Chicago Cubs prepare for the 2015 MLB draft

Cubs ready for the 2015 MLB Amatuer Draft

It’s that time of the year again. The 2015 MLB draft begins June 8th and it will be the next brick in the foundation for the

Chicago Cubs.

The Cubs will once again have a pick in the Top 10, and with the amount of talent available, many league insiders are interested in what Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have up their sleeves.

Now that many of the top prospects have found their way to the big leagues or are closer to that summit, it’s exciting to think of what piece could be added to the puzzle.

The Cubs have spent the last few years stockpiling talent at a variety of positions but generally look for the best available. If the Cubs decide to follow their model, don’t be surprised with any pick they make. The north siders hold the number nine pick in this year’s draft which might provide for a number of avenues for the team to take.

Looking at the top prospect list, one thing of note stands out. There are three shortstops that are projected top ten picks. If one should fall to the Cubs at number nine, the team has made it clear they will draft the best talent available regardless of position.

Although the shortstop position has been filled by Starlin Castro and Addison Russell, drafting another might be the appropriate move. Epstein and Hoyer are still in the building mode and view every draft pick and free agent as a piece that can affect the roster later on.

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Since 2011, the Cubs have drafted position players over pitchers with the exception to Pierce Johnson and Paul Blackburn who were supplemental picks for the loss of Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena to free agency.

The best assumption we can make from this is that the Cubs are choosing to build their core fielders through scouting and the draft and will instead buy pitching as a way to fill those roles. Seeing as how often pitchers have been getting hurt, its not a bad approach. The other benefit to this is the timetable for their development. Positional players can move through the minors at an accelerated rate based on performance but the average pro pitcher needs at least 500-600 innings pitched before we know that they can do.

Javier Baez (9th overall pick 2011) and Kris Bryant (2nd overall pick in 2013) have already made their major league debut while Albert Almora (6th overall pick 2012) and Kyle Schwarber (4th overall pick 2014) are on the radar and soon could find their way to Wrigley.

Soon, we as fans will get familiar with the new blood of the franchise. Will we see another positional player, or have we reached the need for pitching help. Epstein and Hoyer have proven to be savvy so far, and this year may not be any different.

Next: Javier Baez to miss extended time

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