It appears the Cubs have agreed to terms with the first round pick in last week’s draft. Ian Happ posted on his personal Twitter account Sunday afternoon, “Excited to start my journey with the Cubs. First stop Arizona.” Happ did not say he has signed with the Cubs and the team has not made an announcement.
If Happ has agreed to terms, the amount of his signing bonus has not been leaked by either Jim Callis or Baseball America.
Updated 8:30am CDT – According to Jim Callis, the Cubs and Ian Happ agreed to terms on a $3 million signing bonus, an under-slot deal. The Cubs were assigned $3,351,000 for the ninth pick in the draft.
• Cubs Select OF/2B Ian Happ in First Round of 2015 Draft [Report: June 8]
Ian Happ is a switch-hitter with excellent bat speed from both sides and projects as a plus-hitter with average power. Happ is an above average runner. Happ has played right and center field, second and third base as well as a little shortstop. Happ’s arm profiles as a left fielder. Happ should play second base and has work to do there defensively.
• Keith Law Future Grades – Hitting: 60 | Power: 55 | Running Speed: 55| Fielding Range: 50 | Arm Strength: 50
• MLB Pipeline Scouting Grades – Hit: 60 | Power: 55 | Run: 55 | Arm: 55 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
“Ian has proved to be one of the better performers in college baseball over the past couple of seasons,” said Jason McLeod, Cubs Senior Vice President of Scouting and Player Development in a statement. “He’s a switch-hitter who hits for average and power while showing advanced plate discipline. We feel he’s athletic enough to play the infield or outfield.”
Ian Happ, 20 (Aug. 12, 1994), this season batted .369 (73-for-198) with 47 runs scored, 18 doubles, 14 home runs and 44 RBI for the Bearcats. He walked 49 times to contribute to a .492 on-base percentage, and his .672 slugging mark gave him a 1.164 OPS. Happ led the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage, and tied for the lead in walks. Additionally, he led his team in runs, hits, doubles, home runs and RBI.
Named a semi-finalist for the 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award, the switch-hitting Happ was recognized as the 2015 AAC Player of the Year, named First Team Academic All-American, Second Team Louisville Slugger All-American and was a unanimous first team All-Conference member as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The six-foot, 205-pound Happ has batted .338 (194-for-574) with 120 runs, 44 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs and 107 RBI in three seasons at Cincinnati. He has drawn more walks (128) than strikeouts (116), contributing to a .463 on-base percentage, and along with his .552 slugging mark has recorded a 1.015 OPS through his junior season. His walks and on-base percentage both rank third-most in school history while his 56 stolen bases are fifth. Happ has seen time in both right field and center field, as well as second base, third base and shortstop.
In his sophomore 2014 season, Happ led Cincinnati with a .443 on-base percentage, .497 slugging percentage, 32 walks and 19 stolen bases while he batted .322 (55-for-171) with 13 doubles, one triple, five homers and 27 RBI. He earned First Team All-AAC honors and was a preseason first team All-America selection by Baseball America.
Ian Happ is a two-time Cape Cod League All-Star, having played for the Harwich Mariners in 2013-14. He batted .329 (49-for-149) with 12 doubles, one triple, four home runs, 26 RBI and a .936 OPS in 2014 following a 2013 summer in which he hit .293 (43-for-147) with seven doubles, two triples, five homers and 22 RBI.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Happ graduated from Mt. Lebanon (PA) high school after he produced a .449 career batting average with 33 doubles, five triples, 12 home runs and 65 RBI in four seasons.
Cubs 2015 First-Year Player Draft
The Cubs signing bonus pool for the first 10 rounds of this year’s draft is $7,236,100 million down from $8,352,200 million from a year ago. If the Cubs sign a player in rounds 11-40 for more than $100,000, the excess is counted against the team’s bonus pool. If the Cubs draft a player in the first 10 rounds they are unable sign, the assigned slot value is removed from their bonus pool allotment.
Draft Picks and Assigned Values for the Cubs first 10 rounds:
- Round One (Pick #9) – $3,351,000 – OF/2B Ian Happ – Signed: $3,000,000
- Round Two (Pick #47) – $1,292,100 – OF Donnie Dewees
- Round Three (Pick #82) – $731,000 – LHP Bryan Hudson
- Round Four (Pick #113) – $503,100 – OF D.J. (Darryl) Wilson
- Round Five (Pick #143) – $376,700 – LHP Ryan Kellogg
- Round Six (Pick #173) – $281,900 – RHP David Berg
- Round Seven (Pick #203) – $211,300 – RHP Craig Brooks – Signed: $5,000
- Round Eight (Pick #233) – $174,200 – RHP Preston Morrison
- Round Nine (Pick #263) – $162,800 – LHP Tyler Peitzmeier
- Round Ten (Pick #293) – $152,000 – SS Vimael Machin – Signed: $2,000