The MLB Draft is less than a week away and in a world without sports, the yearly (uneventful) event has turned into a spectacle that fans from across the country are planning on tuning in for. Because of that, there has been more draft content than I have ever seen in past years. It has been wonderful to find mock drafts, player write-ups, Cape Cod League video footage, and all sorts of other content as far as my internet eyeball can see and because of that, I have had the opportunity to dig into the draft harder this year than any other year of my life.

I will not be taking the next few days as an opportunity to tell you how awful the decision is to cut the draft down to five rounds. I won’t be complaining about how Rob Manfred is ruining the sport we love. I will even refrain from saying that if the owners fail to dislodge their thinkers from their hind parts, they will be the biggest disappointment the sports world has seen in a long, long time.

The next few days is about my takeaways from my pre-draft analysis. I have dug deep into the mocks and the rankings, watched video and read plenty of bios, and I think I have compiled a solid list of players that really catch my eye.

I will be splitting up my pre-draft coverage into four separate articles, with one posting each of the next few days, covering high school bats, high school arms, college bats, and college arms. Within each article, guys will fall into different categories: players that the Cubs must select if he falls to their first pick at #16, guys that have been talked about in the range of #16 that I really like, players that I’m keen on taking between rounds two and five, and for the college draftees, guys from schools that the Cubs have scouted and drafted from in the past.

Let’s dig in.

Take If He Falls

Austin Hendrick is the lone high school bat that falls into this category for me. Of course, Zac Veen is also an ultra-talented high school hitter, but the chances that he falls to Chicago are damn near 0%. As for Hendrick, the left-handed hitting outfielder is super toolsy and has plenty of power to play with in games already with lots more to unlock. He might be athletic enough to stick in centerfield but the bat will be able to play anywhere. His strikeouts could be a concern but the light-tower power should offset any excessive whiff concerns.

Good Fits At 16

At one point, it seemed like there was no way Ed Howard was going to drop all the way down to the Cubs first round selection. But since scouts didn’t get to see anything from the shortstop from Mt. Carmel this spring, he has taken a nosedive down prospect lists. It now seems inevitable that Howard will be on the board when the Cubs are set to make their pick, and they could absolutely do worse than a local kid that has the defensive skills to stick at short and offensive upside to be a complete package at the plate.

On the other end of the spectrum, Jordan Walker seems to be rising up lists. It seems highly unlikely he will be available for the Cubs second round pick, so it might be wise to pull the trigger in the first round and get arguably the best raw power in the 2020 draft class. Walker reminds me a little of Brennen Davis in the fact that he a tall and lanky high school kid that could really explode with some added muscle and swing refinement. There is more swing and miss in Walker’s game than Davis, but also a much greater potential for plus-plus power.

Other Guys I Like

Blaze Jordan might be the most difficult player in the draft to sign away from college, but the Cubs could potentially take him with an overslot bonus in round 2 after some savings in the first round. It has been well-documented over the last several years that the Cubs have a major hole that needs filled in the minor league power department. That skill is completely absent from the system and it is a direct product of the team’s focus on athletic players that play good defense up the middle of the field. Jordan and his famous power displays would fit in nicely with this organization.

Further down the draft board, Yohandy Morales is one of the most exciting players I have seen on film. The big third baseman has a whole lot going on in his pre-swing mechanics, particularly his busy loading action, but the hands are legit. He has plus-plus bat speed and that could generate plenty of power in the future. He is a shortstop for his high school team and could transition to third base very smoothly with a real strong arm and terrific athleticism. It will take some extra money to sign him away from The U, but it could be possible in the later rounds depending on how the Cubs use their signing bonuses in the early portions of the draft.

Come back tomorrow to catch up on the small but mighty group of high school arms that have really caught my eye over the past few months!