I'm not much for the Major League draft, but I'm interested in seeing what direction the Cubs will take this year.
Tonight is the first round...which the Cubs pick 6th and they will also have 2 supplemental picks tonight.
Most people think that the Cubs will either pick Albert Almora or Carlos Correa. The scouting reports have convinced me that Correa is the better prospect...but we'll see where they go soon.
Stay tuned here for updates throughout the evening.
Update #1
Correa is off the board after the first pick. The Astros pick him as the #1 draft pick.
He's a shortstop out of Puerto Rico with a commitment to play at Miami.
This is the guy I really wanted...but the Cubs will have to go in another direction.
Update #2
Byron Buxton goes to the Twins...which was expected.
Update #3
Catcher Mike Zunino goes to the Mariners at #3...which was expected, but still a bit of a head scratcher since they acquired Jesus Montero this past winter.
Update #4
Kevin Gausman goes to the Orioles...again this was also expected only because most people didn't expect Appel to fall to this point. This was the Orioles guy. Appel is getting close to being available for the Cubs, which would be pretty damn cool.
Update #5
The Royals pick Kyle Zimmer...another guy some thought the Cubs might take. The Cubs are up with Mark Appel still available. Questions as far as his signability are out there as Appel is a Boras client. Another crazy rumor is that Boras is trying to get his client to fall all the way down to the Nationals at the 16th pick. We'll soon see!
Update #6
Rumor right now is that it is a lock that the Cubs are taking Albert Almora...which is what most thought in the first place. Mark Appel continues to slide. The Cubs pick is due in a couple minutes.
Update #7
Albert Almora is the Cubs pick. He's a 5 tool outfielder with supposed good baseball instincts. For me, I am so wary of outfielders in the Cubs system so I'm not as thrilled with this pick as most people.
Most experts love this pick, and should be enough for people to be satisfied here. Now let's see if the Cubs minor league system has improved enough to actually develop an outfielder into an All-Star.
Update #8
Fried goes to the Padres...
Mark Appel goes to the Pirates at #8...which is a huge get for Pittsburgh. Nice!
From this point, I'll summarize things a little later...and be back when the Cubs get to the supplemental picks.
