With only five full days remaining before the First-Year Player Draft begins on Thursday (June 5), Baseball America and Scout.com released another round of mock drafts. Unlike the last three mock drafts that had the Cubs taking a position player, both Baseball America and Scout.com think the Cubs will select a pitcher with the fourth overall pick in the draft. John Manuel thinks the Astros, Marlins and White Sox will leave LHP Carlos Rodon on the board for the Cubs. No one is sure which way … [Read more...]
Three Possible Position Players for the Cubs in the Latest Mock Drafts
With the First Year Player Draft beginning in under 10 days (June 5), a new round of mock drafts have been posted with three more possibilities for the Cubs with the fourth overall pick. MLB.com’s Jim Callis released his first mock draft on Friday, Baseball America’s John Manuel posted his third mock draft on Sunday and Keith Law’s second mock draft came out on Tuesday morning. Early in the spring, many felt it was a given the Cubs would take a pitcher in the first round. But with Jeff … [Read more...]
Three Mock Drafts, Three Possible Picks for the Cubs
With the First-Year Player Draft (June 5) just around the corner, the top talent evaluators in the game have begun releasing mock drafts for the first round selections. The general consensus is the Astros, Marlins and White Sox will take pitchers with the first three picks in the draft, which could leave the Cubs selecting a position player at No. 4. The injuries and subsequent Tommy John surgeries to RHP Jeff Hoffman and RHP Erick Fedde have impacted their draft status and reduced the number of … [Read more...]
Cubs Draft Update: Pitching Injuries Muddle Cubs Draft Picture
The recent elbow injuries to RHP Jeff Hoffman (East Carolina) and RHP Erick Fedde (UNLV) that resulted in Tommy John surgery for both college right handers have taken two pitching options off the board the Cubs could have selected with the fourth pick in the upcoming draft. It is very likely a team will take a chance on both pitchers next month, but it is not likely that either pitcher will be picked as high as they were once projected to be drafted. As has been reported, the Cubs were very … [Read more...]
Draft Preview: Will the Cubs Select a Pitcher or a Position Player in the First Round?
The Rule 4 Draft, or First-Year Player Draft, is a little under a month away (June 5-7) and has been the case, those three days in June will arguably be the most important days of the year for the Chicago Cubs. The front office will make trades before and after the deadline in order to inject more talent into the system. The draft, however, is viewed by many in the Cubs’ front office as their ‘Super Bowl.’ The Cubs system is viewed as being position-player rich and pitching poor. The top … [Read more...]
Bryant’s Big Night and Cubs News and Notes from Down on the Farm
Kris Bryant continued tearing up Double-A pitching on Saturday night. Bryant went 4-for-5 in the Smokies 8-4 victory over the Chattanooga Lookouts. Bryant not only collected a career-high four hits, he also hit his Southern League leading sixth home run. Bryant also leads the Southern League in runs scored (21) and is hitting .304/.423/.559 with eight doubles, six home runs, 15 RBI and a .982 OPS. In the field, Bryant has committed seven errors. Mick Gillispie, the Smokies play-by-play man, … [Read more...]
Arrieta Season Debut Scheduled for Saturday and Other Cubs News and Notes
According to multiple reports, Jake Arrieta will make his season debut on Saturday afternoon in the second game of the three-game series with the Cardinals. Jason Hammel has been pushed back to Sunday night and will have two extra days off in between starts. Jake Arrieta posted a 4-2 record in nine starts with the Cubs last season. In 51 2/3 innings, he gave up 34 hits with 24 walks and 37 strikeouts (3.66 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). Arrieta feels he is ready to take the next step in his development and … [Read more...]
Updates on Arrieta and Baez and Cubs News from Down on the Farm
Jake Arrieta completed his third rehab start on Wednesday. Arrieta worked into the sixth inning after retiring 10 in a row at one point and setting down 12 of the first 13 batters he faced to start his afternoon. Arrieta ended up allowing one earned run on three hits with one walk and two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. After being scheduled to throw six innings or 80-85 pitches, Arrieta threw 82 pitches, 50 for strikes on Wednesday. Jake Arrieta could reportedly make his last rehab start at … [Read more...]
Closer By Committee, the Roster Shuffle and Cubs News and Notes
Rick Renteria announced prior to Saturday’s game that Jose Veras would not be closing games for the Cubs, at least for now. Jose Veras carried a rough spring into the regular season and simply cannot throw enough strikes to close games. Veras has never been known for his command, but he has not struggled to the extent he has this year during his career. Renteria will play matchups late in games when his team has the lead for now. Which means Pedro Strop, Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon will … [Read more...]