2020 Draft Thread

[Named After Maddux]

Cubs finished tied with Boston so either 16th or 17th pick pending a coin flip (that’s how they do that, right?).

Ties are broken using the previous year's standings, with worse record winning the tiebreaker.

And to think, you people were disappointed the Cubs didn't win 108 games and the World Series in 2018.

Why would I care about one lousy historic season when it means missing out on the 2022 ROY and 2023-2025 NL/World Series MVP?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

BA put out a mock draft top 10 today. Here is their synopsis of next year's draft:

Unlike a year ago, there’s no clear-cut favorite in the high school or college classes. Oregon State catcher Adley Rutschman and Colleyville (Texas) High shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were the no-doubt leaders of the college and prep classes, respectively, at this point last year, and they wound up being selected in that order.

By all accounts, the 2020 draft class is deeper than the 2019 edition, and the pitching should rebound in a big way after we saw a new low for arms just a few months ago. The college pitching, in particular, is loaded, and the high school class has improved from a year ago as well, meaning we should again see an arm taken among the top-six picks.

On the hitting side, there’s intriguing shortstop depth in the college ranks, while the high school class is deep in the outfield. Both classes have several catchers who could wind up going in the first round as well.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... y-edition/

[UK]

Blaze Jordan please.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[TomtheBombadil]

Which bat, at this far-out moment, do you think would be the best fit for DET at 1-1?


Kiley McDaniel: Today, I’d go to Austin Martin. We’ve been quietly updating our draft rankings to the point that they’re absurdly deep right now at 558 player, which is basically the longest list you’ll see at draft time and we have it now

Kiley McDaniel: https://www.fangraphs.com/prospects/the ... /summary?s…

Kiley McDaniel: we haven’t “announced” the draft rankings yet since we’re still adding/moving guys from college fall practice and new guys that popped up at Jupiter last week, but the 2020 list is pretty close to what we think and the reports on the top guys and risers specifically have been updated in the last few weeks

Kiley McDaniel: may be another 10-12 players to add and then we may formally announce the draft rankings

Kiley McDaniel: the short verison of sussing out the top 3:

Kiley McDaniel: Martin: is 6, maybe 7 bat, 50 raw, 60 speed, haven’t seen him at SS yet (he’ll play there this year), but he’s solid at 2B/3B and maybe CF, so it doesn’t really matter. It’s similar overall to Dansby but not quite as athletic, better hitter

Kiley McDaniel: Torkelson: Like Andrew Vaughn, a little more power, little less bat, something lik e a 5 bat, 7 power at 1B with bonkers numbers. Low margin for error (4 bat, 6 power is more role player than star) but slam dunk big leaguer. Models won’t like him due to profile issues, but is doing everything he can

Kiley McDaniel: Hancock: With no soreness down the stretch last spring, would be 1-1. At times, shows four 60+ pitches, sits mid-90’s, CH is 65 or 70 at times, command is 60 at times…like it’s not quite Strasburg but it’s closer than people are saying. It’s also more 55-60 in some starts, but that’s as bad as it is. If he shoves this spring and stays healthy, it’s hard to pass on him at 1, but that’s still an if right now. Skipped summer and fall.

Glad we don't have a top of the draft pick, I don't think any of these guys are great 1-1 options as they are right now. Hancock and Martin I could see me really liking eventually. Torkelson is probably fine and I'm just overly prejudiced against a second top shorter R/R 1B in a row.

[TomtheBombadil]

https://www.prospectslive.com/mlb-draft ... 25-players

Some that stood out:

15. Zavier Warren, 3B | School: Central Michigan | CCBL Team: Bourne Braves | 170 PAs, .315/.396/.443, 3 HR, 2 SB | Grade: 50 | Draft: 2020

Warren wasn't a premium name entering the summer season, but he left with some serious prospect cachet. Warren is a switch-hitter with some power, speed, and the ability to stick on the left side of the infield. One of the strongest throwing arms we saw, Warren made strong throws at both third and short. With a great combination of skills and value on both sides of the ball ,Warren's peformance has propelled into the Day 1 conversation.

11. Alika Williams, SS | School: Arizona State | CCBL Team: Bourne Braves | 38 PAs, .286/.342/.314, 0 HR, 0 SB | Grade: 50 | Draft 2020

Outstanding defender with the ability to make all the plays at the six. Excellent footwork, soft hands, and strong actions, Williams was the best infield defender we witnessed this summer. At the plate his linear contact oriented approach leaves something to be desired. There's still some projection in that bat to be an average hitter with below average pop.

Williams reminds me a lot of Nick Ahmed, another taller glove first SS from a major program with some idea of how to hit. One of my favorite college players in the draft, especially among the brand name programs

7. Trei Cruz, SS/3B | School: Rice | CCBL Team: Falmouth Commodores | 164 PAs, .307/.384/.429, 3 HR, 11 SB | Grade: 55 | Draft: 2020

Cruz showed extremely well this past summer on the Cape. Already proven with the bat and his pure athleticism, Cruz’s big question mark was his glove. He was Falmouth’s everyday third baseman and even played a bit of center field. Above average arm strength and good range, lowered his error total significantly since Rice. Above average bat speed and finds consistent barrels, especially from the right side

They actually went 50 deep:

https://www.prospectslive.com/mlb-draft ... 50-players

[CaliforniaRaisin]

[TomtheBombadil]

MLB.com's top 100 and a mock of the first ten picks:

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2020?list=draft

https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mock-draf ... projection

Asa Lacy's hot, top 5 prospect...Nick Gonzalez at 4 is a surprise even if very productive....Ed Howard at 11, Veen at 22, Tyler Soderstrom at 17, Jordan Walker at 20....Jake Eder ranked over Hugh Fisher among Vandy LHPs...Blaze Jordan all the way down at 53...Joe Boyle and Nick Frasso at 57 and 60...Dax Fulton at 36...Jared Kelly's currently the top HS RH but I might like Abel, right behind him at 8, a little more...new guy for me is HS RHP Alex Santos out of the Bronx at 38

[CaliforniaRaisin]

MLB.com's top 100 and a mock of the first ten picks:

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2020?list=draft

https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mock-draf ... projection

Asa Lacy's hot, top 5 prospect...Nick Gonzalez at 4 is a surprise even if very productive....Ed Howard at 11, Veen at 22, Tyler Soderstrom at 17, Jordan Walker at 20....Jake Eder ranked over Hugh Fisher among Vandy LHPs...Blaze Jordan all the way down at 53...Joe Boyle and Nick Frasso at 57 and 60...Dax Fulton at 36...Jared Kelly's currently the top HS RH but I might like Abel, right behind him at 8, a little more...new guy for me is HS RHP Alex Santos out of the Bronx at 38

I like Gonzalez and Mitchell a lot. Gonzalez’ bat is electric, Mitchell has a lot of intriguing tools and if he can play CF well this year, he’d be a very exciting prospect.

Would love to go the Cease route with Fulton.

[TomtheBombadil]

I like Gonzalez and Mitchell a lot. Gonzalez’ bat is electric, Mitchell has a lot of intriguing tools and if he can play CF well this year, he’d be a very exciting prospect.

Would love to go the Cease route with Fulton.

Agreed on both. Before seeing MLB.com rank him in the top 5 prospects (along with Lacy), Gonzalez would have been my guess for the guy most likely to be drafted by the Cubs. He mashed including the CCBL

Edit: Gonzales*

[Cubswin11]

MLB.com's top 100 and a mock of the first ten picks:

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2020?list=draft

https://www.mlb.com/news/2020-mock-draf ... projection

Asa Lacy's hot, top 5 prospect...Nick Gonzalez at 4 is a surprise even if very productive....Ed Howard at 11, Veen at 22, Tyler Soderstrom at 17, Jordan Walker at 20....Jake Eder ranked over Hugh Fisher among Vandy LHPs...Blaze Jordan all the way down at 53...Joe Boyle and Nick Frasso at 57 and 60...Dax Fulton at 36...Jared Kelly's currently the top HS RH but I might like Abel, right behind him at 8, a little more...new guy for me is HS RHP Alex Santos out of the Bronx at 38

Reading the profiles on there Gage Workman, Zac Veen, Daniel Cabrera, and Casey Martin all seem like intriguing enough bats who could/should be around at 16 just going off where they’re ranked. Assuming they go bat at 16, seems like profiles they may like based on rankings today.

[TomtheBombadil]

Reading the profiles on there Gage Workman, Zac Veen, Daniel Cabrera, and Casey Martin all seem like intriguing enough bats who could/should be around at 16 just going off where they’re ranked. Assuming they go bat at 16, seems like profiles they may like based on rankings today.

Patrick Bailey and Austin Wells too

[Bertz]

Good thread on Kantrovitz

[TomtheBombadil]

Cardinals used 5 out of 6 firsts on pitchers under Kantrovitz... 3 college and 2 HS, and only one (Rob Kaminsky a HS LH taken at 28) didn't make the majors. Flaherty's already an impact SP, Luke Weaver looks good, Wacha was and then wasn't, and traded Gonzales for a top 100 power COF prospect...The college class is loaded too, the three college arms were all SPs that season

I just read Fulton's writeup, TJ in September, and now I get CR's Cease comment. Yes please, he should be much more signable out of the first off of this I would think. That TJ makes Mick Abel RHP the only HS pitcher I'd want the Cubs to take in the first right now all the way in December 2019.

Burl Carraway, LHRP out of Dallas Baptist, seems like a great fit for the org. Throws hard with a curveball, struck out 15+ per 9 last year...Seems like an ideal 2nd or 3rd pick

[Named After Maddux]

Per Craig Mish and a few guys at BA, the MLB draft will now be held in Omaha starting next year. I’m a big fan of that change.
https://mobile.twitter.com/craigmish/status/1204234537913348096

[Regular Show]

Per Craig Mish and a few guys at BA, the MLB draft will now be held in Omaha starting next year. I’m a big fan of that change.
https://mobile.twitter.com/craigmish/status/1204234537913348096

[TomtheBombadil]

Switch hitting HS SS but not all that big or projectable so proving he can hit in college is probably his best route to a future first round

[Regular Show]

As Eric wrote in February, teams have been purchasing TrackMan units for junior colleges in order to enjoy exclusive access to the data collected by those units, a clear competitive advantage. The Yankees and Cubs were the most proactive in securing partnerships with junior colleges, paying for the installation (at a cost of about $30,000) and upkeep of TrackMan units (another five figure amount per unit annually) at top JuCos in exchange for exclusive access to the data. The junior colleges could use the unit for their own purposes in non-game settings and also got to keep the game data. This practice also gave clubs another site in a different part of the country to hold private pre-draft workouts and collect the data from draft prospects for themselves.

MLB Clubs with TrackMan Exclusivity
MLB Team JUCO
Chicago Cubs - College of Southern Nevada
Chicago Cubs - San Jacinto North (TX)
Chicago Cubs - State College of Florida Manatee
New York Yankees - Cypress College (CA)
New York Yankees - Chipola Junior College (FL)
New York Yankees - Hill Junior College (TX)
Atlanta Braves - Central Arizona College
*According to team sources

Team sources described the mood of the amateur directors’ meeting at which the subject was broached as “temperate,” and said many club executives were willing to “tip our caps to the teams who got out in front of the rest of us on this issue”; most were generally in favor of maintaining the status quo.

Great article from Eric & Kiley and they'll probably go in more detail about this in their book. I didn't know the Cubs were among the first MLB teams doing this exclusive partnership with JCs on TrackMan units at their parks. San Jacinto is a big one and has a few good draft prospects every year. Andy Pettitte pitched at San Jacinto before signing with the Yankees. Chipola is another highly rated JC and that's a great partnership to have for the Yankees. State College of Florida is another good program with some decent draft prospects this year.

It looks like the exclusive partnerships are over now (which kinda sucks), but maintaining good relationships with the coaches and staff at these JCs is still important and helps come draft time. We drafted Brendon Little from a JC back in 2017 and he had impressive spin rates on his CB back then...

----

I talked to Raisin about those tweets from Jim Callis a while back. Scouts will definitely be flocking to San Jacinto to watch all those impressive pitching prospects.

[TomtheBombadil]

I've got 6 of the 8 from the San Jacinto program down:

Luke Little LHP
Mitchell Parker LHP - Originally drafted by the Cubs out of HS in 2018
Jake Hymel RHP
Jack Neeley RHP
Brandon Birdsell RHP
Cole McMilan LHP

I think Hymel's got top 5 round potential too and Parker's got the arm strength for it...Jackson Rutledge, a first round pick with the Nats in 2019, was with the program in 2019...All these guys pitched in the Fall

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https://www.mlb.com/news/nick-bitsko-el ... lassifying

Nick Bitsko was thought to be one of the most talented high school arms for 2021. But the Bucks County East High School (Doylestown, Pa.) product will graduate early. That will make the 17-year-old eligible for the 2020 Draft.

...

Bitsko stands big, at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, with plenty of projection and now stuff. He stood out particularly at the East Coast Pro Showcase over the summer, but has shown consistent ability at every stop. The right-hander was up to 96-97 mph at East Coast Pro, with all fastballs in the 92- to 96-mph range. He combines it with a hard breaking ball that shows plus shape, thrown in the 78- to 82-mph range, getting a lot of swings and misses. While he doesn’t throw it as much, he does have solid feel for a changeup. Bitsko isn’t pure power, either, showing the ability to throw all three pitches for strikes with a chance for future plus command.

Bitsko is athletic and a solid high school hitter as well, though his future is most certainly on the mound, where at least one scout sees Justin Verlander-type potential if he can reach his very high ceiling.

As much as I like Mick Abel, and it's much for a HS RHSP, this guy's got Cole/Verlander/Fernandez dims so this new guy I just heard of please...I can't find that one really good in depth look at draft demographics from maybe 2013 but the Cubs are in a pretty good range of picks for top shelf HS arms. Recent selection at just pick 16 include Giolito and Liberatore, both guys considered the best HS pitcher in their drafts pretty early on. Get this guy, get Fulton later, don't mess up Gallardo, and have Ryan Jensen run through the minors this year to make all this developing pitching nonsense go away please

FGs has him at 16

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Ed Howard or Cristian Hernandez IFA?

Kiley McDaniel: Reasonably close, lean Howard

[Regular Show]

I just want to clarify something. I'm barely posting here in this thread...

Some posters are curious why I'm not posting more in here, and they know the answer. I've been discussing the draft with Raisin for the past few months via PMs. It's quite lengthy and contains a large # of posts (I had to create a separate folder for everything).

I have one poster I especially despise here (they know who they are. Actually, everyone knows who you are lol). If that poster responds to what I wrote I really don't care to continue posting in here, and I'll just continue talking to Raisin privately.

This is another warning. Stop horsefeathering responding to my posts or I'll just go dark (to the detriment of the whole board). Just ignore what I wrote or post like I do for your posts in this thread. Again, it's not hard.

I have zero interest in discussing the draft or draft prospects with you here.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I just want to clarify something. I'm barely posting here in this thread...

Some posters are curious why I'm not posting more in here, and they know the answer. I've been discussing the draft with Raisin for the past few months via PMs. It's quite lengthy and contains a large # of posts (I had to create a separate folder for everything).

I have one poster I especially despise here (they know who they are. Actually, everyone knows who you are lol). If that poster responds to what I wrote I really don't care to continue posting in here, and I'll just continue talking to Raisin privately.

This is another warning. Stop horsefeathering responding to my posts or I'll just go dark (to the detriment of the whole board). Just ignore what I wrote or post like I do for your posts in this thread. Again, it's not hard.

I have zero interest in discussing the draft or draft prospects with you here.

This isn’t how message boards work man. If you can’t stand someone, there’s a feature so you don’t see their posts available to you. You don’t get to limit who can reply to your posts, if that causes you to not post then that’s 100% up to you.

[Regular Show]

I just want to clarify something. I'm barely posting here in this thread...

Some posters are curious why I'm not posting more in here, and they know the answer. I've been discussing the draft with Raisin for the past few months via PMs. It's quite lengthy and contains a large # of posts (I had to create a separate folder for everything).

I have one poster I especially despise here (they know who they are. Actually, everyone knows who you are lol). If that poster responds to what I wrote I really don't care to continue posting in here, and I'll just continue talking to Raisin privately.

This is another warning. Stop horsefeathering responding to my posts or I'll just go dark (to the detriment of the whole board). Just ignore what I wrote or post like I do for your posts in this thread. Again, it's not hard.

I have zero interest in discussing the draft or draft prospects with you here.

This isn’t how message boards work man. If you can’t stand someone, there’s a feature so you don’t see their posts available to you. You don’t get to limit who can reply to your posts, if that causes you to not post then that’s 100% up to you.

If you want me to participate in this thread then that is exactly how it will work. Otherwise, I will continue discussing it privately (which sucks for posters interested in what I think and have to say on the draft. It's not a small group).

[TomtheBombadil]

San Jacinto possibly having 8 draftable pitchers is not an original comment from Regular Show, it's a tweet by Jim Callis

[Regular Show]

Again, it doesn't matter if it's "original content" or something else in my post. I want zero interaction between us here and I want you to completely ignore my posts.

Trust me, my PMs to Raisin contain plenty of original content and my opinions on draft prospects and mock drafts and breakdowns...

Well, I guess I'm just going to keep discussing it privately then. Sorry guys