For a few days now, speculation around the Cubs has centered on the possibility that they could save some money on their first round pick and use it on a high school pitcher, which this draft is loaded with. So naturally, the Cubs took the first college senior off the board, righty Jake Stinnett from Maryland. In case you don’t …
Cubs Select Kyle Schwarber; Scouting Reports and Video
It looks like the rumors that leaked out yesterday were true, the Cubs have selected Kyle Schwarber, a catcher from Indiana University who profiles as a first baseman. This marks the second year in a row that an unexpected name came out as the Cubs’ pick the day before the draft, and turned out to be true. In case you …
MLB Draft: Live Thread, Day One *UPDATES*
Check out our previous coverage here. Coverage Watch: The countdown is on. Coverage has started on MLB Network, and the actual draft starts at 6. I’m streaming on MLB.com. The draft has never been a good TV event. I know it’s an unpopular opinion, but I have been a fan of Harold Reynolds’s going back to his days on Baseball Tonight. …
MLB Draft: Why The Cubs Like Kyle Schwarber, A Statistical Look
The MLB draft starts tonight at 6 pm CT. As all the mocks and rumors are being tied up, something of a consensus has been reached about the Cubs’ intentions with the fourth overall pick. The conventional wisdom runs something like this: High school lefty Brady Aiken won’t be available. The Astros are once again being frustratingly vague about their …
John Manuel and Jim Callis Mock Drafts
It’s mock draft time, or has been for awhile, but anyway, the latest for both Baseball America’s John Manuel and former Baseball America’s and current mlb.com’s Jim Callis are live. John Manuel Jim Callis Manuel has the Astros taking Brady Aiken first, followed by Alex Jackson to the Marlins, Tyler Kolek to the White Sox and Carlos Rodon to the …
2014 MLB Draft: The Premium Arms
Draft season is starting to heat up, so it’s worth paying attention to some of the rumblings that are emerging. The consensus seems to be that there is a top tier of pitchers consisting of about five players: three from college and two from the high-school ranks. On the whole, observers are frustrated that there hasn’t been more separation. Coming …
Better Know a Cub: Mike Olt
Mike Olt is a strong man. He's a patient man. He's a man with a good glove. And he is a man almost wholly written off in some parts. He's a man with undeniable warts and undeniable talents; this is a quality he shares with everyone in baseball not named Mike Trout. Most importantly to me, he's a man who …
Better Know a Cub: Ryan Kalish
Theo Epstein knows Ryan Kalish as well as any GM in the minors. Kalish was drafted by the wonderkid in the 9th round of the 2006 draft; one pick before Mark Melancon. Quick Aside: Look at the 2006 Red Sox draft. It's pretty great. Epstein drafted Justin Masterson, Daniel Bard, Josh Reddick, Brandon Belt (who didn't sign), and Matt LaPorta …
WAR from draft picks 2011-2013
Angels: -0.7 WAR (2 players) Astros: 0.0 WAR Athletics: 1.4 WAR (Sonny Gray) Blue Jays: -0.2 WAR(Kevin Pillar) Braves: 0.8 WAR (Alex Wood) Brewers: 0.0 WAR Cardinals: 2.9 WAR (3 players) Cubs: 0.0 WAR (2010 has none, also. Best prospect remaining is Matt Szczur. What a terrible draft. Oh, we also got -0.5 WAR from 2009). Diamondbacks: -0.5 WAR (Trevor …
2014 IFA: Yankees Double Down, More Names Emerge
A surly Kiley McDaniel has followed up his original scoop about the Yankees' plans to to binge on this year's by putting some names out there: Dermis Garcia (3B, Dominican) is believed to have a deal for $3 million, Nelson Gomez (3B, Dominican) is also believed to have a deal for $3 million, Juan De Leon (CF, Dominican) is believed …