2010 Cubs Draft Thread

[Bockstock]

1st Round, 16th pick - Hayden Simpson

The Chicago Cubs selected right-handed pitcher Hayden Simpson with the 16th pick in the baseball draft on Monday. Simpson, 21, concluded his season at Southern Arkansas University with a 13-1 record and a 1.81 ERA in 15 starts. He also contributed three shutouts and six complete games while striking out 131 in 99 1/3 innings.

"I feel Hayden is potentially a major league starter," Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken said. "He has four above-average to plus-pitches. He's a very athletic pitcher, and he has a good feel for pitching. We had really good reports and very good coverage on Simpson."

Wilken compared the delivery of Simpson, 6 foot and 175 pounds, to the San Francisco Giant's Tim Lincecum and the Houston Astros' Roy Oswalt.

"I'm so thrilled right now, and I'm extremely excited to be a Chicago Cub," said Simpson, who was 35-2 in his career at the Division II school. "This is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm ready to get started."

After Simpson signs, the plan is to send him to Mesa, Ariz., the site of the Cubs' training complex, and after a brief minicamp, the likelihood is he will be sent to one of their short-season A teams.

Simpson was not ranked highly in Baseball America's projections of the top 200 prospects. But Wilken said one other major league team drafting right after the Cubs was showing major interest in him.



I think Wilken deserves the benefit of the doubt for now, but a couple of concerns:

a) is this a sign of the Cubs budgetary limitations?? I would hope a Club that gives John Grabow $7.5 million isn't afraid to open the purse strings for the draft. The Cubs have been in the bottom half of the league recently in terms of spending on the amateur draft.

b) Maybe the Cubs plan on paying some of the amateurs overslot. They did this in 2006, when they drafted Colvin in the first round and paid a ton of money to high schoolers OF Cliff Anderson (cut), OF Drew Rundle (being converted to a pitcher), P Chris Huseby (huge control problems), and Jeff Samardzija to come to the Cubs. Besides Colvin, that plan has been a huge bust.

[LeeEila's/rant]

I hope Ricketts did put restraints on Hendry with his draft signings. Jeff Samarzjraaaaaa !

[Bockstock]

I hope Ricketts did put restraints on Hendry with his draft signings. Jeff Samarzjraaaaaa !

teams like Boston and TB generally will draft the best player available and pay them what their worth, and its worked out fine for them.

But the Cubs are hung up on these toolsy, athletic types or trying to fit a team need (stupid).

[Banks]

Huge reach!

[Bockstock]

Apparently Levine said the Cubs will not sign anybody overslot.

Tom Ricketts, everybody...<crickets>

[HEYHEY]

The draft is a huge crapshoot at best. Nows not the time to spend just get the slots filled with winners

[Bockstock]

The draft is a huge crapshoot at best. Nows not the time to spend just get the slots filled with winners

That attitude might have been true 20-30 years ago.

This isn't the 1960s anymore. The draft is a strategy. A team that puts money and time into it is rewarded. There's alot more information available on these players now then there ever has been before to not make it a crapshoot. It's up to the organization to decipher that information and use it successfully.

Like everything Ricketts has been involved with, it's been a half-ass draft for the Cubs. One of Ricketts first comments was he wanted to emulate the Red Sox. Well, the Red Sox are one of the highest spending teams in the draft annually. Looks like its just lip-service to let fans hear what they want to hear, which alot of Cub fans care about more than how the actual team is running.

[LeeEila's/rant]

I kinda agree with Heyhey . I understand what you are saying too Bock. The problem is the ages of the draftees have not changed. They are so young and it takes so long until they ever see the bigs that it is really hard to judge. You may have some that mature early then flatten out , on the other hand , you may have some late blooming late draft pick that becomes a great player.

[Bockstock]

I kinda agree with Heyhey . I understand what you are saying too Bock. The problem is the ages of the draftees have not changed. They are so young and it takes so long until they ever see the bigs that it is really hard to judge. You may have some that mature early then flatten out , on the other hand , you may have some late blooming late draft pick that becomes a great player.

Player for player, the draft is a crapshoot.

But there's no excuse for lack of strategy, or a big-market team failing to be in the top 10 for spending in the amateur draft.

People complain about the Cubs having to sign "overpaid veteran free agents", and then turn around and think the Cubs being cheap in the draft or not drafting smartly is no big deal.

How does Soto compare to other teams 'home-grown' sluggers?? Braun, Jay Bruce, Ellsbury, Longria, Upton, Tulowitski, Stewart?? He is the closest thing we have until we know more about Colvin when he gets some real PT. there's no comparison.

[Banks]

Drafting players isn't an exact science. But the right draft can help build an organization into a winner. You don't win by over-paying for free agents. You win by spending that money on young talent in drafts...

How exactly do you "draft winners"? What the hell does that even mean? Retarded!

You don't draft to fill up slots. You draft the best talent available, period! In doing so, you are bound to hit big on some picks. So instead of being cheap during the draft, something the Cubs have proven to be this draft with the drafting of the 191st ranked talent, with the 16th pick...you pay for the upside of young talent in the hopes and confidence that your minor league coaching will further develop that talent into something big.

I still can't believe the Cubs took Hayden Simpson with the 16th pick in the draft... He was barely a top 200 talent in this draft!

And please Wilken, don't give me that crap about teams looking to draft him right after the Cubs 16th pick. BS!

[LeeEila's/rant]

People complain about the Cubs having to sign "overpaid veteran free agents", and then turn around and think the Cubs being cheap in the draft or not drafting smartly is no big deal.



It doesn't have to be one or the other . We have found some of our best success in trading minor leaguers. We are fantastic at identifying and developing pitching talent. We just use that as our currency and trade for position players a couple years in the system. There seems to be more of a fall off with position players so why not let other teams absorb that loss of drafts.

[Bockstock]

It doesn't have to be one or the other . We have found some of our best success in trading minor leaguers. We are fantastic at identifying and developing pitching talent. We just use that as our currency and trade for position players a couple years in the system. There seems to be more of a fall off with position players so why not let other teams absorb that loss of drafts.

The reason the farm system was rated so high was Cashner and Castro, both 4-star prospects. Now that both of them are at the MLB.

I agree with you on a couple counts lee, the Cubs shouldn't be scared of trading prospects, including Colvin and Vitters. However, if the Cubs don't have the impact minor leaguers because they were cheapskates on the draft, how they hell are they going to compete with Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Rangers, and other teams that have a lot more talent when there's bidding wars for guys like Adrian Gonzalez, etc.??? Teams don't want a bunch of mediocre, mid-level prospects for a guy like that. Besides, when was the last time the Cubs traded for a real impact bat??

Nomar??

The best way to ensure long-term success is through the draft. The Red Sox drafted a handful of guys who were first-round talent, but teams didn't want to spend money on them. Maybe the way the draft is set up sucks, but that's the way it is. The teams that know and are willing to take advantage of it by spending money are the ones who will reap the benefits down the road.

I'd rather the Cubs do everything advantageous to win.

I don't know, I'm just sick of hearing Ricketts and Hendry talk about winning, and then their actions fall far short of their words. Ricketts has said so much BS and done nothing, every little sign action like this I take for him not being truthful with the money situation.

Its more entertaining paying attention to the minor leagues at this point, as this organization has been run terribly the last year and a half and blew some chances to stay competitive the next 4-5 seasons.

[Banks]

A quick, red flag, stat on the Cubs supposed future star 3B, and current declining prospect, Josh Vitters....

38 career walks, in 971 career minor league at bats....

[LeeEila's/rant]

I think we are both headed in the same direction Bock . We are just differing on how to get there. You are expecting them to change what they have done and improve on the scouting and development of young position players right now.

Long term success of this team is properly identifying our strengths and weakness. It will lead to faster success if we build on our strength and use it to offset what we have failed at.

We have ignored our minors and used it to build a team to win now. We wasted time and assets to try to piece together what was seen as a flawed team. We have to let some of these bad contract expire and then our trades could be steered to improving our minors.

Before any of this can be achieved we need to find an identity for this club and then build toward that idea.

This takes us to Ricketts , I am beginning to have my doubts. He really needs to take charge of this team and be up front with more than buying beers in the bleachers or negotiating signage!

[Bockstock]

Hayden Simpson has failed to progress past low A in two years with the team. I think we've seen what a real front office thinks of most of the cream of the the Hendry/Wilken era draft picks..Colvin, Cashner, Flaherty, Frenchy......gone.