The Cubs haven’t drafted a high school pitcher in the first round since they selected Paul Blackburn out of Heritage High School in California in the supplemental first round way back in 2012. That really isn’t a huge surprise, as high school arms are *by far* the riskiest group of players to select in the draft. Pitchers are a crapshoot, as are high schoolers. Combine those two risks and you are dealing with a demographic that is almost not worth touching if you are a member of a front office.

After going over the loaded high school bats just a day ago, we are dealing with a little smaller group today. In fact, there isn’t a single player that falls into my usual category of “Lucky If He Falls to 21” due to the way the board is laid out. With that being said, I still plan on digging in to my fair share of pitchers that have caught my eye over the past few months.

Good Fits at 21

I know high school pitchers are supposed to be risky, but man is it hard to find that considerable risk with Andrew Painter. We are talking about a righty that stands 6-6 and 230 pounds, has a fastball that sits in the mid-90s, and has plus command. Oh, and my favorite thing in the world: a prep arm with a plus changeup. Andrew, you know the way to my heart. His arm action is clean and he has plenty of time to continue to develop his curve that can be a little loopy and an average slider. Painter might be too good to pass up on.

They told me to not get too excited by the young righty that throws gas with effort. Sorry, I can’t help it. Chase Petty is 18-years-old and literally hits 102 on the gun. He uses a bit of a long arm action and can be pretty wild. Not only will he need to improve on his command, but control is a big concern. The slider looks really good sometimes, and other times it doesn’t have the two-plane break you would hope for. When it comes down to it, Petty is a huge risk. But the dude could end up being an absolute stud as a pro and that potential is just too great to ignore.

Other Guys I Like

Who doesn’t love a crafty lefty? Now how about a crafty lefty that also has really good stuff? Carter Holton stands just 5-11 and he mixes his deliveries to keep batters on their toes. He will also do a really good job of hiding the ball thanks to his whip-like delivery from left side. But the Vandy commit can also reach the mid-90s with his fastball and has three other pitches that could end up being usable offerings. The main goal for Holton will be not unlike other Cubs prospects – differentiate the curveball and slider from one another. If the Cubs could snag him in the third round, I would love the direction the draft team is taking.

For the people of the state of Iowa, Hawkeye football is a religion. Getting Ankeny native Brody Brecht to forgo his commitment to be a wide receiver every Saturday will be ultra-challenging, but if it can be done then it could lead to a successful draft for the Cubs. Obviously very athletic, the 6-4 Brecht touches 97 mph with his heater and has a really good slider from his extreme over-the-top delivery. I really like late and fast risers from a high school kid in a cold weather state and Brecht definitely meets those criteria. Kantrovitz might need to snag him in the second round because he might not be there when pick #93 rolls around.

Alright we are gonna end this thing like we did yesterday: with a couple of deep cuts. I’m talking dudes that could fall past the fifth round and as late as the tenth round depending on how the Cubs handle their money in the first few rounds of the draft. The first guy here is Alonzo Tredwell, a large man-child who is 6-7 and 225 pounds and will be on the older side at 19-years-old on draft day. He had Tommy John surgery back right before the pandemic hit so his in-game action has been scarce but before that, he was considered one of the better high school arms in the class. The surgery shouldn’t scare you away here and a big dude that already sits in the low-90s shouts projectability, especially because he features an arm action that is pretty smooth. I think he can generate even more power throughout his body with some coaching.

Karson Ligon is an athlete. Karson Ligon has a good looking changeup with plenty of fade. Karson Ligon has a fan in Greg. I’m #NotAScout but I don’t love the amount of stress he puts on his elbow in his delivery, but besides that there is a lot to like here if he drops down past the fifth round for the Cubs. Ligon has plenty of size (6-3, 190) to maintain his mid-90s fastball deep into starts once he matures even more. Getting him out of his commitment to Miami will be tough, but well worth the challenge.

I’ll be back tomorrow with the start of my college previews: the hitters. That means the lists will be bigger and the names will be more familiar. Should be fun!