15 biggest draft busts in Chicago Cubs franchise history

Let me again start by saying. This is not an all-encompassing list, as the Chicago Cubs have had numerous MLB Draft misses over the years - a trend that extends beyond who was calling the shots or how the big-league club was performing.

There have been big draft wins, too, make no mistake. Without Kris Bryant, it's hard to envision the 2016 Cubs erasing a 108-year World Series championship drought. The same can be said of Javier Baez. Who could forget Kerry Wood - Kid K himself - and what he did early on in his career? Of course, there were the 'what might have beens' in there too. Chicago selected Hall of Famer Joe Carter in the first round back in 1981 and future AL MVP and All-Star Josh Donaldson in 2007.

Still, there have been more swings-and-misses than long balls over the years. Here are 15 of some of the worst draft picks in Cubs history.

It's not hard to come up with 15 Cubs draft picks that went sideways

Ed Howard

Too soon to place him on this list? Maybe. But the Cubs' selection of local high school shortstop Ed Howard with the 16th overall pick in 2020 is aging like milk on a hot summer day. The 23-year-old has battled injuries and, when healthy, has struggled to produce, batting just .217/.273/.286 across multiple levels of the minors. Players taken in the first round after Howard that year include Tyler Soderstrom, Austin Wells and Pete Crow-Armstrong - among others,

Ryan Jensen

Chicago's first-round pick in 2019 out of California State, right-hander Ryan Jensen, is inarguably one of the worst selections in recent memory. Now a 27-year-old in the Minnesota Twins organization, Jensen is yet to make his MLB debut and has a 4.49 career ERA across nearly 300 minor-league innings. Current Cubs first baseman Michael Busch and Yankees infielder Anthony Volpe were picked shortly after Jensen to close out the first round that year.

Josh Vitters

What would a Cubs draft busts piece be without the inclusion of Josh Vitters? The third overall pick in 2007, he was a mainstay on top-100 lists toward the back of the decade, but none of that hype ever materialized into anything substantive. Vitters played part of just one season at the big-league level, in 2012 with Chicago, and mustered a 7 OPS+ in 109 plate appearances.

Brett Jackson

If we're knocking out Vitters, we might as well hit Brett Jackson while we're at it. Chicago's first-round selection in 2009, the UC Berkeley product followed on Vitter's heels on top-100 lists, making his MLB debut with the Cubs in 2012, batting just .175 in 44 games. He made a handful of appearances with the Diamondbacks two years later - and never again appeared in an MLB game after that age-25 season.

Gary Scott

A second-round pick of the Cubs in the 1989 MLB Draft, Scott was supposed to be the team's long-term solution at third base. A standout at Villanova, Scott was the team's Opening Day third baseman in both 1991 and 1992, but found himself back in the minors soon thereafter. He compiled a .160/.250/.240 slash line in 67 contests - and was good for -1.3 bWAR, to boot.

David Kelton

Taken as a high-schooler in the second round of the 1998 MLB Draft, outfielder David Kelton went on to play a total of 18 MLB games in his professional career, and has all of three hits to his name. Some notable players taken after Kelton that year? Slugger Adam Dunn and future Cy Young winner Barry Zito.

Hayden Simpson

The Cubs took big right-hander Hayden Simpson with the 16th overall pick in 2010 and to say things went sideways quickly is an understatement. He never pitched above High-A in the minors and was out of professional baseball two years later. Seven picks later in that draft, the Marlins selected Christian Yelich - given how he's performed since joining the rival Brewers, one can't help but wonder what it could have meant having him on the North Side instead.

Ty Griffin

The ninth overall pick in the 1988 MLB Draft, Ty Griffin never managed to reach Triple-A, let alone the big leagues, and is remembered to this day as a major draft disappointment. A hugely hyped prospect, things just never panned out for him and the Cubs traded him to Cincinnati after the 1991 campaign.

Brooks Kieschnick

Is this the biggest draft bust in Cubs' history? You can definitely make the case. Drafted from the University of Texas, Brooks Kieschnick wound up playing all of 64 games with Chicago, contributing -0.2 bWAR. He spent parts of 13 seasons in the minors, but his potential never materialized at the big-league level. There were some major superstars taken after him in the first round, too. Hall of Famer Billy Wagner, future Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, Torii Hunter, Jason Varitek and Chris Carpenter. That makes the miss feel even bigger than it was on its own.

Mark Pawelek

The Cubs lured Mark Pawelek away from a commitment to Arizona State with a $1.75 million signing bonus in the 2005 MLB Draft - but the southpaw never made it to the big leagues. Jacoby Ellsbury was picked up a handful of picks later, as was future Cubs hurler Matt Garza, but regardless, this is a pick that fell flat, to say the least.

Ryan Harvey

The sixth overall pick in the 2003 Draft, outfielder Ryan Harvey made a couple of appearances on Baseball America's top prospects lists, but failed to rise above Double-A. The Baltimore Orioles took Nick Markakis with the very next pick, and several other quality future big-leaguers can be found looking back at that year's first-round selections.

Luis Montañez

Selected with the #3 pick in the 2000 MLB Draft out of Coral Park High School in Miami, Luis Montañez actually made his big-league debut with Baltimore, not Chicago, but had a full-circle moment, with his final MLB appearance coming with the Cubs in 2009. A negative-WAR player in his career, the Puerto Rican outfielder is a mainstay on lists like this.

Luke Hagerty

A massive right-handed presence on the mound, Luke Hagerty dripped with potential and promise coming out of Ball State. The Cubs took him near the end of the first round (#32 overall) - and got virtually nothing out of him. His professional career was over before he threw 100 innings or reached Double-A.

Lance Dickson

The Cubs grabbed Lance Dickson with the 23rd pick out of the University of Arizona in the 1990 MLB Draft - and he actually made his MLB debut that same August, throwing six innings of three-run ball in a loss to the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. The remainder of his big-league career spanned all of two appearances, both coming that season. He spent the next five years in the minors before calling it quits.

Earl Cunningham

The eighth overall pick in 1989, Earl Cunningham was a light-hitting outfielder for years in the minors, but never appeared in a big-league game for the Cubs or any other team. Other notable first-round picks taken after Cunningham include Chuck Knoblauch, Cal Eldred and Mo Vaughn. One pick prior, the White Sox selected Frank Thomas.