By Dan Cupples
Photo: Jim Denton
Daytona shortstop Junior Lake has been somewhat of an enigma since signing as a 17 year old kid in 2007. In '07 and '08 he put up solid numbers in the Dominican Summer League and in Arizonia rookie ball, raising some eyebrows. After '08 he was the Cubs 14th best prospect according to BA just 7 slots behind Starlin Castro, and the two were generally considered to be on about the same level.
2009 saw Lake go a separate direction from Castro. While Starlin had a breakout season that would set up him to take over the Cubs shortstop position in 2010, Lake struggled in the pitcher friendly Midwest League at Peoria. Hitting just .248 with 138 SO in 463 ABs (28.8% k rate) he was overmatched and had trouble recognizing off speed pitches. Dropping to 29th on the Cubs prospect list (BA) his '09 showing left a lot of questions to be answered. Unfortunately, as recently as two months ago, 2010 was shaping up to be a repeat of 2009, as Lake was hitting just .209 in April and May over 115 ABs with a 28% K rate.
First of all I'd like to apologize for my unexplained absence for the last month. It was unplanned and I had some personal things to deal with, but I'm excited to get back to blogging and providing you with some coverage of the Cubs farm system again. I have an interview lined up with a current minor leaguer, a trip to see a game planned, and a new set of rankings on the way, so I hope you'll check back soon.
Now, I think an appropriate way to start back up is to look at how the landscape of the Cubs minor league system has changed in the last month since I've been absent. And what better way to do that than with everybody's favorite banality, a "stock up, stock down" feature!
Way Up
Brett Jackson, CF, AA Tennessee
Jackson's stock was already on the way up with a very good performance in Daytona, but over the last month as he has smoothly transitioned to AA, he's ensconced himself in the discussion for top 25 prospect status. His overall line of .314/.420/.509 with 18 stolen bases is fantastic, and he's taken more walks than anyone could have anticipated. He posted a 22% line-drive rate in the Florida State League, and has bumped it up to 31% since his promotion. He's generating a lot of hype, and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus even mentioned him as a potential candidate for the #11 overall prospect in a recent article.
A dream was realized Tuesday for lefthander Eric Jokisch when he found himself selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft (340th overall) by the Chicago Cubs.
Originally from Virginia, IL, a small town in the western part of the state, Jokisch has spent the last three years at Northwestern. During his time as a Wildcat, he's posted a 17-16 record and a 4.71 ERA, and has won honors like Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten.
In the aftermath of his selection, Eric took some time to reflect on the process and discuss his game with Wrigley Bound.
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Wrigley Bound: What was the draft process like for you? What did you do on draft day?
Eric Jokisch: It was a long process drawn out over the whole year, and when the day finally came, I was fortunate enough to finish my last paper for Northwestern and head home to be with the family.
With two full days in the books, it's time to look at the new faces in the Cubs farm system and see what the draft has yielded.
The theme of the draft has definitely been "uncovering hidden gems", and Cubs scouting director Tim Wilken seems to believe he's outsmarted the rest of the league on several players. After taking a Division II player with his first pick, he overturned stones across America to fill out the class and wound up with an eclectic collection of talent.
How did the draft turn out? We won't know for years. But with the success Wilken has had over the last several years and the burgeoning youth movement at the major league level, it certainly will play a large part in determining the future of the Cubs.
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By Dan Cupples and Matt Swain
The Cubs pulled a name out of nowhere in the first round of Monday's MLB draft, selecting Hayden Simpson from Division II Southern Arkansas. Because he's somewhat off the radar, we can only give a very a limited scouting report.
His repertoire starts with an above-average fastball sitting in the low 90's that can touch the mid 90's, though it is fairly straight. He also features 2 brekaing pitches. His best is an 82-84 slider that does have some late titlt and a slower high 70's curveball. His changeup is rudimentary but has some promise. He has average command of all his pitches, and if he can learn to mix his pitches he may have the potential to be a #3 SP. If he cannot stay as a starter, he could be a decent set-up guy with his fastball-slider combination.
With the 16th pick in the 2010 MLB Draft, the Chicago Cubs select...
Hayden Simpson?
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In the NFL and NBA drafts, teams are allowed to trade their picks. What that means is that if a team sits with say a #5 pick and covets a player who will surely be available in the 30's, it can trade down and add another pick in addition to landing their target. If that team chose their guy at #5 and sacrificed the value they could have added to the team by trading it, the pick was a failure.
The MLB draft is different. If you have a pick, you're stuck with it. So if a team falls in love with the 20th ranked player in the draft and pick #8, then they're going to have to reach to get their guy. The implication is that you can't hold a selection against a team if the player wouldn't have made it to the next round. After all, the separation between MLB draft prospects isn't huge, and who's to say that their guy won't turn out better than the other options anyway?
This reasoning has the ability to validate every pick made in the first round on Monday, save possibly three. Arizona's choice of Barrett Loux at #6, New York taking Chevez Clarke at #30, and the Chicago Cubs shocking the world with the selection of Hayden Simpson, a no-name righty from Division II Southern Arkansas.
Join us tonight at Wrigley Bound, where we'll be talking prospects and counting down til the Cubs pick when the MLB draft gets underway.
Stop by later to get real-time updates and compilations of what all the experts are saying, video highlights of the Cubs pick, and of course some sparkling analysis from myself and our resident draft guru Dan Cupples.
We'll also touch on some hot topics involving current Cubs prospects and answer any questions about them.
Get your questions in now, and we'll see you back here at 5 PM CT!
UPDATE: We've merged this chat with our ChicagoNow friends Future Sox, meaning our friend Jeff Buchanan will join us this evening, providing twice as much material to talk about.
