In just a few weeks, the college baseball season is going to begin. Junior colleges will begin to play throughout the South and four-year schools will begin in the middle of February. It seems ridiculously early, but for many schools in the South, spring has already sprung by then while we have to wait another three months here in Illinois.
Last year, I was pretty much locked in on Brock Wilken of Wake Forest as my guy from the beginning of the year all the way to the draft. Ultimately, the Cubs passed on Wilken and went with Matt Shaw, and that looks like a pretty good pick.
This year, I have a few names I’ve been thinking about for the number 14 slot the past couple of weeks. I’ve done some digging, read some reports, looked at some videos, and perused some data. What I’ve been looking for are guys who, for now, would be available at number 14 when the Cubs pick. That’s a wide amount of players to go through considering only 13 other guys are eliminated from the sample size. Still, most current rankings are pretty similar in terms of the top 20 names, maybe even going up to 25, but they vary quite a bit in their order.
So, using lists on MLB Pipeline, Prospects Live, Future Star Series, and Baseball America, I’m getting a lot of different opinions about who should be around. It is kind of strange to do that as draft rankings fluctuate throughout the course of the spring season and then even more so in the month of June.
Here are some guys who could possibly be the Cubs top pick.
Dakota Jordan is an incredible athlete. Originally, he was going to play two sports at Mississippi State, but is now fully committed to baseball and that might make all the difference. He’s ranked a little bit just outside the first round on most boards. However, that’s going to change with his athleticism and full-time commitment. In terms of hitters, he might be the guy that I see as having the highest ceiling. His floor is not too shabby either.
Cam Caminiti is the nephew of the former Padres and Astros star, but he is nothing like his uncle. He’s a big lefty, who plays both ways. Scouts see him more as a pitcher than a hitter.
Josh Hartle is a safe pick. He doesn’t throw all that hard, but he has some wicked offspeed stuff. He is at a great pitching school in Wake Forest and knows how to use pitches to get outs. But for a first round, pick, most tend to want a guy that’s got a little something more than pitchability.
Thatcher Hurd is a guy that I have taken an interest in since Greg Zumach brought him up back in 2021 when he was coming out of high school. After one year at UCLA and another at LSU, Hurd is on the verge of being a first round pick. However, it depends on which prospect list you look at as to what part of the first round he’s going to go. He could be a top 10 arm, he could be around when the Cubs pick, or he could be taken near the end of the first round.
Hagen Smith is a left-handed starting pitcher for Arkansas that I am starting to fall for quickly. One publication described him as effectively wild, but the Cubs have done pretty well by taking guys out of Arkansas and the SEC lately. The fact that he’s the top power lefty in the draft is also a plus with his mid 90s speed. But he’s going to have to improve his performance this year before I get fully on board at number 14. For now, he’s on the list.
Chase Burns moved from the University of Tennessee to Wake Forest and he might be the most polished pro ready pitcher in the draft. I can’t see him being left on the board at 14, but if he is, I wouldn’t be able to get the card in fast enough.
Bryce Rainer is a big kid who currently plays shortstop. He’s still got a little bit to fill out but I am starting to think that he is going to be one prep SS to watch this draft class.
Michael Massey is a reliever at Wake Forest and I doubt if anybody takes him in the first round. But he’s definitely a first round talent. He’s at the top of my reliever list right now and I’m not so sure the Cubs don’t have eyes on him for round two or three. That might be as low as he drops. I like the short arm deceptive delivery and nasty slider.
Re-Draftees
Cubs have three names on the board from the 2021 draft that they can retake. I’ve brought this up before but these are guys that Kantrovitz and his staff actually took but did not sign in 2021. These are not Jason McLeod‘s picks, these are his and that changes how Kantrovitz might look at them. Right now, pitcher Daniel Avitia of Grand Canyon is at the back of the first round while pitcher Gage Ziehl out of The U is probably a second or third rounder along with Tulane 3B Teo Banks. But if they have big years, they could move up the boards pretty quickly. For now, I’m just going to keep an eye on them. I’m not looking for them in the first round, but you might hear their names in a five round mock or a seven round mock later in the spring. In fact, I might have a three round mock at some point in the next couple of weeks.
