flair for the game meshes well with the culture the Cubs have created. J. Maddon is the most popular manager among players, and we all know Joe will let Bryce be Bryce. He is friends with Rizzo and Bryant (they're not best buds or anything like that) and maybe some other Cubs players. I really don't think B. Harper wants to go to the Yankees. He laughed at a report of him signing with the Yankees when he hits FA because of their stupid no facial-hair rule. Actually, I think you're allowed to grow a stupid mustache, but that's it. Obviously, if Yankees offer the most money he will sign there -- whether the stupid hair grooming rules stay or go. I guarantee if the money is roughly equal or a little bit less his Top 2 preferred places are LA and Chicago. I'm positive Chicago is #1 and not just for Harper but a lot of players. PS -- I'm also positive that if C. Archer gets traded his preference is to go back to the Cubs. I mean he played for J. Maddon so that's an obvious fit.

Law sounds very sure of him self there. There's no way Allen would actually slip to their pick in the 2nd right? I don't think so. Supposedly both Toronto and Texas like him too. If we take Gonzalez at 27, I'd have to think its at a discount. Maybe even a VERY substantial one. As an example, if he's legitimately looked at as a top 75ish type talent....Slot at 75 is around 775,000.....You give him 1.2 and you're saving close to 1.2 from slot. Which is why I was wondering about Carlson or trying to find out who else has bonuses of 2.5 and up that fall to us at 30.....Is Allen a guy like THAT? I kind of doubt it, based on his profile alone. If anything, I was kind of looking at him as a guy you may SAVE a bit on at 27. At any rate, with Law signaling Gonzalez, he's heard SOMETHING. Gonzalez and Allen at 27 and 30 would be a surprise to me. Buuuuut, MAYBE they do that to save money on BOTH picks, and spend huge on pick 67? And grab 2 position players they're high on, in the process? Has K. Law definitely heard something though? I think maybe he's heard Gonzalez is moving up draft boards and that certain analytically-minded teams like the Cubs are showing interest in him. I could see us selecting him in the 2nd-round (Gonzalez). N. Allen probably won't be around if the Cubs don't select him at 27 or 30. Heck, some team might pick him before the Cubs select at 27...

LOL. Can someone explain what is happening here? Like how could you rile up a mascot enough to get him to flip you the bird? Wait a sec, I bet that Mets fan probably said something dirty about Mrs. Met...

Thanks for all the great scouting reports UK! Could you provide one on RHP Garrett King and RHP B. Montes De Oca? I like G. King and B. Montes De Oca as possibilities for the later rounds.

I don't understand how he kills the Cubs...like it boggles the mind. He looks terrible against every other team. I'm pretty sure the scouting report for him is similar to Baez -- throw a bunch of breaking balls at him and don't throw him a fastball (in the zone).

I remember Happ and Benintendi worked out at Wrigley their year and Correa and Almora their year. Yeah, I remember reading Correa was super impressive and the Cubs FO really liked him. That's who I wanted the Cubs to take. I really liked K. Gausman that year too. I believe Buxton was the consensus best prospect in that draft class.

So I've read many mock drafts by this point, and they consistently say we're in on SS N. Allen and that we really like him. I guess some Cubs scouts have been spotted at his games. The Cubs always do some private workouts with prospects they like. I believe they had I. Happ come out to Wrigley before the draft to take some BP? I could be wrong and I'm confusing him with someone else. I'm really curious who they're inviting to Wrigley Field or Arizona for some private workouts. We don't usually get that information until right around draft time or afterwards.

I agree with Gilby. Outside of maybe trading for Y. Darvish, I don't see us trading for a TOR pitcher. I like Estrada too and think he can do an outstanding job for the remainder of the season. I think J. Maddon and the whole Cubs Front Office loves Happ, and I doubt we part ways with him now. Not sure how they feel about Eloy, but they must like him considering how much praise he got in ST. Candelario, Zagunis and Caratini are all good trade assets and some combination of them plus some pitching prospects should net us a pretty good pitcher -- just not a TOR pitcher. I think we're a good fit for making a trade with B. Beane. He doesn't mind making trades that involve lower-rated prospects. I don't know how much I trust S. Gray, but he could be a good fit and is controllable beyond this season.

Yep. Hiura would be my dream come true. Yeah, I'm also down for selecting Hiura if he falls that far. I don't know where he fits or works defensively. He definitely needs TJ surgery on his throwing arm right?