Josh Rivera – Pic via West Michigan Whitecaps
In August, I gave out my initial grade for the 2022 draft class and at some point next fall winter, I’m going to do the same for the draft class of 2023 in which the Cubs took 20 players and signed them all. With those things in mind, here are some storylines that I’m going to be following this spring and summer regarding that draft class in order to make an initial grade after the end of the 2024 season.
Matt Shaw does is really going to shape most of the grade since he’s the first pick and the foundation of the draft class. Based on the fact that he is pretty close to Chicago now, this grade is off to a good start. It’s still unclear where Shaw is going to play. Some of you would like to see him at third base, others of you would not mind switching to an outfield spot or even designated hitter. All those ideas are going to fix themselves this year and possibly in spring training. The fact that he is going to be in Chicago so soon bodes well for this class.
Still, Shaw is not the only pick.
What makes the 2023 draft class a little different than previous years is that there are a lot of position guys who actually got to play last year. We saw Jonathan Long and Brian Kalmer hit a lot of home runs as Pelicans last year. We got to see Josh Rivera up in South Bend. Sam Armstrong pitched a little along with non-drafted free agent Landon Ginn, and Grayson Moore in Myrtle Beach. But we did not get to see second round pick Jaxon Wiggins or fourth rounder Will Sanders. And we didn’t get to see a lot of the pitchers taken on day three.
What is also going to be fun seeing is the development of these players after an offseason that includes weight training as well as nutrition and mental skills. There’s a whole lot of stuff that goes into making a professional baseball player.
Here are seven things I’m going to keep an eye on besides Matt Shaw this spring in summer.
1. Josh Rivera
I missed getting to see him play in person last year by a week or two. He did not get off to a good start, but he finished his short tenure playing really well.. Where he begins next year is still a bit of a mystery. if I had to lean, it would be South Bend, but if he comes into camp and is doing what he did the last month of the year at South Bend, then he’s going to be in Tennessee. I am curious to see where he starts and for how long and at what position – 3B or SS.
2. Will Sanders
He was easily my favorite pick of day two of the draft. He’s a big right-hander with a lot of experience who should move fairly quickly through the system. I would not be surprised to see him start the year in Myrtle Beach. However, if he did, he’s not going to be there long. South Bend is the more logical spot for someone with his résumé. And honestly, he should not be long there either.
3. Long and Kalmer
These two guys ate up Myrtle Beach after they signed. Both displayed power and the ability to play two infield spots. I’m hoping both start the year in South Bend and we’ll see if the power they showed last year shows up again in 2024.
4. The Return of Wiggins
I have not seen a timetable about when he’s going to come back, where he is at in his throwing program, and where he is going to do his program. Expect to see short limits of 20-30 pitches his first few outings and slowly, and I mean slowly, working his way up to 50 pitches the first three months.
5. Zyhir Hope and Alfonsin Rosario
The two young prep outfielders should both be at Myrtle Beach to begin the year and Rosario should probably at the end of the year. Both are young extremely athletic. Hope hits from the left side while Rosario hits from the right. Right now, Hope is a little more advanced. At this point, the former North Carolina commit got himself a cup of coffee last year in Myrtle Beach and is one of the rising stars in the system heading into the spring. As for Rosario, he’s a little bit behind, but not too much. His potential power is a lot higher than Hope’s and Rosario could be a rising star in the system by the end of August.
6. The Day 3 Pitchers
The Cubs took a few arms on day three of the 2023 draft. With a full off-season of being in a throwing, nutrition, and weightlifting program, I am very curious to see how these guys perform. Ty Johnson from Ball State is a big tall kid. I look forward to seeing him at Myrtle Beach in some capacity. Maryland’s Nick Dean has a little bit more pitchability to him. He will also probably start out next year at Myrtle Beach with an outside shot of going to South Bend just because he has a little bit more control. Sam Armstrong from Coastal Carolina got a little bit of action in at Myrtle Beach last year. However, seeing him start fresh this spring with 6 months of development will be much more eye-opening than what he did last summer.
And then there is the curious case of Daniel Brown, a pure lottery ticket who can throw in the upper 90s. The former Campbell outfielder has a problem with throwing the ball across the plate as he only has 6 games he’s pitched in for a total of 1 inning. He will probably be in extended spring training to start the year.
7. The Return
If lefty pitcher Ethan Flanagan from UCLA gets in a game in the first half, that’ll just be an added bonus. He had surgery just before the draft.
With the success of the 2022 draft class, this year’s class is a lot different because of the amount of hitters the Cubs took. It’s much more balanced as it’s not overwhelmingly pictures like four of the last five drafts have been.
